A new book by author and journalist David Katz, Dub Revolution: Jamaica’s Sonic Innovators and the Birth of Remix Culture, chronicles the history of dub music and its foundational role in remix culture.
Published by White Rabbit Books, the volume traces dub’s emergence in early 1970s Kingston, where producers such as King Tubby, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Prince Jammy and Scientist deconstructed reggae recordings into stripped-down, effects-heavy experiments. It follows the sound’s international spread through the Jamaican diaspora, taking root in New York via figures like Lloyd “Bullwackie” Barnes and evolving in the UK through the work of Dennis Bovell, Mad Professor and Adrian Sherwood.
The book also examines the political and cultural contexts that shaped dub’s development and includes interviews with many of the genre’s key architects.
“Widely adopted by post-punk producers and later a crucial influence on the underground dance music scenes of several continents, dub indelibly changed the techniques and aesthetics of music production with far-reaching effects; it’s no exaggeration to say that without dub, there would be no hip-hop or house music.”
