Dub Music Guide: 4 Characteristics of Dub Music

Dub is a dance music genre that evolved from the backing tracks of Jamaican reggae. In some circles, it is called “dub reggae” and considered a formal subgenre of reggae music. The style is named for the dubplates used in the manufacture of vinyl records.

Early dub songs were instrumental versions of reggae tracks. Lead vocals were removed from dub mixes, although some dub producers would preserve backing vocals. Emphasis was given to the rhythm section; some dub songs with a purely drum-and-bass focus are called "riddim tracks." Later forms of dub featured electronic samplers and drum machines—so much so that contemporary dub is an electronic music genre.

Beginning in the late 1960s, sound system engineers riffed off of existing styles to form a new genre.

• Born from a mistake: The dub style of Jamaican music began on a 1968 mix of the hit single "On the Beach'' by the Paragons. At the time, DJ and producer collectives called sound systems guided popular music, and sound system producer Rudolph "Ruddy" Redwood commissioned the Treasure Isle studio to press the recording. However, the studio’s engineer, Byron Smith, accidentally pressed a copy without vocal tracks. The inadvertently instrumental record turned out to be a hit because it allowed Jamaican deejays (DJs) to improvise over the music in a style called toasting.
• King Tubby’s formula: The surprise success of an instrumental record inspired Osbourne "King Tubby" Ruddock to create his own twist on the formula. Experimenting at his mixing desk, King Tubby created mixes that highlighted vocals, drum-and-bass riddim, and a mixture of both. The style caught on and soon entire dub albums were sold in record stores.
• Dub solidifies: While mainstream hits of the era came from the ska, rocksteady, and reggae genres, innovative sound systems concocted a new genre on the B-sides of these hits. They created "dub versions" of the hit song on the record's A-side, removing lead vocals, boosting drums and bass, and adding sound effects. This created the dub sound.
• Dub specialists: By the early 1970s, a number of producers co-opted dubbing as their calling card. Lee "Scratch" Perry, Errol Thompson, Glen Brown, and Keith Hudson all carved out niches in the Kingston music scene thanks to their takes on dub music. Derrick Harriott made his own contribution by adding sound effects to dub recordings, which further set them apart from their A-side origins.
• UK dub: A large number of Jamaican expatriates in the United Kingdom helped create a 1980s British dub scene. Its stars included Mad Professor, Scientist, Jah Shaka, Adrian Sherwood, UB40, and Mikey Dread. These dub artists inspired post-punk crossover acts like the Clash and the Police, who feature dub reggae elements on many songs.
• Shift to electronic music: Dub music aligns closely with sampling, and in the early 1980s, electronic remixes of dub standards began to emerge. Electronic forms of dub popped up in their own right; such subgenres include dubstep, dubtronica, dub techno, psydub, and trip-hop. The dancehall genre, which began in the 1970s and also adopted electronic instruments, has increasingly overlapped with dub.
• Popular club music: Contemporary dub music continues to thrive at nightclubs and on dance playlists, where it is often combined with other types of electronic music as well as hip-hop.

Dub music directly derives from reggae, yet the two genres have diverged in separate directions.

• Reggae music: Reggae music evolved in Jamaica from the ska and rocksteady traditions. It features prominent lead vocals and its biggest stars—such as Bob Marley, Toots Hibbert, and Jimmy Cliff—are singers.
• Dub music: Dub music is reggae without the original lead vocals—for example, a track by the Wailers without Bob Marley singing. Dub mixes tend to emphasize bass and drums, and they may also add sound effects. As a dub record spins on the turntable, a live rapper called a toaster may add impromptu vocals atop the mix.

Dub music has key characteristics distinguishing it from reggae, ska, and other music from Jamaica and the Caribbean.

1. 1. No lead vocals: Dub music began by removing lead vocal tracks from reggae records. Although the genre has evolved, the absence of sung lead vocals remains a defining characteristic.
2. 2. Riddim emphasis: Dub music emphasizes drum-and-bass tracks called riddim. Dub and reggae drummer Sly Dunbar of Sly and Robbie calls drum-and-bass focused productions "dubwise."
3. 3. Sound effects: At the mixing board, dub producers tend to add sound effects and plugins, including echo, reverb, and delay.
4. 4. Space for toasters: With its lack of lead vocals, dub music offers space for toasting, a form of rapping that is improvised over a dub record.

Several artists stand out in the history of dub music.

1. 1. King Tubby: Dub producer Osbourne "King Tubby" Ruddock got his start working at Duke Reid's Treasure Isle studios and went on to develop his signature mixes of reggae and rocksteady songs, which established the genre known as dub. King Tubby was known for his mixing board techniques, which led to commissions for dub remixes from many musical stars of 1970s Jamaica.
2. 2. Lee "Scratch" Perry: Famous for his 1973 record The Upsetters 14 Dub Blackboard Jungle (also called Blackboard Jungle Dub), Perry collaborated with King Tubby to establish the sound of early dub.
3. 3. Keith Hudson: Hudson's 1974 record Pick a Dub was a dub album from start to finish, which distinguished him from the sound system producers who blended dub with other styles of music.
4. 4. Augustus Pablo: A 1970s artist famous for adding melodica to dub music. His 1974 collaboration with King Tubby, King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown, is considered a benchmark of dub music.

Become a better musician with the MasterClass Annual Membership. Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by the world’s best, including Questlove, St. Vincent, Sheila E., Timbaland, Itzhak Perlman, Herbie Hancock, Tom Morello, and more.