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| Dub Store | |
|---|---|
| Name | Dub Store |
| Founded | 1970s |
| Founder | (see article) |
| Status | Active |
| Genre | Reggae, Ska, Rocksteady, Dub |
| Country | Japan |
| Location | Tokyo |
Dub Store
Dub Store is a Japanese record label and retail imprint known for reissuing and curating Jamaican reggae, ska, rocksteady, and dub recordings. The label operates at the intersection of Japanese audiophile culture and Jamaican popular music, engaging collectors, archivists, and musicians internationally. Through imports, reissues, and original pressings, the organization has connected Tokyo-based enthusiasts with archives in Kingston, Montego Bay, and London, influencing collectors, DJs, and scholars.
Founded in the 1970s amid a growing interest in Caribbean music across Europe and Asia, the label emerged during the same era that saw the rise of Bob Marley and the Wailers, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Studio One, and Trojan Records. Early activity coincided with excursions by Japanese aficionados to Jamaica, collaborations with Jamaican producers, and the proliferation of sound system culture exemplified by crews such as King Tubby's affiliates and Channel One Studios engineers. During the 1980s and 1990s the imprint navigated formats from vinyl to CD, paralleling transitions experienced by Island Records and 2 Tone Records. Archival projects referenced masters held by entities like Coxsone Dodd estates and holdings associated with Bunny Lee and Prince Buster.
Key figures include collectors, label managers, and transfer engineers based in Tokyo who liaised with Jamaican producers, distributors in London, and pressing plants in Nippon Columbia-era facilities. Collaborators and contributors have included Japanese record store proprietors, Jamaican session musicians connected to The Skatalites, and engineers familiar with analog mastering practices from studios such as Black Ark and Randy's Studio 17. The personnel roster has ranged from curators who negotiated licensing with estates of Hector Lavoe-era artists to archivists working with tapes associated with producers like Duke Reid and Sly and Robbie.
The catalogue emphasizes reissues, compilations, and select originals spanning ska, rocksteady, reggae, and dub. Releases have showcased tracks by artists comparable in stature to Desmond Dekker, Jimmy Cliff, Alton Ellis, and less-known Jamaican vocalists recovered from 1960s singles. Compilations mirror thematic projects akin to Tougher Than Tough anthologies or Trojan Box Set-style retrospectives. Limited-edition vinyl pressings and high-quality CDs have featured mastering approaches similar to those used on reissues from Soul Jazz Records and Heartbeat Records, with liner notes referencing sessions from Studio One and engineers of the Channel One era.
Production practices emphasize analogue transfers, careful remastering, and preservation of original mixing aesthetics associated with dub pioneers linked to King Tubby, Lee "Scratch" Perry, and Scientist. Pressings aim to reproduce warmth characteristic of Haitian- and Jamaican-era equipment and echo techniques used at Black Ark Studio and King Tubby's Studio. Some releases employ tape-to-digital workflows paralleling projects by Chesky Records for audiophile transparency, while others deliberately retain saturation and tape hiss reflective of 1960s Jamaican single culture. The label's approach echoes the philosophy of engineers affiliated with studios like Studio One and producers such as Coxsone Dodd.
Dub Store contributed to the dissemination of Jamaican music in Asia, influencing Japanese collectors, DJs, and musicians associated with scenes in Shibuya, Shimokitazawa, and university radio stations. Its releases informed crate-digging practices and sampling by producers inspired by artists on Stones Throw Records and DJs from the UK dub revival. The label's archival work paralleled preservation efforts by institutions such as the National Sound Archive and independent archivists preserving the output of producers like Bunny Lee and Duke Reid. Several reissues helped reintroduce overlooked vocalists and instrumentalists into scholarly discourse and festival programming, including events similar to Rototom Sunsplash and Reggae Sunsplash retrospectives.
Operations combined retail storefront activity with mail-order distribution and partnerships with specialist distributors in London, Kingston, and New York City. Pressing runs often mirrored boutique models used by Blood and Fire and Soul Jazz Records, emphasizing limited quantities, color vinyl, and extensive packaging. Licensing negotiations engaged rights-holders connected to estates of artists similar to Toots Hibbert and producers like Prince Buster. Sales channels included independent record shops, collectors' fairs, and online marketplaces frequented by aficionados of labels such as Trojan Records and Island Records.
Critical reception among collectors and critics has been mixed: praised for archival diligence and sound quality in the tradition of reissue labels like Blood and Fire and Soul Jazz Records, yet occasionally criticized for questions over licensing transparency and sourcing analogous to controversies that have affected other reissue imprints. Scholarly commentators and music journalists referencing the label have compared its curatorial choices to box sets by Cherry Red Records and reissue series from Universal Music Group subsidiaries, debating completeness of documentation and contextualization. Nonetheless, the imprint remains a reference point within international reggae and dub collecting communities.
Category:Japanese record labels Category:Reggae record labels