Ska, Rock Steady, Reggae and, Dub?

Lentil&Ska · 05-05-2005, 06:54 PM

Im a new Ska fan, and ive just started lissoning to 1st wave stuff like Prince buster, Desseon Dekker, and Toots and the Maytals. But im have a hell of a time telling the difrence betwen Ska, Rock Steady, Reggae and, Dub. for instance i thought that Toots and The Maytals were Ska but on there Site and they won Reggae album of the year award so if any one can help me with this thanks

Lentil&Ska · 05-05-2005, 06:56 PM

Son of a Bit*h the bold thing lied to me sory about the spelling and the Bold thing abosily god hates me

skankinBassist · 05-05-2005, 06:59 PM

Holy sh'it. I see hooked on phonics is working perfectly. As for their reggae album: 1st wave ska is closely related to reggae.

Brain Toad · 05-05-2005, 06:59 PM

I don't know if I can fully do this, but I'll try.

The four will sound similar to each other, because ska spawned reggae, rock steady, and dub. So sometimes really early stuff will sound similar. The main difference between reggae and ska is a different type of beat, I always thought of it as less upstrokes on the guitar, a little more organ involved in reggae too. For dub it is very similar to reggae, because dub is taking reggae and having DJs etc reworking it without vocals to their own flavor. Dub is usually more mellow than reggae. And I can't answer rock steady, as I don't know much of it.

pedro durruti · 05-05-2005, 07:02 PM

Rock steady is basically a mix between first wave ska and reggae, I suppose. And dub is really easy to distinguish, it generally has no vocals (if it does they're just background vocals) and it focuses a lot on the drum and bass.

Lentil&Ska · 05-05-2005, 07:16 PM

Is it true that rock steady came about directly from ska. I heard that because of a particularly hot summer in Jamaica people could not dance as fast so every thing slowed down, but I also heard that it slowed down because of American blues slowing down too.

Weezerfan_returns · 05-05-2005, 08:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lentil&Ska

Is it true that rock steady came about directly from ska. I heard that because of a particularly hot summer in Jamaica people could not dance as fast so every thing slowed down, but I also heard that it slowed down because of American blues slowing down too.

haha i'm not sure, but if it was because of that hot summer thing, that would be cool as hell.

Saberpunk · 05-05-2005, 08:26 PM

Dub is gererally popular reggae reworked and redubbed and the lyrics, if there are any are usually more along the lines of spoken word. Ska uses a slightly different style of guitar playing, (as Brainsquirmin said, different pattern of upstrokes and down strokes), and ska generally has a slightly more bouncy feel to it than traditional reggae, often agumented with horns.

TheNowhereman42 · 05-05-2005, 08:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lentil&Ska

Is it true that rock steady came about directly from ska. I heard that because of a particularly hot summer in Jamaica people could not dance as fast so every thing slowed down, but I also heard that it slowed down because of American blues slowing down too.

I too have heard the story of the slowing down of the beat because it was too hot to dance.

Lentil&Ska · 05-05-2005, 08:33 PM

Ok then 3 question, can one say that 3ed wave ska could be also be classified as 3ed wave reggae? My second question is Dose “Midnight Club 3 Dub edition” have any thing to do with music? and finally I saw a cover for a movie called Rude Boy about a DJ Reggae, I thought that Rude Boys were only Ska? Help with my confusion Please

Brain Toad · 05-05-2005, 08:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lentil&Ska

Ok then 3 question, can one say that 3ed wave ska could be also be classified as 3ed wave reggae? My second question is Dose “Midnight Club 3 Dub edition” have any thing to do with music? and finally I saw a cover for a movie called Rude Boy about a DJ Reggae, I thought that Rude Boys were only Ska? Help with my confusion Please

1) http://www.spellcheck.net

2) No. 3rd wave ska is a direct evoltuion from ska with influences of punk. Reggae evolved seperetly

3) The Dub in the game refeeres to the car magazine DUB.

4) Rude Boys were Jamicican gangsters, many were into ska and reggae.

J_McMeaty · 05-05-2005, 10:23 PM

Alot of dub is drug influenced reggae instrumentals remixed with a nice 2nd helping of bass.

