Reggae

Putting The Science Into Music

Reggae developed in Jamaica during the late 1960s from ska and rocksteady, drawing on rhythm and blues, mento, jazz and African-Caribbean musical traditions. Its slower tempo, offbeat guitar or keyboard accents and strong basslines gave the style a distinct rhythmic identity.

Artists including Toots and the Maytals, The Wailers, Desmond Dekker and Jimmy Cliff helped bring Reggae to wider audiences during its formative years. Producers such as Lee "Scratch" Perry, Coxsone Dodd and Duke Reid also shaped the music through independent studios, sound systems and record labels.

Roots Reggae became especially important during the 1970s through lyrics addressing spirituality, social inequality, colonial history and Rastafarian belief. Bob Marley and the Wailers, Burning Spear, Culture and Black Uhuru became closely associated with this politically and spiritually focused branch of the genre.

Reggae production often places drums and bass at the centre of the arrangement, with guitar, keyboards, horns and vocals working around the main groove. Sound-system culture encouraged the use of extended versions, instrumental mixes and strong low frequencies suited to large speaker systems.

The genre developed into styles including Dub, Lovers Rock, Dancehall, Digital Reggae and Reggae Fusion. Jamaican production methods and rhythmic ideas later influenced Hip Hop, Punk, Jungle, Drum and Bass, Dubstep, House and many other forms of popular and electronic music.

Reggae became a global music with strong scenes across Britain, Africa, Europe, Asia and the Americas. The category now includes traditional Jamaican recordings, international interpretations and modern productions connected by the genre's rhythmic structure, bass-focused sound and cultural history.

At Scientific Sound Asia, reggae is a defining feature of Basement Soul, with further appearances on Roots and Control Tower.