Five Reggae Albums to Soundtrack Your Island Summer

A good summer needs a good soundtrack, and nobody knows the shelves like King Jules. This week on Roots & Culture, he shared the five reggae albums he says belong on every island shelf — a mix of foundation classics and modern dub mastery.

The list leans into the 70s golden era — the era of one-drop drums and messages that still hold true half a century later — but it makes room for a contemporary dub record that proves the tradition is alive, evolving, and very much in good hands. "Each of these albums is a chapter," he explains. "Play them in order and you hear the whole story of the sound."

You can catch full-album features all month on Roots & Culture, weekday mornings from 9. Vinyl recommended, streaming permitted.