Dub is a type of music that began from reggae in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It is often seen as a part of reggae, but it has grown to include styles beyond reggae. Usually, dub involves changing existing songs by removing the vocal parts, focusing on the rhythm section (a basic drum-and-bass track is sometimes called a riddim), and using special studio effects like echo and reverb. Sometimes, short pieces of vocals or instruments from the original song or other recordings are added.
Dub was first created by recording engineers and producers such as Osbourne "King Tubby" Ruddock, Hopeton "Scientist" Brown, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Errol Thompson, and others starting in the late 1960s. Augustus Pablo, who worked with many of these producers, is known for introducing the unique-sounding melodica to dub and for helping create the genre. Similar changes to recordings were also made by producers Clive Chin and Herman Chin Loy outside the dancehall scene. These producers, especially Ruddock and Perry, treated the mixing console like an instrument, using it to create new and different sounds. The Roland Space Echo was widely used in the 1970s by dub producers to make echo and delay effects.
Dub has influenced many types of music, including rock, especially the subgenre of post-punk and other kinds of punk, pop, hip hop, post-disco, and later house, techno, ambient, electronic dance music, and trip hop. Dub helped create the genres of jungle and drum and bass, and it greatly influenced dubstep, which focuses on bass and uses audio effects. Traditional dub continues to exist, and some of its early creators, like Mad Professor, still make new music.
Name
The word "dub" in music began to be used in the late 1920s with the creation of "talking pictures," which are films with sound. It is a shortened form of the word "double." Over the next 40 years, the term became common in audio recording, often used to describe making a copy of a recording on another tape or disc.
In Jamaica, the term was first used in the recording industry when new songs were copied onto special discs called acetates. These were sometimes called "soft wax" or "dub" and later "dubplates." These copies were used by sound system operators to test how popular a song might be before making many copies for sale. At first, these acetates were regular recordings of songs not yet released. However, starting around 1968–69, they began to include mixes where some or all of the vocal parts were removed.
Producer Bunny Lee described how, after playing a song with vocals and then an instrumental version at a dance, people became interested in this new style. Jamaican sound systems had always wanted exclusive recordings, but in the 1950s, they played American records that other sound systems did not have. Later, local musicians recorded songs only for specific sound systems. With the invention of multi-track recording in Jamaica, sound systems could create exclusive mixes on acetates. This led to creative mixes in the 1970s, and the term "dub" became associated with these mixes, whether on acetates or "dubplates."
Bob Marley and the Wailers used the phrase "dub this one!" in concerts to mean emphasizing the bass and drums. Drummer Sly Dunbar also used the term "dubwise" to describe music with only drums and bass.
At the time dub music began, the word "dub" was already used in Jamaica for other meanings, such as a type of dance or sexual activity. These meanings appear in some reggae songs, like "Dub the Pum Pum" and "Dub a Dawta." However, these songs were recorded after the term "dub" was already widely used in music.
Characteristics
According to David Toop, "Dub music is like a long echo delay, repeating over and over… turning the logical order of musical sequences into an ocean of feeling."
Dub music is known for creating a "version" or "double" of an existing song, often without vocals, and was first released on the B-sides of Jamaican 45-rpm records. These versions usually focus on drums and bass, making them popular for use in local sound systems. A "version" is a different version of a song that DJs use to "toast" over (a type of Jamaican rapping), often with the original vocal parts removed. These versions were used to create new songs by adding new elements. The instrumental tracks are often changed with effects like echo and reverb, with instruments and vocals appearing and disappearing in the mix. Removing vocals and other instruments helps highlight the bass guitar. The music sometimes includes sounds like birds, thunder, water, or producers giving instructions to musicians. Live DJs may also add to the music. The layered sounds with different echoes and volumes create "soundscapes" or "sound sculptures," which focus on the space between sounds as well as the sounds themselves. The music often feels natural, even though the effects are made electronically.
These tracks are often used for "toasters" who rap with rhyming and alliterative lyrics. These are called "DJ Versions." In reggae music connected to sound systems, the person using a microphone is called the "DJ" or "deejay" (while in other music styles, this person might be called the "MC" or "Microphone Commander"). The person who chooses the music and controls the turntables is called the "selector."
