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The valve (tube) amplifier era

Well supported

The founding period of Jamaican and UK sound amplification when custom thermionic-valve amplifiers, prized for warmth and headroom, defined the sound of the dance before transistors arrived.

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At a glance

Confidence
Well supported
Sources
Michael Veal, Dub; Lloyd Bradley, Bass Culture; Red Bull Music Academy.

Coverage areas

Musical & sonic elementsTechnology, recording & industry

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Connections

In stories

Story · Well supportedThe electronics men and the birth of the sound system

Before there were selectors and deejays, there was the amplifier, and the men who built it.

Story · Well supportedValve, transistor, and the wattage race

The dance's endless argument: the warmth of the tube against the raw power of the transistor.

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Compiled and researched by The Jamaica Music Atlas music desk. The sources that informed it are credited above.

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