Sound Culture Series

Word, sound and power. This is the definition of the musical vibrations of Jamaican music. The music of Jamaica influences and has been influenced by countless other music forms throughout the Caribbean and worldwide. At the intersection of creation, production, consumption and globalization of Jamaican music, and from an interdisciplinary perspective, Sound Culture begins a long overdue focus on the history and evolution of sounds, tracing the movement from mento to ska and on to rocksteady, reggae, dub, nyabinghi, dancehall and the various styles of reggae fusion. The series covers all Caribbean music that intersects with Jamaican sounds, and artists in the region who work within the musical genres from Jamaica. It examines those who have blended their national musical forms with Jamaica’s and acknowledges that, in addition to shaping culture, social relations, economics and politics, Jamaican music has influenced popular cultural production internationally. In particular, reggae has resonated with the disenfranchised and marginalized all over the world, its rhythm and melody appealing to soul rebels from Japan to South Africa, and Croatia to New Zealand. Sound Culture is intended as a record of the colossal impact that Jamaica has had on the planet through its musical vibrations.