Join us for a listening party dedicated to Post-Punk Dub on Tuesday, July 22nd at Zizou in Lincoln Heights.

In 1977, Bob Marley released the iconic “Punky Reggae Party” in Jamaica as a 12-inch single on Tuff Gong and Black Art. In the UK, “Punky Reggae Party” would appear as the B-side to the celebratory “Jamming,” and offer a different bit of positivity in direct response to the emerging punk rock and new wave scenes. A few key encounters influenced the track: The Clash had recently visited Marley while he was with producer / mentor Lee “Scratch” Perry and shared their version of Junior Murvin’s “Police and Thieves.” “Me like how dem feel it,” said Scratch; Public Image Ltd bassist Jah Wobble had also approached Marley to share his experience of discovering reggae basslines through his music and attending Wailers concerts in London.

Produced by Scratch, “Punky Reggae Party” would bring together two worlds by calling out the names of several punk and reggae groups: “The Wailers will be there, the Damned, the Jam, the Clash – Maytals will be there, Dr. Feelgood too.” The connection between punk and reggae would only continue to grow from there: “Scratch” ended up producing The Clash’s next single “Complete Control,” UK reggae pioneer Dennis Bovell worked closely with The Slits on their debut album Cut, Adrian Sherwood and his On-U sound imprint would form a collective of musicians from both the punk and reggae scenes.

The reckless abandon and energy of punk with the grooving simplicity, spectral echo effects, and earth-shattering sub basslines of reggae makes for a perfectly wild combination, and it’s one of our favorite sounds to emerge from the late ’70s. Next Tuesday, we’ll be exploring the connection between these two genres through a listening session at Zizou in Lincoln Heights. Titled “Past, Present, Future,” the listening event where we’ll be exploring post-punk dub classics, rarities, and contemporary sounds.

Limited tickets are available now via dice. Don’t miss it!

Below, in anticipation of the listening session, we’ve highlighted some favorites that you can expect to hear at the event:

The Slits – Earthbeat (1981)

Produced by Dennis Bovell and featuring Steve Beresford, “Earthbeat” is one of the more experimental tracks from The Slits’ catalog. Built on a deep percussive foundation with Japanese taiko drum, “Earthbeat” also includes some sort of plucked string instrument and bits of shakuhachi flute. The effect is a completely otherworldly tribal post-punk track that stands out amongst other tracks from this period.

Steel Leg – Haile Unlikely By The Electric Dread (1978)

Released shortly after Public Image Ltd’s debut album, Steel Leg v The Electric Dread features Jah Wobble, Keith Levene (credited here as Stratetime Keith), and Steel Leg (more than likely John Lydon in disguise) alongside DJ, director, musician, and all around legendary cultural figure Don Letts. “Haile Unlikely” pushes Public Image Ltd’s dub influences to the forefront with Letts on the mic alongside a wonderfully chaotic squelching synthesizer line.

Lifetones – For A Reason (1983)

A one-time musical anomaly created from the ashes of influential UK post-punk trio This Heat, Lifetone’s For A Reason brings together the political angst and energy of This Heat’s Charles Bullen with the dub and reggae rhythms of drummer Julius Samuel aka Dub Judah. The music is both futuristic and definitively of its time as the lyrics deal with the Cold War climate of fear, imperialism, and death consciousness.

Devon Rexi – Biya Ba Man (2024)

The debut mini-album from Devon Rexi, an Amsterdam-based post-punk / no wave group featuring Nicola Niggebrugge aka Nicolini (drums + vocals), Lyckle De Jong (synthesizers + effects), and Nushin Naini (bass + vocals). Inspired by trailblazing labels like On-U Sound and Celluloid Records, the trio mash together their myriad influences through live instrumentation featuring heavy percussion and sub-rattling bass guitar, tripped-out electronics, alongside bizarre, but incredibly infectious farsi singing.

Pachyman – Hard To Part (2025)

Puerto Rico born artist Pachy Garcia aka Pachyman has been steadily developing and evolving his sound over his last few albums for ATO Records. Built on a foundation of classic dub reggae influences (Scientist, King Tubby, and Prince Jammy), Pachy has begun to incorporate elements of lovers rock, latin rhythms, and now post-punk into his warm, analog productions, which is something of a return to roots for the multi-instrumentalist who previously played for LA-based post-punk outfits Prettiest Eyes and Sex Stains. In particular, “Hard to Part” incorporates a No Wave energy a la ESG or Liquid Liquid with cosmic synthesizers, primal percussion, and an ecstasy-laced one-note guitar groove.