Dub's Modern Legacy: From Kingston to Dubstep (Part 3)

In part 1, we followed Jamaica's music from ska to dub. In part 2, we explored sound system culture and the mixing console as an instrument. Now we look at how these revolutionary ideas traveled from Kingston to the rest of the world and shaped modern music.

From Jamaica to the Bronx: Hip-Hop's Jamaican Roots

The story of dub's global influence begins in 1967, when a 12-year-old boy named Clive Campbell immigrated from Kingston, Jamaica to the Bronx, New York. With him, he brought memories of the massive sound systems that had filled his childhood with music.

Campbell – who later became known as DJ Kool Herc – is considered today as "the father of hip-hop." His contribution to music history was not inventing something entirely new, but adapting Jamaican techniques to an American context.

The Merry-Go-Round Technique

Herc's most important innovation was the "merry-go-round" technique: by using two copies of the same record, he could isolate and extend "the break" – the part of the song where only drums and bass played. This gave dancers more time to show their moves.

But this wasn't entirely new. In Jamaica, sound system operators had long played "versions" – the instrumental B-sides of records – and selectors were masters at manipulating the audience's energy through their choice of music. Herc transferred this philosophy to a new context.

Read more about DJ Kool Herc on Britannica →

Toasting Becomes Rap

In Jamaican sound systems, the deejay (MC) was just as important as the selector. Artists like U-Roy, Big Youth, and I-Roy had developed "toasting" – a style where they talked, rapped, and chanted over the music – into a complex art form.

When Herc held his parties in the Bronx, he brought this tradition with him. His MCs – first Coke La Rock and later others – talked over the music to hype the audience. This direct line from Jamaican toasting to American rap is well-documented by historians.

Grandmaster Flash, another hip-hop pioneer, has spoken openly about Herc's Jamaican influence and his focus on having the biggest, most powerful sound system and the most exclusive music.

Red Bull Music Academy: Afrika Bambaataa interview →

UK: Where Dub Met Electronic Music

While hip-hop flourished in New York, something else was happening in the United Kingdom. Here, Caribbean immigration in the post-war period had created large Jamaican diaspora communities, particularly in London, Birmingham, and Bristol.

These communities brought sound system culture with them. In the 1970s and 1980s, British sound systems like Jah Shaka, Aba Shanti-I, and Channel One flourished – and they would have an enormous impact on British music.

Post-Punk and Dub

Bands like The Clash, Public Image Ltd, and The Slits were fascinated by dub and integrated techniques like delay, reverb, and bass-focused production into their music. Producer Dennis Bovell – a Jamaican-British engineer – worked with many of these bands and brought authentic dub expertise to the punk scene.

This fusion created a unique British sound that blended dub's spatial production with rock's energy.

Jungle and Drum and Bass: Dub in Acceleration

In the early 1990s, something revolutionary happened in London's underground. Young producers – many from Caribbean families – began to combine dub's bass philosophy with accelerated breakbeats.

The result was first jungle, and later drum and bass – genres that took dub's principles and turned the speed up to 160-180 BPM.

Dub Elements in Jungle and Drum and Bass

• Sub-bass: The deep, rumbling bass that defines drum and bass comes directly from dub. King Tubby's focus on the lowest frequencies lives on.
• Spatial effects: Delay and reverb are used extensively to create depth and drama, exactly as in classic dub.
• Drops and builds: The technique of dramatically removing and adding elements – fundamental to drum and bass – is pure dub.
• Reggae samples: Early jungle tracks often sampled reggae and dub directly. Artists like Shy FX and Congo Natty have always been explicit about their Jamaican roots.

Read our article about jungle and breakbeats →

Red Bull: The story of UK drum 'n' bass →

Dubstep: Dub's Most Direct Heir

If any genre carries dub's legacy most explicitly, it's dubstep. The name itself – a combination of "dub" and "2-step garage" – signals the genetics.

Dubstep emerged in South London around the turn of the millennium, in clubs like Forward>> and on radio stations like Rinse FM. Pioneers like Skream, Benga, Digital Mystikz, and Kode9 created a sound that was explicitly inspired by dub.

