In todays lecture on Afrosonics the topic that piqued my interest the most was UK soundsystem culture and Dub. We watched a video on Channel One & Aba Shanti explaining the culture.
They talked on the genertional foundations, learning from their fathers and elders through listening, absorbing, living; forming identities through discipline; creating a community for disenfranchised black youth; the spirit of dance and Rastafari; UK reggae’s message etc.
Dub is essentially a Reggae subgenre made by removing the vocals, adding heavy echo and reverb effects, and emphasising the rhythm section. I definitely want to go to one of these dub soundsystem events for myself to feel the sonic power of the speakers or boxes as they call them and am also interested in the engineeering of the making of them.
I was remined of the Steve McQueen film ‘Lovers Rock’ released over lockdown as a sort of antidote to being stuck indoors and isolated from others but also as in sobering parallel to the black lives matter protests. Lovers rock, another subgenre of reggae mixes the heavy bass of dub and reggae with romantic soul and r&b vocals. Blues party and soundsystem culture is featured as the partygoers dance and sing along to Janet Kay’s Silly Games on repeat.