{
  "slug": "augustus-pablo",
  "name": "Augustus Pablo",
  "description": "Augustus Pablo appears 5 times in our Dub, 1976, Roots, The Waxonia Desk — Ghosts, and The Waxonia Desk — The Hundred lists, placing as high as No. 1. Hand-curated, with a reason for every pick.",
  "updated": "2026-08-29",
  "url": "https://waxonia.com/artist/augustus-pablo/",
  "appearanceCount": 5,
  "distinctRecordings": 1,
  "years": {
    "first": 1976,
    "last": 1976
  },
  "highestPlacing": {
    "rank": 1,
    "list": "Dub"
  },
  "appearsOn": [
    {
      "kind": "genre",
      "slug": "dub",
      "name": "Dub",
      "url": "https://waxonia.com/genre/dub/",
      "entries": 1
    },
    {
      "kind": "curator",
      "slug": "nineteen-seventy-six",
      "name": "1976",
      "url": "https://waxonia.com/theme/nineteen-seventy-six/",
      "entries": 1
    },
    {
      "kind": "curator",
      "slug": "the-desk-roots",
      "name": "Roots",
      "url": "https://waxonia.com/theme/the-desk-roots/",
      "entries": 1
    },
    {
      "kind": "curator",
      "slug": "the-desk-ghosts",
      "name": "The Waxonia Desk — Ghosts",
      "url": "https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-ghosts/",
      "entries": 1
    },
    {
      "kind": "curator",
      "slug": "the-desk-the-hundred",
      "name": "The Waxonia Desk — The Hundred",
      "url": "https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-the-hundred/",
      "entries": 1
    }
  ],
  "tracks": [
    {
      "trackKey": "augustus-pablo--king-tubby-meets-rockers-uptown",
      "trackUrl": "https://waxonia.com/track/augustus-pablo--king-tubby-meets-rockers-uptown/",
      "title": "King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown",
      "year": 1976,
      "label": "Yard Music",
      "isrc": null,
      "whyItMatters": "The record everyone means by dub. Pablo's melodica floats over a Jacob Miller rhythm that King Tubby keeps dismantling and rebuilding, and the space between the parts carries more weight than the parts do.",
      "alsoOn": [
        {
          "kind": "curator",
          "slug": "nineteen-seventy-six",
          "name": "1976",
          "url": "https://waxonia.com/theme/nineteen-seventy-six/"
        },
        {
          "kind": "curator",
          "slug": "the-desk-roots",
          "name": "Roots",
          "url": "https://waxonia.com/theme/the-desk-roots/"
        },
        {
          "kind": "curator",
          "slug": "the-desk-ghosts",
          "name": "The Waxonia Desk — Ghosts",
          "url": "https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-ghosts/"
        },
        {
          "kind": "curator",
          "slug": "the-desk-the-hundred",
          "name": "The Waxonia Desk — The Hundred",
          "url": "https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-the-hundred/"
        }
      ],
      "links": {
        "spotify": {
          "url": "https://open.spotify.com/search/Augustus%20Pablo%20King%20Tubby%20Meets%20Rockers%20Uptown",
          "exact": false
        },
        "youtubeMusic": {
          "url": "https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=oxAl3Jijs20",
          "exact": true
        }
      },
      "rank": 1,
      "on": {
        "kind": "genre",
        "slug": "dub",
        "name": "Dub",
        "url": "https://waxonia.com/genre/dub/"
      },
      "artist": "Augustus Pablo"
    },
    {
      "trackKey": "augustus-pablo--king-tubby-meets-rockers-uptown",
      "trackUrl": "https://waxonia.com/track/augustus-pablo--king-tubby-meets-rockers-uptown/",
      "title": "King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown",
      "year": 1976,
      "label": "Yard Music",
      "isrc": null,
      "whyItMatters": "The most-cited dub record ever made, and it is a melodica line and a mixing desk. Kingston in 1976 was inventing the studio-as-instrument while London was still arguing about guitars.",
      "alsoOn": [
        {
          "kind": "genre",
          "slug": "dub",
          "name": "Dub",
          "url": "https://waxonia.com/genre/dub/"
        },
        {
          "kind": "curator",
          "slug": "the-desk-roots",
          "name": "Roots",
          "url": "https://waxonia.com/theme/the-desk-roots/"
        },
        {
          "kind": "curator",
          "slug": "the-desk-ghosts",
          "name": "The Waxonia Desk — Ghosts",
          "url": "https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-ghosts/"
        },
        {
          "kind": "curator",
          "slug": "the-desk-the-hundred",
          "name": "The Waxonia Desk — The Hundred",
          "url": "https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-the-hundred/"
        }
      ],
      "links": {
        "spotify": {
          "url": "https://open.spotify.com/search/Augustus%20Pablo%20King%20Tubby%20Meets%20Rockers%20Uptown",
          "exact": false
        },
        "youtubeMusic": {
          "url": "https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=oxAl3Jijs20",
          "exact": true
        }
      },
      "rank": null,
      "on": {
        "kind": "curator",
        "slug": "nineteen-seventy-six",
        "name": "1976",
        "url": "https://waxonia.com/theme/nineteen-seventy-six/"
      },
      "artist": "Augustus Pablo"
    },
    {
      "trackKey": "augustus-pablo--king-tubby-meets-rockers-uptown",
      "trackUrl": "https://waxonia.com/track/augustus-pablo--king-tubby-meets-rockers-uptown/",
