Different Types of Current Reggae Music

This article is a collaborative effort, crafted and edited by a team of dedicated professionals.

Contributors: Andranick Tanguiane, Fred Lerdahl,

Contents

Reggae music has gone through many changes since its inception in the late 1960s. Here is a look at some of the different types of reggae music that are popular today.

Reggae

There are many different types of reggae music. The two most popular types are roots reggae and dancehall. Roots reggae is a slower, more traditional style of reggae music. Dancehall is a faster, more modern style of reggae music.

What is Reggae ?

Reggae is a genre of popular music that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, “Do the Reggay” was the first popular song to use the word “reggae,” effectively naming the genre and introducing it to a global audience. While sometimes used in a broad sense to refer to most types of popular Jamaican danceable music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.

Where did Reggae come from ?

Reggae is a genre of music that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term reggae denotes a particular style of music that was created by Jamaican musicians. It is characterized by a strong rhythm with an offbeat accent that is often syncopated. Reggae music is often influenced by other genres, such as ska, rocksteady, and dub.

There are many different types of current reggae music, which are often categorized by the region where they originated. Some of the most popular types of reggae include:

Jamaican reggae: This type of reggae is perhaps the most well-known and includes artists such as Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, and Beenie Man. Jamaican reggae is typically characterized by its heavy use of percussion and bass.

Dub: Dub is a type of reggae that emerged in the 1970s and is characterized by its heavily distorted basslines and drumbeats. Dub music is often created by remixing existing songs or adding effects to them. Some well-known dub artists include Lee “Scratch” Perry and King Tubby.

Roots reggae: Roots reggae is a type of reggae that emphasizes the Rastafari movement, which promotes the unity of all people under one God. This type of reggae often contains lyrics about social issues such as poverty, injustice, and religion. Artists who perform roots reggae include Burning Spear and Israel Vibration.

Dancehall: Dancehall is a type of Jamaican popular music that developed in the late 1970s. It is typically characterized by its fast tempo and explicit lyrics. Some well-known dancehall artists include Shabba Ranks and Bounty Killer.

Ska

Reggae Ska is a subgenre of Reggae that developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. Ska is characterized by a walking bass line accented with rhythms on the off beat. Ska developed from the mento and calypso styles of music.

What is Ska?

Ska is a genre of popular music that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. It is characterized by a walking bass guitar line accented with rhythms on the off-beat, and often featuring horns, especially trumpets and trombones. Ska developed in Jamaica in the 1960s when Prince Buster, Clement “Coxsone” Dodd, and Duke Reid formed sound systems to play American rhythm and blues music. In the early 1960s, ska was influenced by American jazz music, and then developed more into rocksteady.

Where did Ska come from ?

Ska is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s. Ska combines elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. It is characterized by a walking bass line accented with rhythms on the off beat. In the early 1960s, ska was the dominant music genre of Jamaica and was popular with British mods. Later it became popular with many skinheads.

There are three main types of ska: two-tone, rocksteady, and reggae.

Two-tone is a British variation of ska that incorporates elements of punk rock and new wave. Rocksteady is a slower, more soulful type of ska that developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. Reggae is a catch-all term for various subgenres of Jamaican music that developed after the 1967 release of The Beatles’ album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Dub

Reggae music has developed over the years into different types of music. There is the original reggae, which was created in Jamaica in the late 1960s. This type of reggae is characterized by a slow beat and a focus on the lyrics. Dub is a type of reggae that was developed in the 1970s. It is characterized by a heavy bass line and drums.

What is Dub?

Dub is a type of Jamaican music that evolved out of ska and rocksteady in the late 1960s. The original dub tracks were produced by isolating and dubbing the percussion, bass, and sometimes other tracks from existing recordings. This created an entirely new sound that became very popular among Jamaican audiences.

As dub developed, producers began to experiment with different ways of creating the dub sound. This led to the creation of entirely new tracks, rather than just remixes of existing songs. These new tracks often incorporated elements of other genres, such as digital effects and samples from other songs. Dub has also influenced other genres of music, including hip hop and electronic dance music.

Where did Dub come from?

Dub is a genre of reggae that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It is heavily electronic, with added reverberation and echo effects. The music is usually slower than other reggae styles, and often has a “propulsive” quality reminiscent of motorik techno.

Dub was created by Jamaican producers who combined elements of reggae with other genres, such as blue beat, rocksteady, ska, American R&B, and electronic music. The music was popularized in the 1970s by Jamaican sound system culture.

