This book explores the history of reggae in modern Britain from the time it emerged as a cultural force in the 1970s. As basslines from Jamaica reverberated across the Atlantic, so they were received and transmitted by the UK’s Afro-Caribbean community. From roots to lovers’ rock, from deejays harnessing the dancehall crowd to dub poets reporting back from the socio-economic front line, British reggae soundtracked the inner-city experience of black youth. In time, reggae’s influence permeated the wider culture, informing the sounds and the language of popular music whilst also retaining a connection to the street-level sound systems, clubs and centres that provided space to create, protest and innovate. This book is therefore a testament to struggle and ingenuity, a collection of essays tracing reggae’s importance to both the culture and the politics of late twentieth and early twenty-first century Britain.
1. Introduction: Narratives from the Bassline- William Lez Henry &
Matthew Worley.- 2. Vexed history: time and the waning of heart-I-cal
philosophy- Paul Gilroy.-
3. Reggae culture as local knowledge: Mapping the
beats on south east London streets- William Lez Henry & Les Back.-
4. A Who
Seh? Reflections of a lost and found dub poet- Martin Glynn.-
5. What a
devilment a Englan! Dub poets and ranters- Tim Wells.-
6. Smiley Culture: A
hybrid voice for the Commonwealth- Lucy Robinson.-
7. The Story of Nzinga
Soundz and the Womens Voice in Sound System Culture- Lynda Rosenior-Patten
and June Reid.-
8. Sound-tapes & Soundscapes: Lo-Fi cassette recordings as
vectors of cultural Transmission- Kenny Monrose.- 9. Dem a call us pirates,
dem a call us illegal broadcasters!: Pirates Anthem, PCRL and the
struggle for black free radio in Birmingham- Lisa Palmer.- 10. Rebel Music in
the Rebel City: The Performance Geography of the Nottingham Blues Party,
1957-1987- Tom Kew.- 11. Curious roots & crafts: Record shops and record
labels amid the British reggae diaspora- Peter Hughes Jachimiak.- 12. From
Sound Systems to Disc Jockeys, From Local Bands to Major Success: On
Bristols Crucial Role in Integrating Reggae and Jamaican Music in British
Culture- Melissa Chemam.- 13. Growing up under the influence: A sonic
genealogy of grime- Joy White.- 14. Sound Systems and the Christian
deviation- Carl Tracey.- 15. Handsworth Revolution: Reggae theomusicology,
gospel borderlands and delinking Black British Contemporary Gospel Music from
Colonial Christianity- Robert Beckford.
William 'Lez' Henry is Professor of Criminology and Sociology at the University of West London, UK. Matt Worley is Professor of Modern History at the University of Reading, UK and a co-founder of the Subcultures Network.
