The reggae historian joins us to discuss 'Dub Revolution,' his account of how King Tubby, Prince Jammy, and Scientist pulled reggae records apart at the mixing desk and sent the pieces back out.
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This week we're putting The Tonearm's needle on noted reggae author David Katz.
His new book, Dub Revolution: Jamaica's Sonic Innovators and the Birth of Remix Culture, traces Jamaican music from its earliest sound systems to the 21st century.
We talk about the 1982 San Francisco night that blew David’s mind and opened his ears, the job that paid his way to London, and even the technology and tools the dub greats used.
(The musical excerpts heard in the interview are Lee “Scratch” Perry - "Dub Revolutions," King Tubby - "King Tubby Meets the Rockers Uptown," and Scientist - "Scientific")
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00:00 Introduction
00:58 July 31, 1982: Jack Ruby Hi-Power at the Elite Club
04:25 A Bay Area childhood full of records
06:12 KTIM, Midnight Dread, and Doug Wendt
08:33 Fake IDs, hand stamps, and winning tickets
09:34 First trip to London: Aswad, DBC, and the record shops
12:07 The Reggae Calendar and Bay Area reggae radio
16:11 Tract housing, long bus rides, and becoming Perry's ghost writer
18:57 Setting aside everything you think you know about dub
20:47 Sound systems earlier than anyone thought: 1939 and 1947
23:18 Count Machuki, Coxsone's two-track, and the birth of version
26:16 King Tubby: electronics, Waterhouse, and a divided map
29:23 Bunny Lee, Dynamic Sounds, and the mixing desk
31:43 Who actually mixed what at Tubby's
34:32 Reverb, tape delay, and the Squawky filter
36:59 Prince Jammy, the test tone, and Scientist's edge
40:28 Colonialism, gang violence, and studios as sanctuaries
44:32 Peter Chemist, Channel One, and the tension inside the music
47:14 What got away: Tubby, Mark Lusardi, and a word limit
48:25 Dub beyond Jamaica
50:02 Lee "Scratch" Perry and the Black Ark
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Visit David Katz at https://www.davidkatzreggae.com
and follow Dub Me Always on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/dubmealways
and Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/dubmealways
Purchase 'Dub Revolution: Jamaica's Sonic Innovators and the Birth of Remix Culture' from White Rabbit → https://store.whiterabbitbooks.co.uk/products/dub-revolution
Hachette → https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/david-katz/dub-revolution/9781399619141
or Bookshop → https://bookshop.org/p/books/dub-revolution-jamaica-s-sonic-innovators-and-the-birth-of-remix-culture-david-katz/1c78e4e7df2ca5ec?ean=9781399619141&bkshp-astro=t
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