Bass culture in the 1980s and early 1990s: influences on trip hop and jungle
How did bass culture go from Scientist and Prince Jammy in the early 1980s to the likes of jungle and trip hop in the early 1990s?
What’s the missing link here? I assume something was brewing in UK sound systems and bass culture in the mid 1980s and early 1990s.
Any recommendations for tracks or albums would be welcome.
On the Edit: Thanks for everyone who has been responding. I think part of the answer seems to a flourishing sound system and roots reggae scene (Matumbi, Steel Pulse, Saxon Sound etc.), leading to emerging British dub producers like Mad Professor (Beyond the Realms of Dub) and Creation Rebel (Starship Africa), Aswad’s A New Chapter In Dub (which already has a lot of the techno minimalism of later developments), an increasing focus on dread sounding vocalists like Linton Kwesi Johnson and most importantly Prince Far I (Psalms for I, and the Cry Tuff records), plus mixing and engineering pros like Dennis Bovell and Adrian Sherwood. Things get more digital and a little more separated from trends in Jamaica, as a British bass culture aesthetic starts emerging. Then you get acts like Dub Syndicate emerging, which are even more digital and starting to mix with techno, and hip hop elements like sampling and breakbeats, and which are transitional to the 1990s stuff. Any more insights welcome, particularly about specific artists and records! I’d love to hear from the old heads who were there, too.