Reggae music transcends its origins in mento and rocksteady to become an international genre, embodying Jamaican culture and history in its entirety.
The 1960s witnessed the rise of roots reggae with artists like Peter Tosh, Burning Spear, Black Uhuru and Israel Vibration making waves on the charts with songs that combined sociopolitical commentary with messages of love and positivity.
One Drop Rhythm
Reggae music‘s signature rhythm is known as the one drop. This beautiful yet simple beat stands out due to its beauty. In essence, this technique takes a basic backbeat pattern and accentuates it on every third beat by swapping out kick drum for sidestick hits or a snare/sidestick hit; creating an easy dance rhythm.
By bringing together the relaxed feel of roots music and an up-tempo skank beat, this rhythm combines two popular genres of music into one catchy groove that will get bodies moving or add reggae flavor to productions. Fans of both styles will no doubt love this beat!
The one-drop rhythm is an inspirational anthem for resistance, unity and hope against oppressive systems and spiritual teachings alike. It reminds individuals to stand together against oppressive systems while seeking strength through spiritual practice; at the same time it emphasizes community strength when facing adversity together.
Early Jamaican musicians took inspiration from both American and English musical traditions, but wanted to create their own sound that would distinguish itself. This was accomplished by taking rhythms such as nyabinghi, mento and burro and merging them with spiritual energy – creating an original rhythm that became the cornerstone of reggae music.
Reggae music stands out by using a snare or sidestick instead of the usual kick drum on the first beat of each bar, providing more relaxed music with space for hi-hats to be played differently; such as straight eighth notes, quarter notes or triplet notes to give an additional layer of variation and give each song its own distinctive sound.
Sly and Robbie, session duo from Channel One Studios, popularized the rockers riddim through their collaboration. Their aim was to take reggae’s laidback vibe and elevate it with R&B and soul elements for maximum danceability.
The Rockers Rhythm
Beginning its existence at Channel One Studios’ session duo Sly & Robbie in 1975, the Rockers riddim took a more militaristic approach to drumming. Replacing traditional akete drum percussion such as funde, baandu and repeaters with rimshots, kick drums and cymbals created an immersive sound which became dominant for much of the decade. Famous songs featuring this riddim included “Soul Rebel”, made famous by Carlton Barrett of Wailers but Revolutionaries truly gave this riddim its prominence; at this point the style began its transition towards Steppers style of drumming.
This riddim’s rhythm can be traced to its creation by Jamaican musicians exposed to soul music from America and England as well as rock from other places, while also hearing local traditional music such as Nyabinghi mento burro kumina from their native land – in this instance the call and response style provided a rhythm that resonated within their culture perfectly – the call and response between instruments such as drums playing a swinging 16th note rhythm that collided with their own chants on every crack in musical bars!
This beat is an example of a typical reggae rhythm you will hear in many songs. The drum pattern consists of an eighth note hi-hat on the first beat with kick and rim shot on the third beat; this drum pattern is very popular and used by many reggae producers today; however, one thing people should avoid doing is over quantizing this pattern as this makes it hard to achieve the same kind of swing experienced drummers can bring to their rhythm.
Lovers Rock
While roots reggae was growing increasingly popular during the ’70s, another genre emerged: lovers rock. Boasting romantic musical themes and featuring more female singers than 1970s Jamaican reggae, lovers rock would become popular among black British immigrants who had made Britain their home.
“Lovers rock” likely got its name due to the lyrics that often depict romance within many of its songs. This form of reggae became especially prominent in London during the mid ’70s, when sound systems started cutting romantic ballads featuring young women singers such as Ginger Williams’ Tenderness from 1974 and Louisa Mark’s Caught You in a Lie from 1975. These and other tracks gave rise to this genre.
American soul music was widely popular in Britain during this era, particularly among black British artists like Janet Kay and Carroll Thompson, both singers renowned for their rendition of smooth Philadelphia soul. American soul shared more in common with hard rock like ska and rockers rhythm than smooth Philadelphia soul did.
Lovers rock can also be traced back to its production by Barbadian-born British producer Dennis Bovell. His signature sound can be heard on many of its songs of that era and his productions would go on to influence future generations of musicians.
Janet Kay of Janet Kay took top spot on the UK chart in 1979 with her performance of Silly Games by Janet Kay, which was an emotive song that depicted an unraveling relationship. With its subtle arrangement and Aswad’s Angus Gaye’s distinctive drum pattern Angus Gaye’s distinctive drum pattern helping it reach new audiences on a high-quality label, Silly Games became a classic in its day.
The Clash was quick to recognize the success of Lovers Rock when they included it on their 1979 double LP London Calling, making its introduction known widely and helping establish it as a subgenre of reggae music.
Ska
Ska, or ska rocksteady, is an upbeat Jamaican style of music characterized by quick rhythms and snappy guitar and piano melodies, making it perfect for dancing. Originating during Jamaica’s independence from Britain in 1960 – marking an era marked by cultural revival – its lively yet politically aware sound was manifest in ska.
At first, ska was inspired by New Orleans R&B music that Jamaican musicians heard broadcast from the US on their radios. Characterised by a shuffle beat and skittering guitar licks, ska became Jamaican musicians’ interpretation of R&B. However, over time its rhythm became less lively, giving way to new forms of reggae such as four-beat reggae with its trademark drumbeat which eventually gave birth to dub.
In the 1970s, Jamaican bands started migrating to England, contributing to an English 2 Tone Ska revival that culminated in late ’70s. This second wave of ska was much more focused on social issues than earlier Jamaican scenes; artists within it highlighted problems within society while advocating for equal rights between blacks and whites.
After the British ska scene faded away in the 1980s, a third wave of ska saw bands such as The Interrupters and Shabba Ranks emerge. This third wave featured pop punk influences while also exploring dancehall and reggaeton genres; many popular songs from this era contained love or heartbreak lyrics with rebellious undertones.
Today’s fourth-wave ska is still evolving; bands like Just Friends combine elements of funk and R&B with traditional ska to produce an exciting hybrid genre with more dynamic vocals than in its third wave predecessors. Tempos are still quite spaced out allowing bassists more opportunity for experimentation with syncopated rhythms; additionally the vocals tend to be rawer and emotive than previously heard in third wave music.
Though fourth-wave ska is growing increasingly popular, its future remains unknown. Some are doubtful it will last long enough, while others think that this musical movement might just mark its start. Should this trend continue, ska could become one of the most influential forms of reggae.