One main reason for creating many versions was economic. A record producer could use one recording to make multiple versions from a single studio session. A version also gave producers or remix engineers a chance to try new ideas and show their creativity. A version was usually the B-side of a single, used for experimentation and giving DJs something to talk over, while the A-side was typically the original song with vocals. In the 1970s, albums of dub tracks began to be made. These could include: a collection of new dub mixes of rhythms from earlier singles, usually by one producer; a dub version of an existing vocal album with dub mixes of all the songs; or, less often, a selection of new rhythms mixed in a dub style.
History
Dub music and toasting began a new creative time in reggae music. From the start, toasting and dub music grew together and affected each other. The development of sound system culture in Jamaica influenced how studio techniques were used. Early DJs, like Duke Reid and Prince Buster, started toasting over instrumental reggae music and helped shape this style.
In 1968, a sound system operator named Rudolph "Ruddy" Redwood visited Duke Reid’s Treasure Isle studio in Kingston, Jamaica, to make a special dub plate of the Paragons song "On The Beach." An engineer named Byron Smith accidentally left the vocal track out, but Redwood kept the instrumental version and played it at a dance with his DJ, Wassy, who toasted over the music. The crowd loved the instrumental track and began singing the lyrics of the original song over it. This new idea was very popular, and Ruddy played the instrumental for up to an hour. Later, Bunny Lee, who saw this, told King Tubby that people enjoyed the instrumental tracks. They then removed the vocals from Slim Smith’s song "Ain't Too Proud To Beg." King Tubby created a new version of the track by mixing the vocals and instrumental parts together. From this point, these tracks were called "versions." Some sources say this practice began in 1967 instead of 1968.
At Studio One, engineers first tried making instrumental tracks and mixing them in the studio to fix the rhythm until it had a "feel" that made it easier for singers to perform over. Another reason for experimenting with mixing was competition between sound systems. Sound system workers wanted the music they played at dances to change slightly each time, so they ordered many copies of the same record with different mixes.
By 1973, many independent engineers, producers, and innovators helped turn instrumental reggae "versions" into a new subgenre called "dub."
The album The Undertaker by Derrick Harriott and the Crystallites, engineered by Errol Thompson, was one of the first strictly instrumental reggae albums when it was released in 1970.
In 1973, at least three producers—Lee "Scratch" Perry and the Aquarius studio team of Herman Chin Loy and Errol Thompson—recognized the growing demand for "dub" music and released the first albums made entirely of dub. Lee "Scratch" Perry released Upsetters 14 Dub Blackboard Jungle, often called Blackboard Jungle Dub, which is considered a key recording in this genre.
In 1974, Keith Hudson released Pick a Dub, widely seen as the first dub album with a clear theme, and King Tubby released his first two albums: At the Grass Roots of Dub and Surrounded by the Dreads at the National Arena.
Dub music has continued to change over time, becoming more or less popular as musical trends shifted. Most reggae singles still include an instrumental version on the B-side, which sound systems use as a base for live singers and DJs.
In 1976, the Japanese band Mute Beat created dub music using live instruments like trumpets instead of studio equipment, becoming an early influence on club music.
During the 1970s, the United Kingdom became a major center for dub production, with artists like Mikey Dread, Mad Professor, and Jah Shaka leading the way. Dub also influenced experimental producers such as Mikey Dread, who worked with bands like UB40 and the Clash, and Adrian Sherwood, who helped artists on his On-U Sound label. Many post-punk bands, including the Police, the Clash, and UB40, were heavily influenced by dub. UB40’s Present Arms In Dub was the first dub album to reach the UK top 40.
At the same time as reggae’s early 1970s B-side dub mixes, American post-disco producers in New York and New Jersey, working with DJs, began making 12-inch singles with alternate dub mixes. These mixes emphasized the beat, removed parts of the vocals, and added features that made it easier for DJs to use them. Examples include the Peech Boys’ "Don't Make Me Wait" and Toney Lee’s "Reach Up," produced by labels like Prelude and West End.
Today, modern forms of dub are sometimes called "dubtronica," "dub-techno," "steppers," or other types of electronic music inspired by dub.
