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In 1980, The Dictionary of Jamaican English stated that the chunking sound of the guitar that came at the end of each measure acted as an “accompaniment to emotional songs often expressing rejection of established ‘white-man’ culture.” It is thus not surprising that black communities embraced this music for having a sound that captured the difficult realities they faced. Reggae began to be respected as its own unique genre when the band Toots and the Maytals came about and shared music that established reggae as a new style of music. While early reggae lyrics focused largely on romantic love, the focus shifted to Rastafarian ideals in the 1970s. At that time, lyrics began to speak of spiritual love and love of one’s fellow man, as well as revolution against forces that impede love, such as extreme violence or government oppression.
Hispanic reggae is one such form of reggae that originated in Panama in the 1970s. It is recorded in Spanish by Latin American artists.
Australian reggae is often played by Aboriginal Australians, as the Jamaican reggae ethos of resistance strongly resonated with that community. Cali reggae was born in the 1990s thanks to the band Sublime. This group combined old-school reggae with punk instrumentals and turned Long Beach, California into a Cali reggae haven. Hawaiian reggae grew in Hawaii in the 1970s and ‘80s. It played a key role in the Hawaiian Renaissance movement at that time, as the struggles Hawaiians faced were similar to those faced by Jamaicans.
The worldwide popularity of reggae music means that most listeners will instantly recognize the familiar reggae beat. This recognition allows you to instantly transport your audience to the Caribbean. Your video scene does not need to take place on a beach for reggae to be an asset. Summer scenes that feature people outside having a good time can also benefit from the fun-time vibes of reggae. If you have a podcast that focuses on topics related to the Rastafarian movement or has a relaxed poolside chat tone to it, reggae music may work well as an opening sound clip or audio logo.
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Reggae’s BPM (beats per minute) varies from about 80 to 110. You can easily search for tracks played at this rate by going to the PremiumBeat search engine and adjusting the sliders of the “BPM” filter to your liking. With our “Instruments” filter, you can also search for tracks that have the typical reggae instruments such as bass guitar, electric guitar, and keyboard. Head to the search engine to find your cool reggae beat today.
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