Narratives from Beyond the UK Reggae Bassline

This book explores the history of reggae in modern Britain from the time it emerged as a cultural force in the 1970s. As basslines from Jamaica reverberated across the Atlantic, so they were received and transmitted by the UK's Afro-Caribbean community. From roots to lovers' rock, from deejays harnessing the dancehall crowd to dub poets reporting back from the socio-economic front line, British reggae soundtracked the inner-city experience of black youth. In time, reggae's influence permeated the wider culture, informing the sounds and the language of popular music whilst also retaining a connection to the street-level sound systems, clubs and centres that provided space to create, protest and innovate. This book is therefore a testament to struggle and ingenuity, a collection of essays tracing reggae's importance to both the culture and the politics of late twentieth and early twenty-first century Britain.

Explores the history of reggae in modern Britain, from the time it emerged as a cultural force in the 1970s Asseses how reggae's influence permeated the wider culture, informing the sounds and the language of popular music whilst also retaining a connection to street-level sound systems Traces reggae's importance to both the culture and the politics of late twentieth and early twenty-first century Britain

Autorentext

William 'Lez' Henry is Professor of Criminology and Sociology at the University of West London, UK.
**Matt Worley** is Professor of Modern History at the University of Reading, UK and a co-founder of the Subcultures Network.

Inhalt

1. Introduction: Narratives from the Bassline- William 'Lez' Henry & Matthew Worley.- 2. Vexed history: time and the waning of heart-I-cal philosophy- Paul Gilroy.- 3. Reggae culture as local knowledge: Mapping the beats on south east London streets- William 'Lez' Henry & Les Back.- 4. A Who Seh? Reflections of a lost and found dub poet- Martin Glynn.- 5. 'What a devilment a Englan!' Dub poets and ranters- Tim Wells.- 6. Smiley Culture: A hybrid voice for the Commonwealth- Lucy Robinson.- 7. The Story of Nzinga Soundz and the Women's Voice in Sound System Culture- Lynda Rosenior-Patten and June Reid.- 8. Sound-tapes & Soundscapes: Lo-Fi cassette recordings as vectors of cultural Transmission- Kenny Monrose.- 9. 'Dem a call us pirates, dem a call us illegal broadcasters!': 'Pirates' Anthem', PCRL and the struggle for black free radio in Birmingham- Lisa Palmer.- 10. Rebel Music in the Rebel City: The Performance Geography of the Nottingham 'Blues Party', 1957-1987- Tom Kew.- 11. 'Curious roots & crafts': Record shops and record labels amid the British reggae diaspora- Peter Hughes Jachimiak.- 12. From Sound Systems to Disc Jockeys, From Local Bands to Major Success: On Bristol's Crucial Role in Integrating Reggae and Jamaican Music in British Culture- Melissa Chemam.- 13. Growing up under the influence: A sonic genealogy of grime- Joy White.- 14. Sound Systems and the Christian deviation- Carl Tracey.- 15. Handsworth Revolution: Reggae theomusicology, gospel borderlands and delinking Black British Contemporary Gospel Music from Colonial Christianity- Robert Beckford.