Rockers and Roots? Different?

[blackbeltjones]

I've been wondering what exactly separates rockers music from roots music. Both genres sound similar to me and seem to have parallel lyrical themes but it's more than possible I'm missing something. Is "rockers" even technically a genre? Is it just if roots artists worked with Pablo it was then deemed "rockers"?

Thanks!

[Litelet]

The style Rockers is not linked with Pablo, its a drum pattern said to have been invented by the drummer Sly Dunbar. The label name "Rockers" of Pablo is linked with his brother's sound name... But Pablo has mainly issued things that are not *Rockers*.

*Rockers*, basically, is a drumkick on every counts, like the disco music, it appear around 75 and rules from 77 to 1980. For many people the drum pattern called "stepper" is a synonym of "Rockers" though some feel a slight variation between them.

*Roots* music refer more the the content of the message, militant; social or religious. It can be linked to the vibe of the riddim too, but anyway, many *rockers* are *roots music*!

[blackbeltjones]

Oh wow! Very interesting! A drumbeat defining a genre. The only other time I've heard of that is in the punk rock realm of a genre called, "D-beat". Thanks a ton!

Can anyone give me an example or two of common rockers songs with that drum beat? Would the Wailing Souls' "Row Fisherman" be an example? Or maybe Lee Perry's "Throw Some Water In"?

Thanks!

[kalcidis]

It is not that unusual for the drum to define what is what in reggae (as the music often is defined solely around the drum and the bass).

Rockers is the style created by Sly & Robbie at Channel One. Previously the sound had been one drop or even flyers (also called flying cymbals). Later on came the rub-a-dub era and also the steppers era started evolving in the 80's to what it is today.

[Bassie]

Hello Blackbeltjones,
Best examples of the rockers sound are Revolutionairies rydims recorded at Channel One (most between '76 - '79) imo. Loads of tunes from the second half of the seventies can be defined as rockers.
The songs you mention (I presume the version of Row fisherman you mean is the Channel One cut and not the Studio 1 one?) as well, though there are better exeamples of the 'rockers style'.
The difference between 'rockers' and 'steppers' remains to be defined I think.

[6anbatte]

The definitions of rockers and steppers (with examples) can be found on this previous thread - http://www.roots-archives.com/forum/rea ... #msg-49902

[example]

example for rockers style - jacob miller-forward ever
example for roots style - burning spear-days of slavery

the difference should be clear enough to see/hear...