Clocking in at nearly 600 pages Bass Culture... is a fat slab of a book, chronicling the history and cultural importance of reggae, the soul and spirit music of Jamaica.

It starts, naturally, at the beginning, with the sound system culture born in the 1950s. Technology began to allow for massive wracks of speakers and earth-shaking sounds, and a tradition that Bradley compares to England's football rapidly evolved.

He then points out that the sound systems were cultural, as opposed to being merely part of culture. This became more obvious in the 60s and 70s as the music became more and more political, through artists and producers such as Lee 'Scratch' Perry and Bob Marley.

The rise of reggae in the UK is also charted, until the height of its popularity in the early 80s where punk and roots reggae bands such as Ian Dury and the Blockheads and Matumbi toured together.

However this is just the tip of a massive reggae iceberg, and the depth of Bradley's knowledge, and the people he called upon, is encyclopaedic. It's obvious the writing of this book was a labour of love - if going to Jamaica for interviews can be called a 'labour'.

So Bass Culture... is more of a reference book than a simple read. It is the definitive guide to a nation's music and therefore heritage. As Reggae hero Prince Buster says in his foreword: 'Jamaican music at last has the book it deserves'.

Need more info on Reggae? Check out Diego DJ's site.
Need more info on Jamaica? Click here for the lowdown.

— Tom Morgan 29.08.00