What is Reggae?
Reggae is a genre of music that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s, evolving from earlier styles like ska and rocksteady. It’s instantly recognizable for its slow tempo, syncopated rhythm (the “one drop” beat), off-beat guitar strums, and deep, rolling bass lines. Reggae became a global movement through the work of artists like Bob Marley, whose music carried themes of unity, social justice, and Rastafarian spirituality.
Find your local events featuring this truly beautiful art form below
Roots Reggae
Roots reggae is a more spiritual and politically charged subgenre that emerged in the 1970s. It’s closely associated with Rastafarian beliefs, exploring themes of African identity, oppression, repatriation, and divine connection. Roots reggae often uses traditional African percussion, rich harmonies, and socially conscious lyrics. Burning Spear, Culture, and Peter Tosh are notable figures whose music reflects this depth and devotion.
Steppa
Steppa, or steppers, is a rhythm style that developed within roots and dub but is often driven by a more militant, four-to-the-floor bass drum pattern. This makes it popular in sound system culture because it hits hard and creates a powerful, danceable groove. Steppa tracks typically emphasize bass pressure, minimalistic melodies, and hypnotic repetition, often accompanied by conscious or spiritual vocals.
Dub
Dub music emerged from the experimentation of Jamaican producers like King Tubby and Lee “Scratch” Perry, who began remixing reggae tracks by stripping away vocals, emphasizing bass and drums, and adding layers of echo, reverb, and delay. Dub became a genre in its own right, transforming mixing into an art form. It laid the groundwork for electronic music and sound system culture worldwide, heavily influencing genres like jungle, dubstep, and techno.
Together, these genres form a vibrant musical lineage, deeply rooted in resistance, cultural pride, and sonic innovation, continuing to resonate with audiences across generations and continents.
Reggae Events
Next month we hook up again with Roots & Grooves Cafe & Three Wise Monkeys Colchester for a Reggae Rumble event on Top floor, bringing you another Vinyl Session of Roots, Dub and Ska from our selecta’s 
Thursday 10 July 
7.00pm – Midnight
We also welcome to this event a live performance from SoundSystem79 featuring some members of the New Town Kings playing an hour of new material from them before they are off on a Summer tour, also playing at Boom Town Fair this year,
Come and give the boys some local support 
