The origins of jungle and drum and bass born from UK sound systems

Jah Shaka: UK soundsystem legend

In 1980s London, underground club scenes throbbed with thumping dub, spiritual roots reggae and heavy bass grooves , and at the centre of it all was UK soundsystem legend Jah Shaka .

Although his real name has not been revealed, he was born in Clarendon, Jamaica, and moved to the UK with his family when he was eight years old, growing up in South East London. In the early 1970s, he founded his own sound system, Jah Shaka , and shaped UK sound system culture through his unique musical style and spiritual message.

Shaka's performance wasn't just a DJ set. The whole floor was enveloped in waves of sound, the bass reverberating through the body, and the audience closed their eyes and fell into a trance-like state, becoming one with the sound .

The uniquely UK soundsystem culture that Shaka built would eventually evolve into jungle, drum and bass and the Bristol Sound .

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The origins of UK bass music

Phoebes, a North London venue in the 1980s and early 1990s, was the home of Jah Shaka's soundsystem at its most cult-like , and the experience felt more like a sonic ritual than a dance.

The Fanatical Legend of Phoebes

1. The roaring dub sound system

• Jah Shaka's massive bass rumble will shake your walls and get you moving
• The vibrations of the bass reverberated throughout the floor, putting the audience in a trance-like state.
• When you stand in front of the speakers, it feels like even your heartbeat is synchronized with the system.

2. The "Dub Marathon" that lasts from late night until dawn

• The set was seamless, with Shaka providing an endless dub mix.
• The sound that keeps the floor shaking all night long takes the audience to another dimension.
• The audience on the floor surrendered to the waves of bass as if praying.

3. Building a bridge between roots reggae and UK bass music

• It was a place where young people in the UK were awakened to the deep spirituality of roots reggae.
• The DJs and producers who attended here would go on to lay the foundations for jungle and drum and bass.

Jah Shaka's time at Phoebes is more than just a night of club music: it remains one of the most sacred experiences in UK soundsystem culture.

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Jah Shaka's signature playlist on Phoebes

A playlist recreating Shaka's iconic selections from the club.

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The foundation for jungle and drum and bass

The young people who were exposed to Jah Shaka's sounds at Phoebes would later become leading figures in UK bass music in the 1990s .

• Goldie (Metalheadz)
  → "Without Shaka's dub sound, jungle would never have been born."

• LTJ Bukem (Good Looking Records)
  → "Shaka's spatial dub mixing is at the root of drum and bass."

• Roni Size & Reprazent (Bristol Movement)
  → Influenced the evolution of the Bristol sound

Jah Shaka's deep, meditative dub sound, heavy bass grooves, and attention to rhythm continue to characterize 90s jungle and drum and bass .

The style, which combines sub-bass and dub echoes over jungle's distinctive breakbeats , was exactly what Shaka's soundsystem was made of.

References

1. The Guardian - Jah Shaka Obituary (2023)
   

2. Voice Online - Legend and Icon: Jah Shaka Passes Away (2023)
   

3. Alt Africa - Reggae Loses a Legend: Jah Shaka Has Died (2023)
   

4. Reggaelicious - Jah Shaka