What Was the First Dub Track Ever Made?
The origins of dub music are debated. While The Techniques’ “Take One” (1968) and Slim Smith’s “Version” are contenders, King Tubby’s early dubplates in 1968–70 are widely credited as the first real dub tracks. This article examines the debate over dub’s first recording.
Introduction
Every musical genre has its contested “first.” Rock historians debate between Jackie Brenston’s Rocket 88 (1951) and Elvis Presley’s That’s All Right (1954). Hip-hop enthusiasts argue whether DJ Kool Herc’s 1973 Bronx block party or earlier Jamaican toasting practices represent its true beginning. Dub, Jamaica’s radical reinvention of recorded sound, is no different.
The question “What was the first dub track ever made?” cannot be answered with a single title alone. Dub was not invented in a single moment but emerged gradually out of Jamaica’s “versioning” culture — instrumental B-sides of reggae singles pressed for sound system play. Still, by the late 1960s, innovations by engineers like King Tubby transformed versions into something new: skeletal riddims filled with echo, reverb, and deep bass.
This article explores the contenders for the title of “first dub track,” the historical context of late 1960s Jamaican music, and why scholars often credit King Tubby’s early dubplates with defining the genre.
The Historical Context: Jamaica in the Late 1960s
Sound Systems and Exclusivity
Jamaican music was deeply tied to its sound system culture. Operators like Duke Reid, Clement “Coxsone” Dodd, and later King Tubby’s Home Town Hi-Fi competed fiercely for audiences. Exclusive tracks — often unreleased versions of popular songs — gave sound systems an edge (Bradley, 2000).
Rise of the “Version”
By the mid-1960s, producers realized that issuing instrumentals of popular reggae singles on the B-sides of records gave DJs space to “toast” (rap) over the riddim. This practice, called the version, was the immediate precursor to dub (Hebdige, 1987).
Shift Toward Experimentation
Versions began simply, with vocals removed. But engineers soon experimented with rebalancing the mix, extending instrumental sections, and emphasizing bass and drums. These creative choices blurred the line between “version” and dub.
Contenders for the First Dub Track
1. Take One – The Techniques (1968)
Often cited as the first proto-dub track, Take One was an instrumental version produced at Studio One. While it lacks the heavy effects of later dub, it marked an early move toward skeletal arrangements (Veal, 2007).
2. Slim Smith’s Version (1968)
Slim Smith’s single included a stripped-down B-side that scholars identify as one of the earliest dub-like recordings. Like Take One, it removed vocals but did not yet use the studio as an instrument.
3. King Tubby’s Early Dubplates (1968–70)
The strongest candidate for the first true dub tracks are King Tubby’s exclusive mixes for sound systems between 1968–70 (White, 2016).
- Tubby muted vocals, boosted bass and drums, and added reverb and echo.
- These mixes were not commercially released, existing only as one-off acetates for dances.
- Tracks such as Tubby’s mixes of Bunny Lee productions represent the moment dub moved from instrumental to experimental.
4. “King Tubby Meets the Upsetter at the Grass Roots of Dub” (1974)
While later, this collaboration between Tubby and Perry is sometimes mistakenly cited as “first.” It was not, but its importance lies in popularizing dub globally (Hope, 2006).
Why King Tubby Is Central
Technical Innovation
Unlike earlier versions, Tubby actively reshaped sound. He did not merely remove vocals but reimagined the track through effects. His reverb chambers, high-pass filters, and echo units transformed recordings into new compositions (Veal, 2007).
Sound System Function
Tubby’s dubplates were made for exclusive play at dances. When his Home Town Hi-Fi sound system dropped one of these experimental versions, crowds recognized they were hearing something unprecedented.
Influence
Tubby’s approach quickly spread. By 1970, producers like Bunny Lee were releasing dub versions commercially, inspired by Tubby’s exclusives.
Scholarly Perspectives on Dub’s “First”
- Lloyd Bradley (2000): Suggests Take One (1968) as an early proto-dub but emphasizes Tubby’s later experiments as the true genesis.
- Dick Hebdige (1987): Places emphasis on versioning culture but credits Tubby with elevating versions into dub.
- Michael Veal (2007): Argues that while versions existed earlier, King Tubby’s 1968–70 mixes represent the first real dub.
- Garth White (2016): Notes Tubby’s role in redefining the studio, suggesting his first dubplates should be seen as the inaugural dub tracks.
Why the Debate Persists
- Dub’s Ephemeral Nature: Many early dubplates were one-off acetates never archived. Identifying the first track is difficult because they no longer exist.
- Gradual Evolution: Dub developed over several years, not a single day.
- Different Definitions: If dub is defined as “instrumental versions,” then Take One qualifies. If defined as “studio as instrument,” then Tubby’s mixes are first.
Case Study: King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown (1974)
Though not the first, this track is often mistaken as dub’s beginning because of its iconic status. It exemplifies all of Tubby’s techniques — reverb, echo, bass emphasis — and helped define the genre internationally (Veal, 2007). It is better understood as the culmination of dub’s first era, not its birth.
The Importance of Asking “What Was First?”
The search for dub’s first track is more than trivia. It highlights:
- The role of sound systems in shaping Jamaican music.
- The transition from versions to fully experimental tracks.
- The centrality of King Tubby as inventor of the dub aesthetic.
As Paul Gilroy (1993) argues in The Black Atlantic, diasporic cultural forms often resist singular origins, emerging instead through collective improvisation. Dub fits this model — it was born in Kingston but shaped by multiple hands.
Conclusion
So, what was the first dub track ever made? The answer depends on how we define dub. If we mean early instrumental versions, Take One (1968) by The Techniques is a candidate. If we mean the moment the studio became an instrument, then King Tubby’s exclusive mixes for Bunny Lee in 1968–70 must be recognized as the first true dub tracks.
What matters most is not a single title but the shift in musical imagination that occurred in late 1960s Kingston. Dub began when engineers stopped treating the studio as a place of reproduction and started treating it as a space of creation. That shift — embodied by King Tubby — marks the true birth of dub.
References
Bradley, L. (2000). Bass Culture: When Reggae Was King. Penguin.
Gilroy, P. (1993). The Black Atlantic: Modernity and Double Consciousness. Harvard University Press.
Hebdige, D. (1987). Cut ’n’ Mix: Culture, Identity and Caribbean Music. Routledge.
Hope, D. P. (2006). Inna di Dancehall: Popular Culture and the Politics of Identity in Jamaica. University of the West Indies Press.
Veal, M. E. (2007). Dub: Soundscapes and Shattered Songs in Jamaican Reggae. Wesleyan University Press.
White, G. (2016). King Tubby’s studio and the invention of dub. Journal of Popular Music Studies, 28(3), 335–350.