Music Discovery
DUB
Dub is the original remix art form. Lee "Scratch" Perry, King Tubby, and Channel One engineers invented it in Kingston in the late 1960s — stripping reggae tracks to their rhythm section and adding heavy reverb, echo, and drop-outs. Every electronic music producer who uses delay and reverb is working in dub's tradition.
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What is dub music?▾
Dub is an instrumental remix form of reggae that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. Engineers like King Tubby and Lee "Scratch" Perry isolated the rhythm tracks of reggae recordings, removed the vocals, and added heavy reverb, echo, drop-outs, and studio effects. It is widely considered the invention of remix culture and a direct ancestor of hip hop, electronic music, and ambient.
What dub records are best for sampling?▾
King Tubby's Kingstonians recordings, Lee Perry's Black Ark sessions, and Channel One productions from the 1970s are the most referenced. On Discogs, look for Jamaican pressings on labels like Upsetter, Harry J, Trojan, and Channel One from 1968–1982. These records are frequently bootlegged — originals are rare and valuable.
How does dub influence modern electronic music production?▾
Dub is the root of almost every technique in electronic music production: using reverb and delay as compositional tools, creating space by removing elements rather than adding them, the concept of the "version" (instrumental remix), and the DJ as creator rather than just selector. Producers in every genre from hip hop to techno to ambient cite dub as a foundational influence.