Lee ‘ Scratch’ Perry is a Jamaican musician that is part of the cultural concept “Afrofuturism”. Perry is famous for his music pieces but also for being a producer and establishing the Black Ark Studio, where he worked and produced influential music with legends like Bob Marley.
In an article about Perry titled The Upsetter: The Life and Legacy of Lee “Scratch” Perry (Bret Love, matadornetwork.com, 2011), Perry is described as the pioneer of dubstep, drum n’ bass, as well as an influence for trip-hop and hip hop and the founder of these innovative music genres. His personality as well as his music was eccentric and Love describes his work as a “sonic laboratory”. This is shown by his unique ways of using samples and working with rewinds and repetitions.
The Jamaican musician died in 2021, when researching about him and his work, numerous obituaries by various newspapers appeared worldwide, making his influence and importance for Avangard-Music visible.
One of the articles by the FAZ (J. Wiele, 2021) titled “Ein flamboyanter Freak” describes Perry as an artist that shaped reggae music and invented the genre of dub. Wiele points out Perry's distinctive way of making music by delaying echo or resonance effects and using loops but also by implementing rather unusual samples like the rustling of palm trees or the cry of a baby. He also made use of playing sequences backward and reversing them, making remixing and sampling central in his music. Another central idea of his works was the temporary fading out of the basses, which then come back more powerful and with even more force than before. This personally reminded me of the (mainstream) techno party music nowadays that also uses this technique of a “drop”.
For my listening response, I chose Perry’s Piece Jungel Roots Dub. The first impression that immediately came to mind while listening was a feeling of easiness. Also, an immediate, yet obvious association with Jamaica, and a summer feeling arose. Unlike many other composers and pieces in this course, Perry’s piece did not contain any feeling of heaviness or melancholia for me. The reggae beat rather sounds cheerful and light.
Jungle Dub Roots starts with an “introduction”, a beginning, with vocals, that in its style reminded me of the Islamic call to prayer due to its sound and the use of reverberation. The religious theme is then also picked up by Perry, who in rhythmic talking states “you gotta pray.. if you don’t pray you gotta pay”.
After the introduction, the piece continues, as mentioned, with its signature reggae beat that is very rhythmic and repetitive. This only gets “interrupted” by vocals in echo style, which for me as a listener almost seemed psychedelic, yet fitting to the commanding beat and rhythm.
In an article about Perry titled The Upsetter: The Life and Legacy of Lee “Scratch” Perry (Bret Love, matadornetwork.com, 2011), Perry is described as the pioneer of dubstep, drum n’ bass, as well as an influence for trip-hop and hip hop and the founder of these innovative music genres. His personality as well as his music was eccentric and Love describes his work as a “sonic laboratory”. This is shown by his unique ways of using samples and working with rewinds and repetitions.
The Jamaican musician died in 2021, when researching about him and his work, numerous obituaries by various newspapers appeared worldwide, making his influence and importance for Avangard-Music visible.
One of the articles by the FAZ (J. Wiele, 2021) titled “Ein flamboyanter Freak” describes Perry as an artist that shaped reggae music and invented the genre of dub. Wiele points out Perry's distinctive way of making music by delaying echo or resonance effects and using loops but also by implementing rather unusual samples like the rustling of palm trees or the cry of a baby. He also made use of playing sequences backward and reversing them, making remixing and sampling central in his music. Another central idea of his works was the temporary fading out of the basses, which then come back more powerful and with even more force than before. This personally reminded me of the (mainstream) techno party music nowadays that also uses this technique of a “drop”.
For my listening response, I chose Perry’s Piece Jungel Roots Dub. The first impression that immediately came to mind while listening was a feeling of easiness. Also, an immediate, yet obvious association with Jamaica, and a summer feeling arose. Unlike many other composers and pieces in this course, Perry’s piece did not contain any feeling of heaviness or melancholia for me. The reggae beat rather sounds cheerful and light.
Jungle Dub Roots starts with an “introduction”, a beginning, with vocals, that in its style reminded me of the Islamic call to prayer due to its sound and the use of reverberation. The religious theme is then also picked up by Perry, who in rhythmic talking states “you gotta pray.. if you don’t pray you gotta pay”.
After the introduction, the piece continues, as mentioned, with its signature reggae beat that is very rhythmic and repetitive. This only gets “interrupted” by vocals in echo style, which for me as a listener almost seemed psychedelic, yet fitting to the commanding beat and rhythm.
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