On June 4th Lee “Scratch” Perry (aka Pipecock Jackxon aka The Upsetter), the great Jamaican eccentric will be descending upon Oxford for some kind of roast at the Regal. Although his name often precedes him for his bizarre behaviour which may or may not include burning down his own backyard recording studio, what really made Perry’s name was his role in pioneering dub music.
By dissecting the songs of Reggae bands and reassembling them as bass and rhythm-heavy mixes, Perry and his contemporaries essentially created the art of the remix and helped earn the producer as much respect as the musicians and songwriters themselves. Indeed, his original take on Reggae and Dub helped to spread both genres to audiences around the world.
At the ripe old age of seventy five God only knows what the man has in store for us but make no mistake - this is a chance to witness a real, living legend whose influence on Western music is almost impossible to put into words do his thing live. This means that we can expect some blissed-out, laid-back riddims and a variety of songs from his long, illustrious career. Probably.
Support comes from Laid Blak and tickets are available from We Got Tickets and at the Regal box office.
[Originally printed in The Sampler Issue 1, May 2011]
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