2-tone

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2-tone is a name for the music and culture of the second Ska wave of the early 1980s. The name of the movement developed from the name of the record label 2 Tone Records , on which the first representatives of this wave ( The Specials , The Beat , Madness ) published their music.

In March 1979, Jerry Dammers produced the self-recorded single Gangsters under the name The Specials ( The Selecter on the back ), a new edition of the old Ska. Since the record was released under the 2 Tone Records label founded by Jerry , the music that stormed the charts was soon also referred to as "2-tone" or "two tone" in Great Britain.

Only The Selecter and The Specials from the better-known bands played the 2-tone in the true sense by mixing classic Ska elements with elements from New Wave and Punk. Although the era was also 2-tone bands, Madness and Bad Manners differ significantly from the typical 2-tone sound due to the complete absence of any harder style elements.

At the latest, the reorientation of Madness away from Ska and the separation of the Specials (1981) let the 2-tone era come to an end and with the emergence of bands that in turn took the 2-tone representatives as models (e.g. The Toasters or in the UK itself The Loafers and The Hotknives as well as the other bands on the Skank label), 2-tone has been replaced by the so-called "Third Wave".

In the style of bands that are specifically oriented towards the named bands, e.g. B. the Beatbusters or Two Tone Club lives on 2-tone at least as a style term.

The most important bands of the 2-tone era

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