Held in fragile places
Much of how ska, rocksteady, reggae, dub and dancehall actually happened survives only in elders’ memories, hand-written logs and single tapes.
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ABOUT THE ATLAS
Jamaica’s musical history, connected.
The Jamaican Music Atlas is a public record of how the island’s music was made, argued over and carried around the world — held together as one connected archive rather than scattered across memories, liner notes and out-of-print books.
ATLAS ARCHIVE7½ IPS · MONO
WHY IT EXISTS
The story is scattered. This holds it together.
So much of this history was never written down — and the people who lived it are the ones who hold it.
Never written down
The people who lived it hold what no book caught. The atlas gathers that knowledge into one place before it is lost.
Answerable to the community
It is meant to stay owned by, and answerable to, the people who made the music — a record that stays open to correction as it grows.
HOW IT WORKS
Everything is a record, and records connect.
Nothing sits alone; the same history can be entered from many directions.
Everything is a record
A person, a song, a studio, a sound system, a dance, a place, a piece of technology, an event — each is its own record.
Records connect
Open one and move sideways into the collaborators, places, recordings and debates it touches, then keep following the thread.
One web, many doors
Enter by era, by theme, by map or by the arguments the music started — underneath, it is one connected web, not separate pages.
- People
- Groups
- Recordings
- Riddims
- Sound systems
- Studios & labels
- Places
- Dances
- Technology
- Events & clashes
- Debates
- Memories
HOW IT’S COLLECTED
Researched, sourced and checked before it’s public.
Every record is treated as a claim to be evidenced, not a fact to be asserted.
Researched from public sources
Books, newspaper archives, discographies, interviews and official releases — gathered record by record.
Sourced and rated for confidence
Each record carries its sources and a confidence level, from verified through to community recollection.
Rights-aware with media
Audio and video appear as credited references to official sources; the atlas does not re-host music without permission.
Reviewed before it’s published
Public pages show reviewed work only. Drafts and unverified leads stay private until an editor checks them.
DRIVEN BY COMMUNITY
The people who lived it know it best.
The archive is meant to be added to — every correction makes the record truer.
Anyone can add to it
Memories, corrections, sources and photographs from selectors, artists, engineers, dancers and the families who were there.
Reviewed before it’s public
Contributions are checked by editors before they go live, so the archive stays trustworthy as it grows.
Consent comes first
Sensitivity for living people, families and material that is sacred or restricted — and contributors keep credit for what they share.