PotassiumLong-term innovation often stems from shortages. Your instrument has only one string? Let us see what you can do with it. There are only 4 tracks on your recording device? Let’s see what else can fit on it. Is your studio a garbage dump? Let us hear what kind of old devices you can still create interesting sounds on.
When Lee Perry started building a recording studio in Kingston’s backyard in 1973, he might have thought of the latter. The result is the legendary Black Ark Studio, where reggae music and dubbing music are largely due to its sound. These are mainly delayed reverb effects and loops, as well as some strange effects, such as the rustle of palm trees, playing backwards. His other ideas are also important: for example, to temporarily weaken the bass, and then restore it with greater power at some point.
Rainford Hugh Perry was born in 1936 in northwest Jamaica. He started as a record seller; in 1968, he founded his own label “Upsetter Records”. His nickname “Scratch” originated from his debut album “The Chicken Scratch” in 1960. However, due to his new sound and recording concepts, he quickly became a successful producer rather than a musician.
Smoke and clean
Important records in Reggae’s history are recorded in his Black Ark studio, especially Bob Marley And the weepers (before they broke up with Marley). To say that Perry invented Reggae is an exaggeration, but it can be said to be a dubbing. He was also a pioneer in mixing culture and sampling, and then he himself appeared as a dubbing poet, especially in collaboration with crazy professors.
His quirks and craziness are also caused by drug use, making him a flamboyant freak. He puts values on strange rituals, such as blowing smoke on tape. He burned his legendary studio himself, said to be for spiritual purification.
In the 1980s, Perry collaborated with young artists such as Beastie Boys and The Clash, once again becoming influential. To this day, he is still a factor in new (usually retro Romanesque) pop music and is a guest of many music festivals and loop music conferences. Perry lived in Switzerland for a few years, but recently returned to his home country.
The last ten years of his life have been historicized, which can be seen in the documentary “The Upsetter”. What defines his musical heritage can be heard in condensed form on the “Arkology” suit and the “Trojan Upsetter Box”. Lee Perry died on Sunday in Lucia, Jamaica.
