One night in a Jamaican dubplate studio during dancehall’s ’90s heyday

At Rock Against Racism in 1976, reggae music took centre stage as British bands like Steel Pulse, Misty in Roots, and Aswad stood shoulder to shoulder punk bands including The Clash, Stiff Little Fingers, and X‑Ray Spex to fight the rising tide of fascism promulgated by the National Front. ​“That was where I first saw live reggae,” says photographer David Corio. 

In 1978, Corio got his start shooting live shows for New Musical Express, one of his earliest gigs photographing reggae legend Jacob Miller in a small London club that left a lasting impression. ​“The sound systems weighed 300 or 400 pounds each and they were crammed onto this stage. Their physical, heavyweight presence was a real eye opener,” Corio says. ​“I started going to reggae sound systems by myself. It wasn’t the sort of place to take a camera. You don’t want the flash going off in a very dark room.” 

Instead, he began travelling to Jamaica, first from London, then from his adopted home in New York in 1992. That year Corio and two journalists from New Jersey travelled to Kingston to cover a reggae festival for a fanzine called Dub Catcher. ​“It was a big four-night festival, and we got to interview Buju Banton and Wayne Wonder,” he remembers. ​“One of the guys freaked out. He couldn’t cope with Jamaica at all and wouldn’t leave the hotel. I’ve seen that happen a couple of times.” 

• Read next: A visual history of reggae culture in the UK

Corio and the other journalist hit the streets and headed over to Arrows Studio, located in the Dunkirk neighbourhood of East Kingston. ​“It’s a rough area; it looked as if it had been bombed,” he says. ​“Arrows Studio was very hot in the early dancehall period and was well known for good dubplates. They had strict security: steel gates, barbed wire, at least one gate man – it was a mini fortress.” 

They made it behind the gates, handed out copies of Dub Catcher, and photographed everyone on the scene, from established artists like Major Mackerel, Lady Shabba, Captain Barkey, and John Wayne to aspiring musicians – who would wait around in the yard all day in the hope of being called upon – ready to hop on a track. Now, Corio looks back at those encounters in Arrows Studio Kingston, Jamaica 1993 (Café Royal Books). 

“The vibe there was really heavy, it wasn’t friendly at all,” Corio says. ​“I basically took one shot, two shots, and onwards. We were probably there for 15 minutes at the most.” He points to the man on the back cover, Pan Head, an up-and-coming dancehall DJ who was shot and killed in October 1993, a couple of months after he made these pictures. Pan Head, like Jacob Miller, was just 27 at the time of his death.

• Read next: A photographer’s tender ode to his home of Jamaica

But in these brief encounters, Corio distils a timeless portrait of daily life at the studio. He points to a photograph of Steve Laman holding a seven-inch single, explaining that was his one and only record – a moment of pride and joy preserved forevermore in his archive.

David Corio’s 1984 portrait of legendary Jamaican record producer, songwriter, and singer Lee ​“Scratch” Perry is now from Prints for Jamaica to support recovery efforts following Hurricane Maria.

Arrows Studio Kingston, Jamaica 1993 is published by Café Royal Books.

Miss Rosen is a freelance arts and photography writer, follow her on X.

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