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ENTITY · TECHNOLOGY / GEAR

Acetate / soft wax

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The lacquer-coated disc a studio cuts one at a time, called soft wax because it wears out after a few dozen plays. It was meant as a test pressing on the way to a stamper; Jamaica made it a finished product instead. A dubplate is an acetate, and the whole economy of exclusive versions, specials and clash tunes rests on a format that was never supposed to leave the cutting room.

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Story · Well supportedLyrical War: Dubplates, Sting, and the Art of the Sound Clash

How a one-off acetate became Jamaica's ultimate weapon, and the arena culture that turned selectors and deejays into generals.

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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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