Reggae & Caribbean
Roots, dub, ska, rocksteady, dancehall — bass-heavy and built for the 7-inch. Reggae & Caribbean vinyl at Wax Trax.
Reggae & Caribbean Vinyl Records
Jamaica, an island smaller than most American states, produced one of the most influential musical lineages on earth. Ska sped into rocksteady, which slowed into roots reggae (Bob Marley, Burning Spear), which King Tubby and Lee "Scratch" Perry dismantled and rebuilt into dub — arguably the first remix culture, and a direct ancestor of hip-hop and electronic music. Add dancehall, calypso, and the wider Caribbean, and you've got a bass-heavy world that lived and breathed on the 7-inch single.
What You'll Find Here
Roots reggae, dub, ska and rocksteady, dancehall, and Caribbean calypso and soca — on LP and a deep 7-inch section, because this music ran on singles and dubplates. Reissues and originals, with import pressings turning up regularly. The dub end especially rewards a good system and a generous volume knob.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is dub?
The stripped-down, bass-and-echo remix style pioneered by Jamaican engineers like King Tubby and Lee Perry in the '70s — they took existing reggae tracks and rebuilt them as spacious, effects-drenched instrumentals. It basically invented remix culture.
Why so many 7-inch singles in reggae?
Because Jamaican music ran on singles and sound-system culture — the 7-inch (and the dubplate) was the format. The singles bins are essential digging here.
Roots vs. dancehall?
Roots is the '70s spiritual, organic reggae of Marley's era; dancehall is the faster, more digital, DJ-driven sound that followed. Different vibes, same family tree.