The Melody Web what each genre heard, and what it passed on

heard passed on Click or tap a node to recenter. Use a connecting line, or Influence, for the story.

Heard

Reggae genre · 1968–

Dub is reggae turned into a mixing job: the same riddim, the same session, a desk that drops the singer and plays the remaining tracks.

Influence

Dub

genre · 1971–

Also called Jamaican dub

Kind of Reggae

The Kingston studio practice that treats a reggae riddim as raw material: drop the vocal, ride bass and drums, and rewrite the mix live with delay, reverb, mute, and filter (King Tubby, Lee Perry, later Scientist). It is a child of Reggae, not a second songbook and not an alias of every later “dub remix.” B-side versions and sound-system dubplates are the job. The mix ethic goes into Post-punk, Jungle, Dubstep, hip-hop production (dub hip hop), and Bristol Trip-hop. It is not Dancehall (a vocal and digital-riddim school that reuses version culture). Dub techno stays a leftover on Techno. Ambient leftover.

Listen

  1. King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown Augustus Pablo / King Tubby (1976) YouTube · Spotify
  2. Blackboard Jungle Dub The Upsetters / Lee Perry (1973) YouTube
  3. None Shall Escape the Judgement (dub) Johnny Clarke / King Tubby (1974) YouTube
  4. Dub Revolution Lee Perry (1975) YouTube · Amazon
  5. Java Augustus Pablo (1972) YouTube · Spotify · Amazon
  6. Pick a Dub Keith Hudson (1974) YouTube · Spotify · Amazon
  7. King Tubby's Meets the Upsetter at the Grass Roots of Dub King Tubby / Lee Perry (1974) YouTube
  8. Cry Tuff Dub Encounter Prince Far I / Creation Rebel (1978) YouTube

Passed on

Dancehall genre · 1979–

Dancehall inherits dub’s version economy: a riddim is a reusable composition, the mix can drop or ghost the vocal, and many artists cut the same chassis.

Influence
Dubstep genre · 2002–

Dubstep keeps dub’s bass-as-lead, drop-out, and dubbed space inside a half-time club track.

Influence
Hip-hop genre · 1973–

Hip-hop takes dub’s delay, mute, and version mix as studio production, not as a songbook.

Influence
Jungle genre · 1991–1996

Jungle keeps dub’s sub-bass, drop-out, and version space under chopped breaks.

Influence
Post-punk genre · 1977–1984

Post-punk keeps dub’s space, drop-out, and bass-as-lead inside a club quartet.

Influence
Trip-hop genre · 1993–1999

Trip-hop keeps dub’s sub-bass, delay, and version space and slows them to a listening-club tempo.

Influence

Reggae → Dub

form and structuretimbre and productionmeter and groovestrength: highscholarly consensus1971–1978recordingoral

Mechanism

Dub is reggae turned into a mixing job: the same riddim, the same session, a desk that drops the singer and plays the remaining tracks. Strength high. Without the reggae single-and-riddim industry there is no dub school.

Evidence

Tubby and Perry B-sides; Blackboard Jungle Dub; Pablo/Tubby King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown.

Debate

Whether dub is a style of reggae or a genre. This corpus treats it as a child genre; the edge is still parent-to-child craft.

Mediators

artist: King Tubby; artist: Lee Perry

Dub → Dancehall

form and structuretimbre and productionperformance practicestrength: mediumscholarly consensus1979–1986recordingoral

Mechanism

Dancehall inherits dub’s version economy: a riddim is a reusable composition, the mix can drop or ghost the vocal, and many artists cut the same chassis. Strength medium. Reggae supplies the sound system and the dance job; dub supplies the industrial reuse of tape.

Evidence

1980s riddim families (later Sleng Teng) as a digital continuation of version; B-sides and dubplates as the normal release form.

Debate

Whether digital dancehall still “is dub.” The analog desk is no longer the identity; the version habit is.

Mediators

community: Kingston version houses

Dub → Dubstep

timbre and productionform and structuremeter and groovestrength: highwell documented2002–2007recordingdance

Mechanism

Dubstep keeps dub’s bass-as-lead, drop-out, and dubbed space inside a half-time club track. Strength high. UK garage supplies the room; this file is the mix.

Evidence

Digital Mystikz Anti War Dub and related 2000s sides; Hebdige on dub as a transferable mix grammar; Grove on the name.

Debate

Whether the name already settles it. The mix parent is dub; the club parent is garage.

Mediators

artist: Digital Mystikz

Dub → Hip-hop

timbre and productionform and structurestrength: mediumscholarly consensus1987–1996recording

Mechanism

Hip-hop takes dub’s delay, mute, and version mix as studio production, not as a songbook. Strength medium. reggae hip hop remains the sound-system origin hop; this file is the mixing-desk hop.

Evidence

Late-1980s–90s rap mixes against Tubby/Perry grammar (Chang, Hebdige).

Debate

Whether reggae already covers it. Reggae is the song and system parent of hip-hop; dub is the mix.

Mediators

artist: Mad Professor

Dub → Jungle

timbre and productionmeter and grooveform and structurestrength: highwell documented1991–1995recordingradiodance

Mechanism

Jungle keeps dub’s sub-bass, drop-out, and version space under chopped breaks. Strength high. Dancehall supplies the ragga vocal on a sibling edge; this file is the mix.

Evidence

1992–94 jungle bass weight against dub mix grammar; Hebdige on dub as a transferable studio practice; Grove on jungle bass.

Debate

Whether reggae already covers it. Reggae is the song/skank parent of dub; jungle hears the mix, not the song.

Mediators

community: London sound-system DJs

Dub → Post-punk

timbre and productionmeter and grooveform and structurestrength: highwell documented1978–1982recordingoral

Mechanism

Post-punk keeps dub’s space, drop-out, and bass-as-lead inside a club quartet. Strength high. reggae post punk is the song/skank hop; this file is the studio mix.

Evidence

PiL, Slits, and related UK dates; Hebdige and Savage on that hearing.

Debate

Whether reggae already covers it. Reggae is the song parent; dub is the mix parent.

Mediators

artist: Public Image Ltd; artist: The Slits

Dub → Trip-hop

timbre and productionmeter and grooveform and structurestrength: highscholarly consensus1991–1995recordingoral

Mechanism

Trip-hop keeps dub’s sub-bass, delay, and version space and slows them to a listening-club tempo. Strength high. hip hop trip hop is the break-and-sample hop; this file is the mix parent.

Evidence

Massive Attack and Portishead against Kingston mix grammar (Grove, Hebdige).

Debate

Whether this is already hip-hop. The break tempo can be shared; the dub mix and bass weight are dub’s.

Mediators

artist: Massive Attack