Sound Atlas声音世界地图

A field guide to musical styles For listeners & music makers

244 styles
4 styles
Music family

Caribbean

Jamaica's offbeat and sound systems: reggae and dancehall.

Reggae is slow and deep, with roots and dub space; dancehall is digital, faster and made for parties.

A '60s Jamaican-style street dance on a checkerboard floor, an original band with trumpet, trombone and guitar, dancers skanking.
A Caribbean seaside afternoon, colourful wooden houses and palm trees below green hills, a huge street sound system standing on the sand.
A small studio room glowing green, an original producer at a vintage desk with tape-echo units, flat sound waves echoing across the walls, a palm tree outside.
A Jamaican street sound system party at night, a towering speaker stack, original dancers, bright yellow, green and black.

What they share

  • Offbeat guitar
  • Heavy bass
  • Jamaican Patois

How to choose

Starter prompt

Roots reggae, 75 BPM, short clean guitar upstrokes on the offbeats, deep heavy bassline, one-drop drums, organ bubble, dub echo, warm male vocals

A general starting point for this family; swap in a specific style’s keywords for sharper results.

Side by side

StyleEraBPMMoodGood for
SkaLate 1950s–present110–160Bright & sweetGroove & energyNostalgicParty & dance floor · Everyday & school
ReggaeLate 1960s60–90Warm & intimateCalm & focusedGroove & energyEveryday & school · Party & dance floor
DubLate 1960s–present60–80Dreamy & floatingCity nightCalm & focusedNight drives & city walks · Study & focus
Dancehall1980s–present90–110Groove & energyBright & sweetCity nightParty & dance floor · Short video & beat sync

All styles