Reggae Sound System

Far more than just an outlet for Jamaican music, the sound system — born in Kingston in the '50s — was at the very core of reggae's evolution, fuelling successive generic waves from ska, through roots and beyond. Our salute to the selectors, MCs, technicians and followers of reggae's cornerstone sounds includes Barry Brown ("Let's Go to the Blues"), always a major draw at Jah Shaka's legendary sets; Horace Andy ("Do You Love My Music") who made a huge impression at the Lord Tippertone sound system at the start of the '70s; and "Dark Prince of Reggae" Keith Hudson ("Civilization"), who was inspired to make music by the Downbeat sound system.

Delve further into our selector selection in Next Steps.

Loads of great reggae made its way round the world courtesy of the U.K.'s Trojan Records (est. 1967), named after the great sound system pioneer Duke Reid — aka The Trojan — who borrowed his moniker from the British truck manufacturer whose vehicles carried sound system equipment. Reid helped develop the scene along with rival Clement 'Coxsone' Dodd (and his Downbeat sound system), and both men would ultimately set up their own labels, partly to supply their sound systems with original material (Dodd's Studio One and Reid's Treasure Isle). Here we've included the In Crowd's "We Play Reggae" from the excellent Trojan Sunshine Reggae Box Set. Build more vibes, mic chatter-style, in Deep Cuts.

iTunes is your selector, but you'll become the crowd's favourite if you pick out tracks like "Flat Foot Hustlin'" by Dillinger (aka Lester Bullock), who cut his musical teeth with Dennis Alcapone's El Paso sound system, or "Riding Melody" by Jah Woosh (born Neville Beckford), who apprenticed as a mechanic before signing up with Prince Lloyd's sound system as the resident deejay. The rise of Osbourne Ruddock — better known to the world as King Tubby — on the Jamaican music scene was inextricably tied to the sound systems: he owned an electrical repair shop and built massive amplifiers, eventually setting up Tubby's Hometown Hi-Fi. Check out "Version".

When reggae was born, the sound system was its midwife. The street dances of the Jamaican ghetto — which rose from the underground in the '50s, playing American R&B and jazz — were overseen by sound systems that made the switch to local talent, nurtured soundclash culture, instigated the production of "specials" (or dub plates — exclusive tracks laid down especially for a particular outfit) and, in short, gave reggae its lifeblood. These great tracks form the bedrock of your own, personal, one-stop reggae sound system, and draw on the talents of gold-plated Jamaican crowd-pleasers, from the Aggrovators to Zap Pow. So crank up those amps, invite your friends and neighbours, and re-live the pioneering days of Duke Reid and Coxsone Dodd. It's time for a block party, Jamaican-style.