Dub is the new black_29012016 (1).pdf (385.35 kB)
Dub is the new black: modes of identification and tendencies of appropriation in late 1970s post-punk
This article examines the complex racial and national politics that surrounded British post-punk musicians’ incorporation of and identification with dub-reggae in the late 1970s. I analyse this historical moment from sociological, intra-musical and discursive perspectives, reading the musical incorporation of dub-reggae by The Police, Gang of Four and Joy Division against the backdrop of the era's music press discourse. I also unpack discursive representations of Jamaican musicians and ask: what role does subaltern performativity play in contributing to ‘imaginary’ critical conceptions of dub, particularly concerning the Jamaican melodica player Augustus Pablo? I conclude by suggesting that post-punk musicians’ incorporation of dub-reggae represents neither an unencumbered post-colonial socio-musical alliance nor a purely colonial one, but rather exceeds and therefore problematises these two positions.
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Publication status
- Published
File Version
- Accepted version
Journal
Popular MusicISSN
0261-1430Publisher
Cambridge University PressExternal DOI
Issue
2Volume
36Page range
283-301Department affiliated with
- Music Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2017-05-05First Open Access (FOA) Date
2017-05-10First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2017-05-05Usage metrics
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