rockisdead · 05-06-2005, 01:33 AM

This is gonna take some serious explaining, here goes-

Ska and reggae are incredibly similar but as I have said before on a previous post ska came from dancehall bands blending jazz and soul that influenced them from the USA. Ska did not have the traditional rasta history that reggae had, as it came from dancehall music ska attracted a lot of people that could dance very well. When it filtered down onto the street level it attracted poor people that could dance very well, as a backlash against the strict curfews that had been imposed on them these poor jamaican folks took up the name "rude boy" and decided to claim ska and jamaican heritage for their own.
Reggae history is a bit differant, the rastas were the untouchables in jamaica- just like the punks in the seventies to associate with them was frowned upon. The rastas had their own traditional beats and incorporated them with the carribean sounds.
As for differances in sound- ska has a horn section, coming from a jazz, soul background it had a nice beat, plenty of trumpet and a simple guitar riff, the vocals were either about love or politics and fairly simple to decipher and ska is just generally regarded as the "fun" side of jamaican music. Reggae sounds a lot more toned down, more organ and bass and generally more traditional afro-carribean lyrics- much more political and intellectual than ska. Also reggae was better produced as it got the backing from the jamaican government and they got the better studios than the ska groups who were leading the local youths into a skanking frenzy of chaos, guns and knife- rude boy culture. The rude boy thing crossed over to reggae because the genre was so close, there was a lot of conflict between rude boys and rastas right up until the early seventies, but as the genres became more and more close the cultures gradually blended.
Dub came out later than both ska and reggae, just before punk in about 1973. It had existed in forms but the big advancements that made dub possible were the synthesiser and one man- lee "scratch" perry- the man started to cut and scratch records to create a new sound that still carried that jamaican feel. Dub records stand out over ska and reggae because of their more futuristic feel and a safe synth sound to it. Then you had the toasters, people who spoke political lyrics over dub recrds live. These would become the fore runners to hip hop and rap.

Pastry Man · 05-06-2005, 04:31 AM

I think most of the other things have been covered to a good extent. but i want to add to the stuff about dub. dub indeed came out later than reggae. dub takes the complexity of reggae and then cuts it back to a simpler basic structure. this basic structure usally consists of a rhythm of some description (drums), a bass line and a bit of melody and maybe a bit of on and off singing. but it is far from the complex melody featured in reggae and ska. dub as a result sounds much more mellow and chilled out due to the fact that it has been stripped down to a much simpler element. im not sure about all this but its what i have observed and my dad has explained to me, him being a fan of dub and reggae music.
dub has also evolved and merged with other styles such as drum n bass and rap and even r'n'b as much as everyone here probably hates it.

~~White Riot!~~ · 05-06-2005, 04:40 AM

I reccomend Lee Scratch Perry & Mikey Dread "Dread at the mantrols"

Upstrokes in reggae are often spread out and Reggae Bass > Ska Bass. Thats how i tell the difference

smokersdieyounger · 05-06-2005, 05:32 AM

I thoroughly reccomend King Tubby, get a ska mixture record and a dub one youll know the difference then

blacklungfever · 05-06-2005, 04:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheNowhereman42

I too have heard the story of the slowing down of the beat because it was too hot to dance.

I've heard that story as well. I have a Bob Marley d0cumentary on DVD and in one of the interviews it shows, Bob is explaining the difference of the rhythms of Ska, Reggae, and Rocksteady to the interviewer. Dub is instrumental reggae with the focus put on the drums and bass. Listen to the Skatalites' album The Legendary Skatalites in Dub and youll see what I mean.

SantaDuJuan · 05-06-2005, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smokersdieyounger

I thoroughly reccomend King Tubby, get a ska mixture record and a dub one youll know the difference then

123.

However, I don't like much Dub. Sept when I'm in a really lazy m00d.
I do enjoy Reggae very much.

lochenjons · 05-09-2005, 04:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brain Squirmin' Like a Toad

I don't know if I can fully do this, but I'll try.

The four will sound similar to each other, because ska spawned reggae, rock steady, and dub. So sometimes really early stuff will sound similar. The main difference between reggae and ska is a different type of beat, I always thought of it as less upstrokes on the guitar, a little more organ involved in reggae too. For dub it is very similar to reggae, because dub is taking reggae and having DJs etc reworking it without vocals to their own flavor. Dub is usually more mellow than reggae. And I can't answer rock steady, as I don't know much of it.

what now... reggae spawned ska... everyone knows that. dub is basically remix... dont know about rock steady

sketchyjoe · 05-09-2005, 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lochenjons

what now... reggae spawned ska... everyone knows that.

Wrong.

Read this: http://www.musicianforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=71269

Or this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ska

Then post.

05-05-2005, 06:54 PM	#1
Lentil&Ska Skanking Michael Jackson Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Not NJ Posts: 55	Ska, Rock Steady, Reggae and, Dub? Im a new Ska fan, and ive just started lissoning to 1st wave stuff like Prince buster, Desseon Dekker, and Toots and the Maytals. But im have a hell of a time telling the difrence betwen Ska, Rock Steady, Reggae and, Dub. for instance i thought that Toots and The Maytals were Ska but on there Site and they won Reggae album of the year award so if any one can help me with this thanks

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05-05-2005, 06:56 PM	#2
Lentil&Ska Skanking Michael Jackson Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Not NJ Posts: 55	Son of a Bit*h the bold thing lied to me sory about the spelling and the Bold thing abosily god hates me

05-05-2005, 06:59 PM	#3
skankinBassist Stop and Skank With me! Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: New Jersey Posts: 747	Holy sh'it. I see hooked on phonics is working perfectly. As for their reggae album: 1st wave ska is closely related to reggae.

05-05-2005, 06:59 PM	#4
Brain Toad Best Ex-Supermod Ever Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 18,296	I don't know if I can fully do this, but I'll try. The four will sound similar to each other, because ska spawned reggae, rock steady, and dub. So sometimes really early stuff will sound similar. The main difference between reggae and ska is a different type of beat, I always thought of it as less upstrokes on the guitar, a little more organ involved in reggae too. For dub it is very similar to reggae, because dub is taking reggae and having DJs etc reworking it without vocals to their own flavor. Dub is usually more mellow than reggae. And I can't answer rock steady, as I don't know much of it.