Musical impact
Yale professor Michael Veal described dub as "the sound of a society tearing itself apart at the seams." His book, "Starship Africa," explains that the African diaspora is reflected in dub through the "extensive use of reverberation/delay devices and the fragmentation of the song surface." He considers dub's use of reverb a "sonic metaphor for the condition of diaspora." Veal wrote that dub creators used echo and reverb to help listeners remember African culture. King Tubby, Lee Perry, Erroll Thompson, Mad Professor, Jah Shaka, Denis Bovell, and Linton Kwesi Johnson influenced rock musicians. From the 1980s onward, dub has been shaped by and has shaped genres like techno, dubtronica/dub techno, jungle, drum and bass, dubstep, house music, punk and post-punk, trip hop, ambient music, and hip hop, with electronic dub sound. Musicians and bands such as Culture Club, Bill Laswell, Jah Wobble, New Age Steppers, Public Image Ltd, the Pop Group, the Police, Massive Attack, the Clash, Adrian Sherwood, Killing Joke, Bauhaus, and others show clear dub influences in their music, and their innovations have influenced the mainstream of the dub genre.
In 1987, the U.S. grunge rock band Soundgarden released a dub version of the Ohio Players' song "Fopp" along with a traditional rock cover of the song. DJs who specialized in playing music by these musicians, such as the UK's Unity Dub, appeared in the late 1990s. In the UK, Europe, and America, independent record producers continue to make dub music. Before forming The Mars Volta, Cedric Bixler, Omar Rodriguez, and others recorded dub albums under the name De Facto since 1999.
Since the 1960s, dub's history has been connected to the UK's punk rock scene. The Clash worked with Jamaican dub reggae creators like Lee "Scratch" Perry (whose song "Police & Thieves," co-written with Junior Murvin, was covered by the Clash on their first album) and Mikey Dread (on the Sandinista! album). The English group Ruts DC, a later version of the reggae-influenced punk group the Ruts, released Rhythm Collision Dub Volume 1 (Roir session) with the help of Mad Professor. Many U.S. punk rock bands were introduced to dub through the rasta punk band Bad Brains from Washington, D.C., which was formed and released influential music in the 1980s. Blind Idiot God included dub music alongside their faster noise rock tracks. In the 1990s, some punk rock groups, like Rancid and NOFX, wrote original songs in a dub style. Bands considered ska punk often play dub-influenced songs; one of the first such bands to gain popularity was Sublime, whose albums included both dub originals and remixes. Sublime influenced later American bands like Rx Bandits and the Long Beach Dub Allstars. Additionally, dub influenced some pop bands, including No Doubt. No Doubt's fifth album, Rock Steady, includes popular dub sounds like reverb and echoing. As the band noted, No Doubt is heavily influenced by Jamaican music styles and recording methods, even recording Rock Steady in Kingston, Jamaica, and including dub influences on their Everything in Time B-sides album. Some debate remains about whether pop-ska bands like No Doubt can be considered part of dub's history. Other bands, such as Save Ferris and Vincent, followed No Doubt by blending pop-ska and dub influences.
Some British punk bands also create dub music. Capdown released their Civil Disobedients album, which includes the track "Dub No. 1," while Sonic Boom Six and The King Blues take strong influences from dub, combining the genre with traditional punk values. The post-punk band Public Image Ltd, led by John Lydon of the Sex Pistols, often use dub and reggae-inspired bass lines in their music, especially in their earlier work with bassists like Jah Wobble and Jonas Hellborg. Their track "Rise," which reached No. 11 on the UK Chart in 1986, uses a dub/reggae-inspired bass line.
The British post-punk band Bauhaus was highly influenced by dub music. Bauhaus's bass player, David J, said their signature song, "Bela Lugosi's Dead," was their version of dub.
Shoegaze bands like Ride, with their song "King Bullshit" and the intro to "Time Machine," experimented with dub. Slowdive created "Souvlaki Space Station" and their instrumental "Moussaka Chaos" as examples of dub influence, while the Kitchens of Distinction released "Anvil Dub."
Steve Hogarth, the singer of the British rock band Marillion, acknowledged dub's influence on their 2001 album Anoraknophobia.
Al Cisneros, founder and bassist of the Doom Metal band OM, has mentioned that reggae and dub influenced his bass playing style.
Industrial metal band Godflesh released two dub versions of their albums. In 1997, they released Love and Hate in Dub (a remix of Songs of Love and Hate from the previous year). In 2024, they released A World Lit Only by Dub (a remix of A World Lit Only by Fire from 2014). A five-track "In Dub" set was performed live in October 2025 at the Scala venue in London. This performance was notable as the band's first live dub set since 1997. JK Flesh, an electronic project by Justin Broadrick from Godflesh, also includes dub influences.
