This year marks 10 years since Gabre Selassie started Kingston Dub Club (KDC) at his home on Skyline Drive, St Andrew. What was supposed to be a landmark year has been stalled by the scourge of COVID-19.

Arguably reggae’s hottest spot in Jamaica, Selassie’s weekly sessions attract a cross-generational audience, as well as booking agents and show promoters from Europe, Japan, and the United States.

Kingston Dub Club (KDC) reopened in November as prime minister Andrew Holness announced an ease in COVID-19 restrictions. But, in an interview with the Jamaica Observer, a frustrated Selassie spoke about being on the sidelines for over a year.

“Well, ever since the global pandemic, business has reduced drastically. The curfews and lockdowns have obviously affected KDC…we had to close our doors pretty much thoughout the entire time,” he said. “We reopened a few weeks now, since the lifting of lockdowns on Sundays, since Sundays is the day we do our business.”

While the resumption of movement on Sundays is some relief, a 10:00 pm curfew has resulted in Selassie and his crew opening at 3:00 pm and closing six hours later. That is a far cry from the venue’s pre-COVID-19 early morning closure.

The Andrew Holness Administration has readjusted curfew and lockdown dates to prevent a spike in COVID-19 cases, which has put a considerable squeeze on Jamaican commerce. The entertainment industry, which thrives on nightlife, has suffered significantly.

“Because of the uncertainty of this world problem it’s really hard to make plans when the goal post is constantly shifting. We just try our best to bob and weave though the changing rules and regulations,” said Selassie.

Born Karlyle Lee, the diminutive Selassie started playing music while in prep school. His passion for dancehall music and sound system culture intensified at St George’s College, but as he found solace in Rastafari, Selassie embraced roots-reggae, which is the dominant sound at Kingston Dub Club.

KDC has hosted numerous sound systems and stalwart artistes. It is considered the birthplace for the much-touted roots-reggae revival as many of that movement’s leading lights, including Chronixx, Protoje, Jah9, and Jesse Royal, performed there early in their careers.

That diversity has helped make Kingston Dub Club a hot ticket, pulling thousands of patrons annually. Though he welcomes the resumption of activities, Selassie is not expecting a return to capacity attendance anytime soon.

“By the look of things…I don’t think anywhere will get back to pre-COVID conditions,” he said.