05-05-2005, 07:02 PM	#5
pedro durruti he he he he Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: zemzem Posts: 8,632	Rock steady is basically a mix between first wave ska and reggae, I suppose. And dub is really easy to distinguish, it generally has no vocals (if it does they're just background vocals) and it focuses a lot on the drum and bass.

05-05-2005, 07:16 PM	#6
Lentil&Ska Skanking Michael Jackson Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Not NJ Posts: 55	Is it true that rock steady came about directly from ska. I heard that because of a particularly hot summer in Jamaica people could not dance as fast so every thing slowed down, but I also heard that it slowed down because of American blues slowing down too.

05-05-2005, 08:26 PM	#8
Saberpunk 4 Gav points Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: here and there Posts: 895	Dub is gererally popular reggae reworked and redubbed and the lyrics, if there are any are usually more along the lines of spoken word. Ska uses a slightly different style of guitar playing, (as Brainsquirmin said, different pattern of upstrokes and down strokes), and ska generally has a slightly more bouncy feel to it than traditional reggae, often agumented with horns.

05-05-2005, 08:33 PM	#10
Lentil&Ska Skanking Michael Jackson Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Not NJ Posts: 55	Ok then 3 question, can one say that 3ed wave ska could be also be classified as 3ed wave reggae? My second question is Dose “Midnight Club 3 Dub edition” have any thing to do with music? and finally I saw a cover for a movie called Rude Boy about a DJ Reggae, I thought that Rude Boys were only Ska? Help with my confusion Please

05-05-2005, 10:23 PM	#12
J_McMeaty You Have Full Blow AIDS. Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Wiggerside. Posts: 912	Alot of dub is drug influenced reggae instrumentals remixed with a nice 2nd helping of bass.

05-06-2005, 01:33 AM	#13
rockisdead Registered master Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 383	This is gonna take some serious explaining, here goes- Ska and reggae are incredibly similar but as I have said before on a previous post ska came from dancehall bands blending jazz and soul that influenced them from the USA. Ska did not have the traditional rasta history that reggae had, as it came from dancehall music ska attracted a lot of people that could dance very well. When it filtered down onto the street level it attracted poor people that could dance very well, as a backlash against the strict curfews that had been imposed on them these poor jamaican folks took up the name "rude boy" and decided to claim ska and jamaican heritage for their own. Reggae history is a bit differant, the rastas were the untouchables in jamaica- just like the punks in the seventies to associate with them was frowned upon. The rastas had their own traditional beats and incorporated them with the carribean sounds. As for differances in sound- ska has a horn section, coming from a jazz, soul background it had a nice beat, plenty of trumpet and a simple guitar riff, the vocals were either about love or politics and fairly simple to decipher and ska is just generally regarded as the "fun" side of jamaican music. Reggae sounds a lot more toned down, more organ and bass and generally more traditional afro-carribean lyrics- much more political and intellectual than ska. Also reggae was better produced as it got the backing from the jamaican government and they got the better studios than the ska groups who were leading the local youths into a skanking frenzy of chaos, guns and knife- rude boy culture. The rude boy thing crossed over to reggae because the genre was so close, there was a lot of conflict between rude boys and rastas right up until the early seventies, but as the genres became more and more close the cultures gradually blended. Dub came out later than both ska and reggae, just before punk in about 1973. It had existed in forms but the big advancements that made dub possible were the synthesiser and one man- lee "scratch" perry- the man started to cut and scratch records to create a new sound that still carried that jamaican feel. Dub records stand out over ska and reggae because of their more futuristic feel and a safe synth sound to it. Then you had the toasters, people who spoke political lyrics over dub recrds live. These would become the fore runners to hip hop and rap.

05-06-2005, 04:31 AM	#14
Pastry Man Registered User Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: cupboard Posts: 583	I think most of the other things have been covered to a good extent. but i want to add to the stuff about dub. dub indeed came out later than reggae. dub takes the complexity of reggae and then cuts it back to a simpler basic structure. this basic structure usally consists of a rhythm of some description (drums), a bass line and a bit of melody and maybe a bit of on and off singing. but it is far from the complex melody featured in reggae and ska. dub as a result sounds much more mellow and chilled out due to the fact that it has been stripped down to a much simpler element. im not sure about all this but its what i have observed and my dad has explained to me, him being a fan of dub and reggae music. dub has also evolved and merged with other styles such as drum n bass and rap and even r'n'b as much as everyone here probably hates it.

05-06-2005, 04:40 AM	#15
~~White Riot!~~ Banned Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: At the Carnivale Posts: 6,131	I reccomend Lee Scratch Perry & Mikey Dread "Dread at the mantrols" Upstrokes in reggae are often spread out and Reggae Bass > Ska Bass. Thats how i tell the difference

05-06-2005, 05:32 AM	#16
smokersdieyounger cometogether Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: portsmouth UK Posts: 594	I thoroughly reccomend King Tubby, get a ska mixture record and a dub one youll know the difference then