The Aggrovators

• Genre: Dub

About

One of the most important reggae backing bands of all time (a list of their credits could take up pages), and an excellent stand-alone Dub band, the Aggrovators developed a style based on thick, heavy rhythms with Bunny "Striker" Lee at the console. The music included the "flying cymbals" drum sound of Carlton "Santa" Davis, in which shimmering waves of hi-hats hypnotize the listener while the deep throbbing bassline holds down the rhythm. The makeup of the group included a shifting cast of Jamaica's best musicians, including Winston Wright or Ansel Collins on organ, Tony Chin and Earl "Chinna" Smith on guitar, Aston Barrett or Robbie Shakespeare on bass, Skully on percussion, and Carlton "Santa" Davis (occasionally Sly Dunbar or Carlton Barrett) on drums -- as well as a horn section of trumpet, sax and trombone. Though the lineup often changed, the perfection of their groove never faltered.

- Jessy Terry