A Brief History of King Tubby at The Jazz Cafe [Event Review]

Occasionally, pioneers of music slip under the radar, and it’s down to their predecessors to honour them and shed light on their legacy. King Tubby was a name I had heard in passing, The King Tubby Sound System at Notting Hill Carnival, for example. However, this is someone I knew next to nothing about.

When doing my due diligence, researching the late King Tubby, synchronicity kicked in. I happened to be attending a screening of “Three Films from the North” at the ICA on the evening before the event. The first film was What your sound can do, directed by Ashley Holmes, a reference to the 1986 King Tubby Dubplate of the same name. The opening portion of the film compiled quotes about King Tubby. Exploring the importance of Dub, Reggae and soundsystem culture in the UK, this compelling piece completely shifted my thought process going into the event. For me, this wasn’t just a crazy coincidence but, dare I say, divine intervention.

King Tubby, who passed in 1989, was a sound engineer who experimented with echo and reverb when remixing reggae music. He is credited as the creator of the dub genre. The legendary Dennis Bovell MBE was tasked with bringing the Dub Master’s legacy to life.

My interest in Dennis Bovell stems from his work on the soundtrack of the 1980 classic film Babylon. An incredibly realistic take on Brixton in the ’80s surrounding soundsystem/dub culture and racial tensions. A must-watch. Bovell’s music plays a crucial role in capturing the essence of the time; however, it wouldn’t have been possible without Tubby.

On the night, Bovell enlisted a youthful team of Dub enthusiasts, Haseeb Iqbal and Jamie Rodigan. The trio spent the evening spinning dubplates and telling tales surrounding the tunes, something that Bovell excels at. Aside from being a singer, multi-instrumentalist and co-originator of the Lovers Rock genre, his storytelling is top-tier. His favourite anecdote involves the track “Silly Games,” which he produced for Janet Kay, and involves the misheard lyric “I’ve been watching you” as opposed to “I’ve been wanting you.” The story ends with him getting a smack from his daughter if recalled correctly. I’ve heard this story three times now, and it still makes me giggle.

There was an interesting dynamic between the three, Bovell, who knew King Tubby personally and was present at the inception of the genre, then Iqbal and Rodigan, who were trying to impress Bovell with their deep cuts while maintaining a level of respect. The age disparity on stage was reflected in the crowd, at times I felt as though I was intruding on this older crowd. But that’s the beauty of the music being passed down through generations.

This night was an excellent tribute to a very important man.