There are three basic types of dub: roots dub, conscious dub, and dancehall dub. Each type has its own distinct style and feel.

Roots dub is the original form of dub music. It is characterized by its sparse instrumentation and heavy use of echo and reverb effects. The bass is often the only instrument that is played throughout the entire song.

Conscious dub is a more politicized form of dub that emerged in the early 1970s. The lyrics often deal with social issues such as poverty, racism, and injustice. The music is typically slower than roots dub and has a more meditative quality.

Dancehall dub is the most recent form of dub music. It emerged in the late 1970s and developed into its own genre in the 1980s. Dancehall dub tracks are typically shorter than other forms of Dub, with a focus on drum and bass rhythms. The lyrics often deal with themes such as love, sex, and partying.

Rocksteady

Rocksteady is a type of reggae music that was developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The rocksteady sound is slower than ska and more closely related to the earlier style of reggae known as mento. Rocksteady was the direct predecessor of reggae, and its popularity declined in the 1970s as reggae became more popular. However, rocksteady has seen a resurgence in recent years.

What is Rocksteady?

Rocksteady is a style of Jamaican music which developed around 1966. It is characterized by smooth vocals, constrasting with the more rough-sounding, earlier ska music. The instrumentation primarily consists of electric guitar, drums, and bass guitar. Rocksteady was often played by studio bands backing up multiple artists on recordings.

In the early 1970s, rocksteady gave way to the more widely known reggae sound. Many of the biggest names in reggae started their careers during the rocksteady era, including Bob Marley and The Wailers, Toots & The Maytals, Alton Ellis, and Desmond Dekker.

Where did Rocksteady come from?

Rocksteady is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in 1966. The term rocksteady comes from a style of Jamaican dance called “rockers”, which was named after the rockin’ music that accompanies it. Rocksteady was a direct forerunner of reggae and was the dominant style of music in Jamaica from 1966 to 1968. The original rocksteady sound was created by studio musicians such as Keyboardist Jackie Mittoo and Drummer Leroy Sibbles, who worked with producers such as Duke Reid and Coxsone Dodd.

The Jackson 5’s hit “I Want You Back” became one of the first international pop hits to use a rocksteady beat, helping to spread the new genre beyond Jamaica. In Jamaica, Rocksteady evolved into reggae, becoming the dominant form of Jamaican popular music in the 1970s. Unlike its uptempo predecessor, ska, rocksteady moved at a much slower pace, which made it easier to dance to. The focus was on simplicity and rhythm rather than complex instrumentation or vocal harmonies. Lyrics were often based on everyday life experiences and love themes, sung in English or patois.

Some notable Rocksteady artists include: Alton Ellis, Ken Boothe, Slim Smith, Delroy Wilson, The Paragons, The Techniques, The Ethiopians, and Jimmy Clifford.

Reggaeton

Reggaeton is a type of reggae that originated in Puerto Rico in the late 1990s. It is influenced by hip hop, Latin American, and Caribbean music. Reggaeton is a very popular genre of music in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. It is also gaining popularity in other countries such as the United States, Canada, and Europe.

What is Reggaeton?

Reggaeton is a type of music that originated in Puerto Rico in the 1990s. It is a mix of reggae, hip hop, and Latin music. The name “reggaeton” is a combination of the words “reggae” and “ton”, which means “sound” in Spanish. Reggaeton is typically made with a drum machine, synthesizers, and samples. The lyrics are typically in Spanish, but some artists do sing in English.

Reggaeton became popular in the 2000s, and has continued to grow in popularity since then. In recent years, it has become more mainstream, with more radio play and more crossover appeal. Some of the most popular reggaeton artists include Daddy Yankee, Don Omar, Wisin & Yandel, and J Balvin.

Where did Reggaeton come from?

Reggaeton actually has quite a long and convoluted history, blending various musical genres from both the Caribbean and Latin America. Reggaeton can be traced back to the late 1970s in Panama, where a genre called “Reggae en Español” began to emerge. This style blended traditional Jamaican reggae with Spanish lyrics, giving birth to a unique new sound. In the 1990s, this sound began to gain popularity in Puerto Rico, where it slowly morphed and evolved into the reggaeton we know today.

Today, reggaeton is one of the most popular genres in Latin America and the Caribbean, with many famous artists and hits. The music is characterized by its heavy use of electronic instrumentation, catchy hooks, and sexually explicit lyrics. If you’re looking to get into reggaeton or want to learn more about this unique genre of music, read on for a brief overview of its history and some of its most popular artists!

Similar Posts