Scenes

Cities and communities that took the music in and made it their own. 9

Scene Dub Poetry 1970s emergence · living spoken-word traditionJamaica ↔ Britain → wider diaspora

Poetry written to carry the weight and cadence of reggae, often spoken in Jamaican language over dub or imagined riddim.

 Scene Japan Sound-System Scene 1970s roots · 1980s infrastructure · 1990s sound-system boom · living sceneTokyo · Yokohama · Osaka and across Japan

Japan built one of reggae’s deepest non-Caribbean ecosystems: collectors, roots bands, dancehall crews, custom sound systems and clash champions studying Jamaica closely while…

 Scene Lovers Rock mid-1970s London emergence · living British reggae traditionLondon → Britain and beyond

Black British reggae turned inward: romance, heartbreak and young women’s voices carried over warm bass and soft harmonies.

 Scene Steppers 1970s roots pattern · major UK sound-system identity from 1980sJamaica → Britain → international dub scene

Roots reggae with every beat driving forward.

 Scene UK Dub 1970s consolidation · 1980s expansion · living sceneLondon and Britain → international sound-system network

Jamaican dub replanted in Britain and rebuilt through local studios, sound systems and Black British life.

 Genre Samba-Reggae 1980s emergence · living Bahian traditionSalvador · Bahia · Brazil → the world

Salvador’s massive drum sound: Afro-Bahian bloco percussion meeting reggae and other Black Atlantic rhythms in the streets of Bahia.

 Scene PR Underground early-1990s formation · mid-1990s expansionPuerto Rico · especially San Juan and the caseríos

Puerto Rico’s 1990s cassette-and-club laboratory: hip-hop, Jamaican dancehall and Panamanian reggae en español rebuilt by DJs and young MCs in caseríos, cars and clubs before the…

 Scene SoCal reggae-rock fusion 1990s consolidation · living regional sceneSouthern California · Long Beach, San Diego, Orange County and beyond

Southern California turned reggae into a scruffy coastal hybrid with punk, hip-hop, ska, funk and rock.

 Scene French Electro-Dub late 1990s emergence · major 2000s–present European sceneFrance and French-speaking European networks

France built a dub world where bands and machines share the stage: live bass, effects desks, samplers, techno pressure and massive festival systems.

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