The August Curated Issue 2025 - Joe Gibbs & The Professionals - ‘African Dub All-Mighty Chapter 3’

By the late 1970s, dub music had matured from a studio experiment into a full-fledged art form. While early pioneers like King Tubby and Lee "Scratch" Perry laid the foundation, it was Joe Gibbs & The Professionals, powered by the engineering brilliance of Errol Thompson, who helped shape dub's golden era. 

‘African Dub All-Mighty Chapter 3’, released in 1977, stands as a monumental achievement—not just in Gibbs’ catalogue, but in the history of reggae itself.

Unlike earlier dub albums that often felt like afterthoughts or stripped-down B-sides, ‘African Dub All-Mighty Chapter 3’ demonstrates a holistic vision: a dub record as an album, a journey, and a sonic narrative in its own right. It is rhythmically dense, atmospherically rich, and technically advanced, offering a perfect blend of musicality and innovation.

This wasn’t just another dub plate—it was a cinematic journey through Kingston’s echo chambers, and it played a key role in spreading Jamaican music’s influence globally.

To understand the power of ‘African Dub All-Mighty Chapter 3’, we need to spotlight the team behind it. 

Joe Gibbs, a producer who had worked with everyone from Dennis Brown to Culture, had a keen ear for both commercial and underground appeal. His right-hand man, Errol Thompson, was one of the first engineers in Jamaica to be credited as a creative force in his own right.

Together, they were known as “The Mighty Two,” a nickname that reflects not just their output but their impact on the global reggae scene. Their house band, The Professionals, featured some of the most legendary session musicians in Jamaica:

• Sly Dunbar (drums)

• Robbie Shakespeare (bass)

• Tommy McCook (saxophone)

• Lloyd Parks, Franklyn “Bubbler” Waul, and Winston Wright (keyboards)

• Ernest Ranglin and others on guitars

  
  

This group brought discipline and flair to every riddim, and the interplay between their instrumentation and Thompson’s mixing desk created something more than dub—it was alchemy.

Dub reggae was born out of a need to innovate, to remix, and to reflect. ‘African Dub All-Mighty Chapter 3’ captures the core of that impulse. It showcases how dub music could become meditative, funky, playful, and politically suggestive—all without vocals.

While not overtly political, the album echoes the atmosphere of Jamaica in the late ’70s: a country grappling with political tension, economic hardship, and cultural revolution. Dub offered an outlet for both protest and spiritual expression, and ‘African Dub All-Mighty Chapter 3’ sits in the perfect balance between these poles.

Globally, this album became a foundational touchstone for producers and artists across genres. British punks like The Clash, trip-hop producers like Massive Attack, electronic visionaries like The Orb and Aphex Twin, as well as modern artists like Damon Albarn’s Gorillaz, have all drawn inspiration from the aesthetic and studio techniques pioneered by Gibbs and Thompson.

🎵 Track-by-Track Breakdown

1. Chapter Three

Opening with an eerie yet inviting bassline, this track signals the album’s tonal range. Layers of echo swirl above a tight drum pattern, and effects are used not to dazzle, but to support the narrative flow. A statement of maturity and control.

2. Rema Skank

Named after the volatile Kingston neighbourhood of Rema, this track features stark snares and offbeat guitar chops that reflect the tension and resilience of urban Jamaica. It is less about melody and more about mood—sparse, angular, compelling.

3. Tribesman Rockers

A hypnotic, militaristic groove with chant-like motifs created via reverb-drenched percussion. The dub delay is subtle, turning familiar riffs into looped affirmations. A brilliant example of minimalism serving maximal effect.

4. Freedom Call

The most spiritually uplifting track on the album. The rolling organ and melodic bassline evoke a yearning for liberation, both political and personal. Its restraint and warmth contrast beautifully with the previous track’s austerity.

5. Jubilation Dub

This is Chapter 3 at its most jubilant, upbeat, full of bright brass stabs and playful rhythms. It almost veers into dancefloor territory while keeping its dub ethos intact. One of the most accessible tracks for newcomers.

6. The Entebbe Affair

Referencing the 1976 Israeli raid on Entebbe, this track reflects global awareness and tension. It's dark, brooding, and atmospheric, with ominous keyboard lines and haunting use of silence. Dub as geopolitical commentary.

7. Angolian Chant

Possibly the most rhythmically adventurous song on the album. African polyrhythms meet dub spaciousness, creating a pan-African groove with heavy cultural undertones. A musical bridge between continents.

8. Zion Gate

A tribute to Rastafarianism and spiritual resilience. The mix uses space like a sacred chamber, where every reverb tail feels like a prayer. Meditative, slow-burning, and quietly powerful.

9. Jungle Dub

Raw, gritty, and percussive—this track feels closer to roots reggae, but its aggressive low-end and shimmering effects forecast the jungle and drum & bass scenes that would emerge in the UK a decade later.

10. Dub Three

Closing the album with finesse, this track recycles and reimagines earlier motifs into a coherent outro. A looping, immersive groove that fades like the final chapter of a great novel.

‘African Dub Chapter 3’ is more than just a landmark dub album—it is a blueprint for sonic experimentation and a document of cultural resonance. From its expertly crafted rhythms to its bold use of reverb, delay, and space, the album captures dub reggae at its peak sophistication.

Joe Gibbs & The Professionals didn’t just remix reggae—they remixed consciousness. And with ‘African Dub Chapter 3’, they proved that dub could be deep, political, spiritual, and endlessly replayable.

If you’re new to dub, this is the place to start. If you’re a veteran listener, the album remains a masterpiece worthy of rediscovery. Its influence still echoes through music today—from sound systems to sampling, from ambient to bass-heavy club music.

Peace

Stu RRC