REGGAE BELIEVE IT OR NOT

The ‘one-rhythm’ or ‘version’ album, consisting entirely of different cuts of the same rhythm track, is a uniquely Jamaican phenomenon, and a very important part of the market that is largely singles-oriented. Though the concept became particularly popular in the late 1980s, its history stretches back further. Deejay version began seriously in the early 1970s, to be followed by stripped-down dub cuts. The instrumental version was also very popular throughout the 1970s, with, say, a saxophonist, an organist or bongo player let loose over a currently popular track. The one-rhythm album also a local progression from this, but did not became a institution overnight.