      "title": "King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown",
      "year": 1976,
      "label": "Yard Music",
      "isrc": null,
      "whyItMatters": "The mixing desk becomes an instrument. Every record on this site built from the bass upward, with the vocal free to vanish for a bar, is working from the grammar King Tubby set here.",
      "alsoOn": [
        {
          "kind": "genre",
          "slug": "dub",
          "name": "Dub",
          "url": "https://waxonia.com/genre/dub/"
        },
        {
          "kind": "curator",
          "slug": "nineteen-seventy-six",
          "name": "1976",
          "url": "https://waxonia.com/theme/nineteen-seventy-six/"
        },
        {
          "kind": "curator",
          "slug": "the-desk-ghosts",
          "name": "The Waxonia Desk — Ghosts",
          "url": "https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-ghosts/"
        },
        {
          "kind": "curator",
          "slug": "the-desk-the-hundred",
          "name": "The Waxonia Desk — The Hundred",
          "url": "https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-the-hundred/"
        }
      ],
      "links": {
        "spotify": {
          "url": "https://open.spotify.com/search/Augustus%20Pablo%20King%20Tubby%20Meets%20Rockers%20Uptown",
          "exact": false
        },
        "youtubeMusic": {
          "url": "https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=oxAl3Jijs20",
          "exact": true
        }
      },
      "rank": null,
      "on": {
        "kind": "curator",
        "slug": "the-desk-roots",
        "name": "Roots",
        "url": "https://waxonia.com/theme/the-desk-roots/"
      },
      "artist": "Augustus Pablo"
    },
    {
      "trackKey": "augustus-pablo--king-tubby-meets-rockers-uptown",
      "trackUrl": "https://waxonia.com/track/augustus-pablo--king-tubby-meets-rockers-uptown/",
      "title": "King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown",
      "year": 1976,
      "label": "Yard Music",
      "isrc": null,
      "whyItMatters": "The starting point for the argument every record below repeats: a mix is a composition. The debt the others owe is as much to the economics that made a B-side worth rebuilding as to the technique itself.",
      "alsoOn": [
        {
          "kind": "genre",
          "slug": "dub",
          "name": "Dub",
          "url": "https://waxonia.com/genre/dub/"
        },
        {
          "kind": "curator",
          "slug": "nineteen-seventy-six",
          "name": "1976",
          "url": "https://waxonia.com/theme/nineteen-seventy-six/"
        },
        {
          "kind": "curator",
          "slug": "the-desk-roots",
          "name": "Roots",
          "url": "https://waxonia.com/theme/the-desk-roots/"
        },
        {
          "kind": "curator",
          "slug": "the-desk-the-hundred",
          "name": "The Waxonia Desk — The Hundred",
          "url": "https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-the-hundred/"
        }
      ],
      "links": {
        "spotify": {
          "url": "https://open.spotify.com/search/Augustus%20Pablo%20King%20Tubby%20Meets%20Rockers%20Uptown",
          "exact": false
        },
        "youtubeMusic": {
          "url": "https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=oxAl3Jijs20",
          "exact": true
        }
      },
      "rank": null,
      "on": {
        "kind": "curator",
        "slug": "the-desk-ghosts",
        "name": "The Waxonia Desk — Ghosts",
        "url": "https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-ghosts/"
      },
      "artist": "Augustus Pablo"
    },
    {
      "trackKey": "augustus-pablo--king-tubby-meets-rockers-uptown",
      "trackUrl": "https://waxonia.com/track/augustus-pablo--king-tubby-meets-rockers-uptown/",
      "title": "King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown",
      "year": 1976,
      "label": "Yard Music",
      "isrc": null,
      "whyItMatters": "The record that proves an engineer is a composer. Everything on this list built from the bass upward is quoting it, usually without knowing.",
      "alsoOn": [
        {
          "kind": "genre",
          "slug": "dub",
          "name": "Dub",
          "url": "https://waxonia.com/genre/dub/"
        },
        {
          "kind": "curator",
          "slug": "nineteen-seventy-six",
          "name": "1976",
          "url": "https://waxonia.com/theme/nineteen-seventy-six/"
        },
        {
          "kind": "curator",
          "slug": "the-desk-roots",
          "name": "Roots",
          "url": "https://waxonia.com/theme/the-desk-roots/"
        },
        {
          "kind": "curator",
          "slug": "the-desk-ghosts",
          "name": "The Waxonia Desk — Ghosts",
          "url": "https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-ghosts/"
        }
      ],
      "links": {
        "spotify": {
          "url": "https://open.spotify.com/search/Augustus%20Pablo%20King%20Tubby%20Meets%20Rockers%20Uptown",
          "exact": false
        },
        "youtubeMusic": {
          "url": "https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=oxAl3Jijs20",
          "exact": true
        }
      },
      "rank": null,
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        "name": "The Waxonia Desk — The Hundred",
        "url": "https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-the-hundred/"
      },
      "artist": "Augustus Pablo"
    }
  ],
  "curates": null
}