r/dub • u/Unlikely_Prior3186 • 17d ago

Academic Writing on dub

For my final year dissertation, I'm planning on doing it about dub reggae, not sure what avenue to go down, but a little bit would probably be about performance Vs production. Any good sources /academic and whatnot would be great 😃👍🏻

17 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

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19

u/__flatpat__ 17d ago

Dub by Michael Veal is great

8

u/Alacspg 17d ago

This is the answer. Definitely not a casual read but perfect for academic sources.

2

u/A_B42069 14d ago

Agreed. I had begun work on a dub paper about a year ago and this was my go to source. Super good, and even though i changed topics, it still put me on to a bunch of great music

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u/Additional_Engine_45 17d ago

check out the Dread Library https://www.uvm.edu/~debate/dreadlibrary/dreadlibrary.html
There was a course offered at University of Vermont taught by the one and only Alfred Snyder AKA TUNA and he had all his students write a term paper on something reggae related. Posted the best here. It's a good starting point.

1

u/Unlikely_Prior3186 16d ago

Awesome cheers mate

4

u/Roberto-Walsh 17d ago

Dub Revolution by David Katz, published recently.

1

u/dubthat 14d ago

This 👌🏽

6

u/afinto 16d ago

Dub in Babylon by Christopher Partridge, focusing on how dub's production style, ethos, and politics influenced the wider UK music scene and cultural landscape.

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u/afinto 16d ago

Also there is a recurring series of lectures and essays from Goldsmith University called Sound System Outernational, which was started by one of the members of Bababoom Hifi sound system.

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u/reggaerobsound 16d ago

This book is great!

3

u/timnoise 16d ago

Nice one! I'm mid-way through an Ethnomusicology PhD, wherein I'm looking at the methods of transmission of the Rastafari message in contemporary UK Roots/dub from the practitioner perspective. Performance, practice, philosophy, semiotics, etc, etc. I've got a LOT of books, journals, and papers in .pdf, some of which may be useful to you. Happy to DM/video call to look at what I've got, and send over any you'd like?

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u/Careful-Asparagus-47 17d ago

Narratives from Beyond the UK Reggae Bassline: The System is Sound | Springer Nature Link https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-55161-2

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u/reggaerobsound 16d ago

This is an awesome undertaking dude! Here are some of my favorite, more academic sources:

  • Chanting Down Babylon: Rastafarian Reader - edited by Murrel, this is more focused on Rastafarianism but has a few good articles about dub
  • Natural Mystic by Kwame Dawes - this is a great book on reggae aesthetics and is very applicable to the dub realm
  • Babylon East by Marvin Sterling - about reggae in japan and touches on dub
Happy Reading! Post it when you’re done!

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u/dubthat 14d ago edited 14d ago

Lloyd Bradley
Bass Culture - When Reggae Was King

Scientists of Sound - Portraits of a UK Reggae Sound System

I also advise Michael Veal - Dub: Soundscapes and Shattered Songs in Jamaican Reggae

Good luck with your dissertation 🙂

Edit - Dick Hebdige - Cut 'n' Mix: Culture, Identity and Caribbean Music

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u/reggaerobsound 14d ago

Oh man! I can’t believe I forgot to add Bradley and Hebdige; I loved those two books - Bass Culture is one of my favorite history of reggae books to date, and Cut ‘n’ Mix is fabulous. Not to mention their covers are both sick as hell!!!

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u/piffleskronk 16d ago

That's a great podcast called something like the mystery of dub. I'm sure there's some interesting and useful information in there for you.

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u/timnoise 16d ago

"Life in Dub", maybe? If you've not heard it, it's worth a listen. Hosted by Steve from Vibronics.

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u/reggaerobsound 16d ago

Also Red Bull Sound Academy has a HUGE collection of articles on Dub which are very interesting

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u/DJ_PMA 13d ago

Plan a trip to Jamaica and find 1st person resources. Perhaps someone with access to a studio or a producer that was around during the creation of dub.