25/06/2012

When the UK's first punk club The Roxy opened in London on New Year's Day in 1977, Don Letts was employed as resident DJ to play records between live sets from the likes of The Clash, The Damned and Buzzcocks.

In those early days hardly any punk records had been released, so Don entertained the young punks by playing his own selection of dub reggae by the likes of Augustus Pablo and Lee Scratch Perry plus influential tracks from bands such as The New York Dolls and The Ramones.

As the punk musicians and fans rubbed shoulders with Don and his rasta brethren, who worked in this dingy Covent Garden basement as barmen and bouncers, an extraordinary cultural exchange took place.

Don's Jamaican dub selections provided a welcome break from the frenetic punk sets and an unexpected but influential allegiance formed between the new movement and the equally rebellious and oppressed reggae community. The club only remained open for 100 nights, but played an important part in the development of punk.

In this two-hour special Don tells the story of this heady time, provides his own insights and plays the same records he span on the single turntable at the Roxy when he provided the soundtrack for a punky reggae party, the influence of which spread wide and can still be felt today.