The Dub Legacy in Dubstep

• Tempo: Dubstep's characteristic ~140 BPM is half the tempo of drum and bass – a deliberate return to reggae's slower, more hypnotic pulse.
• Sub-bass focus: More than any other electronic genre, dubstep focuses on frequencies below 100 Hz. This is King Tubby's legacy.
• Space and room: Early dubstep was often more about what wasn't there than what was. Like dub, dubstep prioritized empty space and tension.
• Reverb and delay: The classic dub effects are ubiquitous in dubstep production.

FL Studio and the 140 BPM

A fun detail in dubstep's history involves software. FL Studio (formerly Fruity Loops) was incredibly popular among early dubstep producers – and the program had a default tempo of exactly 140 BPM. Many historians speculate that this "coincidence" helped cement 140 BPM as the genre's signature tempo. It's a fun example of how technology can shape music in unexpected ways.

Read our guide to the best DAWs for beginners →

VICE's oral history of dubstep →

Dub in Modern Production

Today, dub's techniques are so integrated into mainstream production that we often don't notice them. But they are everywhere:

Delay as a Creative Tool

Every time a producer uses delay for something other than simulating a room – when the delay becomes part of the music itself – that's dub. From The Edge's (U2) guitar sound to modern EDM buildups, this approach is universal.

Remix Culture

The entire concept of taking a track and creating a new version – fundamental to all modern pop music – comes from dub's "version" tradition. Every remixer in the world stands on the shoulders of King Tubby.

The Studio as an Instrument

The idea of treating the studio and mixing console as creative instruments – not just documentation tools – revolutionized music production. This is now standard, but it was the dub pioneers who established the principle.

Read our guide to sound design →

Modern Dub and Sound System Culture

Dub and sound system culture is far from dead. In fact, it's experiencing a renaissance:

Sound Systems Today

In Europe, there exists a thriving network of modern sound systems. Festivals like Outlook (Croatia), Dub Camp (France), and Dimensions gather thousands of fans and cultivate the original culture.

British sound systems like Iration Steppas, Mungo's Hi Fi, and O.B.F keep the tradition alive while developing the sound in new directions.

Modern Dub Producers

Producers like Mad Professor, Adrian Sherwood, and Scientist still work actively. Newer names like Twilight Circus, Dub Phizix, and Radikal Guru blend classic dub techniques with modern production.

Lessons from Dub for Modern Producers

What can we learn from the dub pioneers today?

1. Limitations Breed Creativity

King Tubby worked with used, modified equipment. Lee "Scratch" Perry's Black Ark Studio was primitive by all standards. Yet they created something eternal. The message: it's not your gear, but your creativity that counts.

2. Less is More

Dub is often about removing elements, not adding. In an age of endless plugins and possibilities, this is an important reminder of the power of empty space and restraint.

3. Live Performance in the Studio

Dub engineers performed their mixes live. This spontaneity and humanity is something we can lose in digital production. Try mixing "live" with automation and see what happens.

4. Bass is the Foundation

Dub established that bass isn't just part of the music – it is the music. Modern genres from trap to techno acknowledge this.

Conclusion: An Eternal Revolution

Dub's story is remarkable. A handful of engineers and producers in a small Caribbean country, working with limited equipment and even more limited budgets, created techniques and philosophies that fundamentally changed popular music.

Every time you hear hip-hop's deep bass, dubstep's wobbles, drum and bass' spatial production, or pop songs with creative delay effects, you're hearing echoes of Kingston.

Dub taught us that music production is an art form in itself – that the studio is an instrument, that bass is a force, and that limitations can be freedom. These are lessons that will never become outdated.

Sources and Further Reading

• Britannica: DJ Kool Herc
• Wikipedia: Jungle music
• Wikipedia: Dubstep
• Wikipedia: Drum and bass
• Wikipedia: Dub music
• The Guardian: How dubstep went mainstream

Om forfatteren

Ras 'Kata' Kjærbo

Ras Kjærbo is an Ableton Certified Trainer and one of the driving forces behind Rumkraft. He teaches Ableton Live and music production, and is passionate about sharing his knowledge on everything from sound design to live performance techniques.

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