For ardent reggae fans, the name John Masouri is as ubiquitous as drum and bass. The British journalist has contributed to magazines, newspapers and films about Jamaican music for over 40 years. His latest book, Pressure Drop: Reggae in the Seventies, was released in October by Omnibus Press.

It revisits, arguably, the most creative period in Jamaica’s music. A time when Rastafari and black consciousness were dominant themes in the country.Masouri called on interviews with “artistes, musicians and record company people from both the UK and Jamaica” to compile the 624-page work which highlights Rasta rebels like Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer and Burning Spear, as well as colourful producers such as Lee “Scratch” Perry.
In a recent interview with the Jamaica Observer, he said giving readers an authentic portrait of Jamaica and reggae during the tumultuous ’70s was one of his objectives.
“That artistes like them and others mentioned in the pages of ‘Pressure Drop’ were able to achieve all they did at a time of such political turmoil, economic hardship and growing social unrest was nothing short of miraculous. Their hard work, courage and imagination turned Jamaica into one of the most enduring centres of musical influence the world has ever known, lauded by fans, creatives of all kinds and academics, as well as UNESCO which in 2018, designated reggae as an ‘intangible cultural heritage of humanity’. If that’s not unique, then I don’t know what is,” Masouri noted.

Inevitably, the divisive politics of the Cold War era that played out violently in Kingston’s ghettoes is also covered in detail. So too the impact differences between the then ruling People’s National Party and Opposition Jamaica Labour Party had on artistes and musicians.

Masouri is from Nottingham, one of the areas receptive to West Indian culture during the years of mass migration to the United Kingdom during the 1950s and 1960s. Like many British youth, he was introduced to Jamaican music through the ska tones of Millie Small, Prince Buster and Derrick Morgan, followed by the pre-reggae songs of Desmond Dekker.

In the 1970s, Masouri’s interest in reggae heightened. He has written extensively on the music for magazines including Mojo and Music Week, and The Guardian newspaper. His first book, Wailing Blues: The Story of Bob Marley’s Wailers, was released in 2008.
He stated that Pressure Drop: Reggae in the Seventies is not geared toward a particular bloc.
“I never sit down and write with the intention of reaching a specific demographic. That would be condescending on my part, so I prefer to stay true to myself and write from what I know and what I’ve discovered. Plenty of musicians I’ve interviewed over the decades have spoken of how they believe music is a healing force, and I view words and literature in much the same way,” said Masouri. Through my writings, I’d like to introduce people to ideas that could help broaden their knowledge and understanding of something and even bring them joy, irrespective of their age, ethnicity, religion, nationality or anything else you wish to categorise them by. Ultimately, the only thing that matters is that they’re able to read.”