Lovers Rock in Brockley

This week, BBC Radio 4's "Sounds Like London - 100 Years of Black Music in the Capital" focused on Lovers Rock, the female-friendly reggae sub-genre that Brockley helped shape.

Jamaican-born producer Dennis Harris set up a record label called Lover's Rock in the 1970s on Upper Brockley Road, along with John Kpiaye and Dennis Bovell, giving the genre its name in the process. The genre was controversial for being too subtle and superficially happy for those who thought reggae should wear its pain and suffering like a badge of credibility. Lovers Rock's influence has endured thanks to artists like Maxi Priest and Lily Allen.

You can listen to the programme, for a limited time, here. With thanks to Thomas on the Brockley forum.