The Profound Appeal of Dub: Recommended Masterpieces and a Popular Classic
If you know the music genre called dub, chances are you’re a serious music lover who frequents record shops.
While it’s a genre derived from reggae, it’s also a production method, and its world is incredibly deep and profound.
This article focuses on classic, essential albums recommended for beginners, while also highlighting releases that trace the roots from authentic Jamaican roots dub to UK dub, as well as works in post-punk and new wave that bear dub’s influence.
Even those who usually listen mainly to rock will find plenty to enjoy—so be sure to check it out!
- The deep world of dub music: classic albums where you can experience the sonic magic born from reggae.
- What is DUB? A Beginner’s Guide to Dub Music!
- The world of rocksteady born in Jamaica — a roundup of must-hear classic tracks to get you started
- Must-Listen for Beginners: Legendary Reggae Albums You Should Hear at Least Once — A Collection of Popular Records
- [Reggae] Introducing Classic Dub Tracks | Featuring Japanese Reggae and International Reggae!
- Japanese reggae bands, plus bands that incorporate reggae-influenced styles.
- Danceable Jazz! Classic and Recommended Albums of Acid Jazz
- [For Beginners] Introducing Recommended Overseas Reggae Bands and Groups!
- [Foreign Music] A Guide to Post-Rock: Essential Classics and a Recommended Pick
- Classic post-punk hits from Western music: a roundup of popular tracks you should listen to first
- Packed with slap groove vibes! A collection of songs with cool bass
- Masterpieces, fan favorites, and new 21st-century staples for reggae beginners
- From the UK! The Allure of Grime — Essential Albums and Fan Favorites to Start With
The Profound Allure of Dub: Recommended Masterpieces and Popular Picks (11–20)
Off The Beaten TrackAfrican Head Charge
African Head Charge has continued to win support from music fans around the world—not just dub and reggae listeners—for its primitive yet artistic sonic imagery.
Their 1986 release Off the Beaten Track brilliantly realized the concept of “psychedelic Africa” proposed by Brian Eno, thanks to the genius of Adrian Sherwood—who also founded the label On-U Sound that released the album.
The mysterious dance music created through a fusion of sampling and live instruments has been reissued multiple times, and even well into the 2020s it keeps spinning on dance floors worldwide, moving and compelling people to dance.
Perfect DubJah Shaka
Jah Shaka began running a reggae sound system in the late 1960s and, centered on activities rooted in Rastafarianism, has also been active as a musician.
He is a key figure in the UK reggae/dub scene who regularly tours Japan as well.
Known for preserving the traditions of roots reggae and serving as a bridge to the style known as new roots, Jah Shaka released Far I Ship Dub in 1992—a dub version of the album Fari Captain Of My Ship featuring reggae singer Max Romeo.
It’s a gem that lets you revel in Jah Shaka’s uniquely British dub-driven new roots sound to the fullest.
Unfortunately, both the CD and vinyl are currently out of print and hard to find.
If you spot a copy at a record shop, be sure to pick it up.
Tout ce qu’ils veulentDUB INC
Dub Inc is a reggae band formed in France in 1997.
They are known for a sound that fuses dancehall, dub, ska, and rap.
This track was released in 2010 and is included on the album “Hors contrôle,” which reached No.
27 on the French charts.
For A ReasonLifetones
This Heat were a legendary band whose experimental sound shocked listeners and stood out within the UK-born post-punk genre, despite a relatively small body of work.
Lifetones, introduced here, was a new project launched by Charles Bullen—one of This Heat’s members—after the band broke up.
Their only album, For A Reason, released in 1983, long circulated as a hard-to-find rarity, but it was remastered and reissued on CD and vinyl in 2016.
The record has a fascinating feel—electronic dub as filtered through the UK post-punk/new wave side—rich with an exotic sense of rhythm and melody, near-dissonant chord progressions, and sonic treatments that thickly evoke the atmosphere of the underground at the time.
It’s a record I highly recommend to anyone who’s already delved into the more classic end of dub and is ready for a challenge.
Dub To AfricaPrince Far I & The Arabs
Prince Far I, who described himself as a “Chanter,” had a distinctive, gravelly, spoken-word-like vocal style and was also active as a producer.
Sadly, he was caught up in a tragic incident in 1983 and passed away at a young age in his thirties.
He was connected with Adrian Sherwood, a key figure in British dub and founder of On-U Sound, and has influenced many artists as an important presence in the history of dub.
Dub To Africa is a dub album released in 1979 on Adrian’s label Hitrun, the precursor to On-U Sound, with Prince Far I leading his own band, The Arabs.
Centered on a heavy bass-driven dub sound, it incorporates violin and horns, along with organ, guitar, and melodica, offering a richly varied set of arrangements; it’s also intriguing how certain aspects link up with new wave-oriented sounds.
Kunte Kinte – Agrican WarriorMad Professor
Mad Professor is a great music producer who not only works with renowned musicians in the reggae-dub sphere, but also actively produces artists from other genres such as rock and punk, continually taking bold risks with musical experiments through innovative and forward-looking methods.
Famous for his ferocious live performances—hailed as those of a “dub scientist who can silence even a crying child”—Mad Professor has a signature series titled “Dub Me Crazy.” The work discussed here is the second installment, Dub Me Crazy 2: Beyond The Realms Of Dub.
Hailing from Guyana and running his own label and studio in the UK, Mad Professor has an unusual background: originally a studio engineer, he began his artist career after listening to the early dub of King Tubby and Lee Perry.
True to his unique trajectory, this album possesses a different allure from pure Jamaican dub, delivering a dub record that defies easy categorization—one where a cool, detached perspective coexists with a restless spirit of experimentation.
The Profound Allure of Dub: Recommended Masterpieces and Popular Picks (21–30)
The Boys From BrazilThe Pop Group
Released in 1979, Y (The Final Warning) can’t be called a pure dub album, but it’s one of the most important works for understanding post-punk—a genre deeply influenced by dub, reggae, and experimental music.
It’s the debut album by The Pop Group, led by Mark Stewart, who had close ties to Adrian Sherwood’s On-U Sound label—the godfather of the Bristol sound that would later give birth to trip hop and a central figure in UK dub.
Even just considering that it was produced by Dennis Bovell, an indispensable figure in the history of dub, it’s no exaggeration to say this is an album you can’t skip when digging deep into dub music.
The fearless, radical sound unleashed by band members who were reportedly in their teens at the time still feels exhilarating in the 2020s.
In October 2021, over 40 years after its original release, Y in Dub—featuring dub remixes by the aforementioned Dennis Bovell—was released; that one’s a must-check as well.