21st-century dub
Traditional dub music continues to exist today, and some of its early creators, like Lee "Scratch" Perry and Mad Professor, have made music in the 21st century. New artists work to keep the traditional dub style alive, often using slight changes but focusing on keeping the original sound in live performances. These artists include Dubblestandart from Vienna, Austria, who made an album called Return from Planet Dub with Lee "Scratch" Perry and performed live with him. Other artists include Liquid Stranger from Sweden, Ticklah (also known as Victor Axelrod, Earl Maxton, Calbert Walker, and Douglass & Degraw), Victor Rice, Easy Star All-Stars, and Dub Trio, who have performed with Mike Patton and now tour as Matisyahu’s backing band. Subatomic Sound System has remixed music by Lee "Scratch" Perry and Ari Up. Other artists include Dub Is a Weapon, King Django, Dr. Israel, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad from Rochester, New York, the Heavyweight Dub Champion from San Francisco and Colorado, Gaudi, Ott from the UK, who released influential albums through Twisted Records, Boom One Sound System, and Dubsmith from the Boom One Records label, Future Pigeon from Los Angeles, German artists Disrupt and Rootah from the Jahtari label, Twilight Circus from the Netherlands, Moonlight Dub Experiment from Costa Rica, and Stand High Patrol from France. BudNubac uses dub techniques mixed with Cuban big band music. Modern dub producer Ryan Moore has received praise for his work with Twilight Circus. In 2022, the album The Dub Battle by Sly & Robbie vs. Roots Radics was released. It was produced by Hernan "Don Camel" Sforzini, an Argentine artist and dub engineer. This album is the first to bring together all the legends of dub in one project, dubbing the entire The Final Battle album, which was nominated for a Grammy in 2019. The album includes the last dubs made by Lee "Scratch" Perry and Bunny "Striker" Lee, as well as dubs created by King Jammy, Mad Professor, Dennis Bovell, Don Camel, and two unreleased dubs by King Tubby.
Afrofuturism and diaspora
Dub music is connected to the cultural style of Afrofuturism. This music originated in Jamaica and is considered the work of people from the African diaspora, whose culture reflects experiences of being separated from their homeland, feeling disconnected, and remembering their roots. By using sounds that fill space, repeated echoes, and repeated musical elements, Dub artists explore ideas from Afrofuturism, such as time not moving in a straight line and bringing sounds from the past into an uncertain future. In a 1982 essay, Luke Ehrlich described Dub in this way:
At the same time, Dub music’s place in the history of Black music highlights the experiences of the diaspora it came from. Because of the way sounds like echoes and reverberations are used, Dub can create a dream-like world that represents the pain passed down through generations of the African diaspora due to slavery. This understanding of Dub allows it to express difficult emotions tied to the diaspora, such as violence. In King Tubby’s Dub mixes, sounds like screeching tires, gunshots, and police sirens can be heard. Artist Arthur Jafa spoke about Dub music and the diaspora in 1994 during a keynote address at the Organization of Black Designers Conference:
William Gibson often refers to Dub in the 1984 science fiction novel Neuromancer.
Jamaican sound systems
The Jamaican sound system is a group of people who use equipment like turntables, speakers, and a PA system to play and share music. In this setup, the deejay is the person who talks over the music. This should not be confused with the American term DJ, which refers to someone who chooses the songs at an event. In Jamaican sound system culture, the person who selects the music is called the selector, and they play an important role, especially in Jamaican dancehalls.
The sound system has been important in Jamaica's music for more than 60 years. The connection between the sound system and dub music comes from the way music was changed, or "dubbed out." These changes usually removed the vocals from the original song. Using reggae music and the sound system, artists creatively changed these versions by adding effects, using short pieces of vocals, and making new remixes. These remixes, called "versions," were often the B-sides of a record. Dub musicians added pauses and breaks in the music to give it a unique feel. These remixes allowed the deejay to add more spoken words and creative expressions during performances. Without the sound system and its development over time, these remixes would not have been possible.
When Jamaica became independent from Britain in 1962, the country was trying to find its own identity. In the 1940s and 1950s, many Jamaicans preferred American R&B music over music made in Jamaica. The sound system culture and dub music helped shape Jamaica's music into a key part of the country's cultural identity during this important time in its history.