Lee “Scratch” Perry – “The Future is Black”

 

I did not know in advance what Afrofuturism was and what the term meant in general. However, it was even more interesting when I did some research about this movement. Afrofuturism is an African American movement that incorporates both cultural and historical aspects but is accompanied by future-oriented science fiction themes. I found the idea of ​​Afrofuturism very awakening, especially in terms of the unjust that African Americans had to experience in history. Moreover, I could emphasize with the basic idea that this movement represents also a kind of escape. What I mean by that is that if my ancestors and I had gone through the same hell as African Americans were forced to go through I would have probably not wanted to identify with the human race as well, but rather with “aliens”. The positively characterized future perspective of Afrofuturism should also be mentioned. Afrofuturism is the exact opposite of what happened to African Americans in the past. The future appears more positive, more future-oriented, and in a way also superior. What I found interesting about Afrofuturistic music is that elements of the past are combined with elements of the “future” and thus it seems that two different rhythms can be heard out. What I also liked about the Afrofuturistic concept is that it represents a kind of reminder for the African American community to honor their origins, namely Africa. Additionally, I believe that the whole idea of Afrofuturism is also a kind of statement with the message: “The Future is Black”. I think this movement and statement are very desirable, especially if we look at the inhumane past that African Americans were forced to face.

Lee “Scratch” Perry was a Jamaican music producer. He is known for his reggae and dub music and has won many prizes for his pieces. He has named his studio where he produced music, “The (Black) Ark”. In this studio he did not use the latest technology or anything similar. Owing to his own studio, he was able to produce according to his own rules which meant that no one could prescribe him anything. This way, he was able to unfold artistically. What immediately struck me in the “Dope P-Funk Mothership Landin” video was the futuristic clothing style of Perry and the remaining band members. I particularly noticed the song´s futuristic highlights towards the end, when the well-known reggae was mixed with sound effects into something which was both familiar and unfamiliar. Thus, I would say that the concept of Afrofuturism was “fulfilled”. I particularly also enjoyed listening to “Rainy Night Dub”. To be more precise, what I liked most was the mixing of many different musical directions. It seemed to me that jazz was mixed with reggae with a touch of electronic sounds. Even though many musical genres were mixed in this song it did not sound like a total mishmash; on the contrary, it sounded rather harmonious. Lee Perry´s “The Upsetters – Grumblin Dub” stood out in particular because of the futuristic voice that could be heard in the background at certain intervals. Additionally, I could hear out reggae elements, but as far as I could tell no jazz elements. What I also found very impressive was that Perry used sounds from everyday life and applied them in his music. This simple but at the same time complex way of making music from everyday objects has its own aesthetic. In this way, he was also able to produce “sounds” that were typical of his mother country and which more importantly represented it.