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From Radio Shows to the Festival Field: The Sounds Behind the Tags

The tag list on this page reads like a map of the music that grew out of Jamaica and spread across the world. Behind the catchy labels are distinct styles, and knowing how they connect makes any reggae weekend, on the radio or in a field near Fulda, far more rewarding.

Roots, dub and dancehall

Reggae emerged in Jamaica in the late 1960s, following ska and rocksteady. Its offbeat guitar skank and heavy bass lines remain the foundation of everything else in the family. Dub came from studio engineers who stripped tracks back to drum and bass, adding echo and reverb until the mixing desk itself became an instrument. Dancehall took over in the 1980s with faster digital rhythms and deejays chatting over them, and it is still the energetic heart of many sound system sessions today.

Riddims and sound systems

A riddim is an instrumental backing track that many different artists voice their own songs over. This sharing culture explains why you may hear the same groove several times in one night, each time with a new vocalist. Sound systems, mobile crews with their own speaker stacks, selectors and MCs, carry this tradition on. Germany has developed a lively scene of its own, and sound clashes and dances have become a fixture of the European festival summer.

The wider tropical family

Tags such as dubstep, jungle, moombahton, soca, cumbia, kuduro and zouk point to the many relatives of reggae. Jungle and dubstep borrowed the bass weight and sound system culture of dub in the UK, while soca, cumbia, kuduro and zouk come from Trinidad, Colombia, Angola and the French Caribbean. Selectors often blend them in one set, which is why the term "tropical bass" caught on.

Getting more from a festival

If you are planning to experience this music live, spend some time with the artists on the lineup beforehand, listen to a few podcasts or mixes, and arrive early for the smaller sound system stages, where new names often play. Practical details about staying on site are collected on the camping page. Always check official festival channels for current dates, times and tickets.