In Remixology: Tracing the Dub Diaspora Paul Sullivan explores the evolution of Dub; the avant-garde verso of Reggae. Dub as a set of studio strategies and techniques was among the first forms of popular music to turn the idea of song inside out, and is still far from being fully explored. With a unique grip on dance, electronic, and popular music, dub-born notions of remix and re-interpretation set the stage for the music of the twenty-first century. This book explores the origins of dub in '70s Kingston, Jamaica and traces its evolution as a genre, approach and attitude to music to the present day. Stopping off in the cities where it has made most impact - London, Berlin, Toronto, Kingston, Bristol, New York, Sullivan's study spans a range of genres, from post-punk to dub-techno, jungle to the now ubiquitous dubstep. Along the way he speaks to a host of international musicians, DJs and luminaries of the dub world including Scientist, Adrian Sherwood, Channel, U Roy, Clive Chin, Dennis Bovell, Shut Up And Dance, DJ Spooky, Francois Kevorkian, Mala and Roots Manuva.
This wide-ranging and lucid book follows several parallel threads, including the evolution of the MC, the birth of sound system culture and the broader story of the post-war Jamaican diaspora itself. One of the few books to be written specifically on dub and its global influence, Remixology is also one of the first to look at the specific relationship between dub and the concept that cuts across all postmodern creative disciplines today: the Remix.