Dub London

The crossovers between dub and London are extremely strong: a centre of music production, recording studios, record labels, record shops, radio stations and clubs. Dub has a much wider cultural phenomenon finding expression in live performances, poetry, religion, fashion and lifestyle. There are many voices of dub. It’s a sound, a culture and a history, with London having the highest concentration of specialist reggae record shops outside of Kingston, Jamaica.

However, the museum’s collection did not reflect this. The ‘Dub London’ project was, thus, devised to address gaps such as this in the museum’s collection, by preserving unheard and underrepresented stories of Londoners and to ensure these stories are available to London in perpetuity. We partnered with key members of dub and reggae communities across London. We were guided by paid community consultants and informed by public engagement activities to recognise and communicate the social context of dub – its relationship to racism and the realities of injustices in London.

The one-year pan-London collecting project culminated in a free display called Dub London: Bassline of a City (20 October 2020 – 5 September 2021). This offered an immersive experience that foregrounded personal stories from different generations. We also mapped the presence and loss of heritage across the city by working with people who have lived knowledge and experience.

Curatorial research involved speaking in depth with record shop owners, members of the Rastafari community, musicians, writers, DJs, academics, radio producers and fans for whom dub is a part of their cultural heritage. We collected many oral histories that shaped the exhibition, showcasing the role of record shops as community hubs and spaces where history is kept alive.

We recorded several hours of Channel One Sound System’s set at Notting Hill Carnival with a photo series by British-Ghanian photographer Eddie Otchere capturing the day.

We hosted a tribute to Dread Broadcasting Corporation (DBC) – one of the first black-owned pirate radio stations that played reggae and Black music working with the families of the founders to create a series of DBC-inspired broadcasts, using archival material and new radio-based commissions. Reggae specialist Papa Face, DJ from Dub Vendor, helped conceptualise and execute the experience. Renowned producer Mad Professor invited us to his famous Ariwa Sounds studios in south London to film a masterclass in mixing.

Hosting discussions on the essence of what is and isn’t ‘dub’ sparked significant debate and represented this open-ended process by recreating a mind map display graphic that was also popular on our social media channels.

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, our efforts moved online, which included articles and interviews that allowed our community consultants to contribute more widely to the museum’s work and engage directly with the public.

Dub London attracted new audiences to the museum – a 20-fold increase in visitors identifying as Black – demonstrating our success through co-production to reach underrepresented communities in our content.

We got positive reviews, and won awards from the Association for Heritage Interpretation (AHI) Awards in the Untold Stories category and the top prize AHI Engaging People Awards 2021. AHI’s Bill Bevan said, “The award was given because Dub London is an exemplar of interpretive engagement by combining thorough planning and audience consultation with creative delivery to create a temporary exhibition and four-year collection programme. The exhibition blends traditional and innovative on-site and online approaches in its delivery…. and personal interpretation. It is brilliantly co-curated with the community it is about.”

In telling the story of dub and its influence on the capital city, we empowered people who had not engaged with the museum to have a greater stake in our activities and collection.

Our curators continue to maintain long-term and sustainable relationships with community partners and move forward together to the next instalment at London Museum in Smithfield.

Want to know more? Listen to snippets from the various oral history recordings in our Google Arts & Culture exhibition, and immerse yourself in the music through the ‘Dub London: Bassline of the city’ Spotify playlist, which was also available to visitors during the exhibition.

Immerse yourself in the history of dub reggae in the capital with exclusive interviews here:

• Explore the history of iconic record stores in London
• Making dub with Mad Professor
• London's reggae roots
• Hear from dub reggae stalwart Tippa Irie