Lee Scratch Perry

PRESS QUOTES

“There are only a handful of producers who can make a band sound interesting and different no matter who they are, and Lee "Scratch" Perry is one of them. He was behind dozens and dozens of classic reggae and dub songs in the Sixties and Seventies, but even more important, he was the first mad-scientist producer…. Scratch could do gorgeous, straight-ahead songs, but he would also toss away verse-chorus-bridge structure. What matters are the emotions and ideas you get from the sound.”
– Rolling Stone

“Lee Perry is a towering figure in reggae -- a producer, mixologist, and songwriter who, along with King Tubby, helped shape the sound of dub and made reggae music such a powerful part of the pop music world….Along with producing some of the most influential acts (Bob Marley & the Wailers and the Congos to name but two) in reggae history, Perry's approach to production and dub mixing was breathtakingly innovative and audacious -- no one else sounds like him.”
- Billboard

“Top 50 Rock Geniuses of All Time-43 Lee Perry
He invented the remix. Genius credentials: No one in music demonstrates genius’s proximity to madness more definitively than Rainford Hugh Perry, a.k.a. “Scratch” and “The Upsetter.” By producing Bob Marley and the Clash, he helped take reggae to the international stage, and as pioneer of the mixing desk as musical instrument, he effectively created the remix (admit it, P. Diddy) — and thus all modern soundscaped music, from hip-hop to ambient and beyond.”
- Blender

“A certifiable genius….Lee "Scratch" Perry, the Upsetter, the man Bob Marley once described as a "genius", has already made one of the most individual contributions to the development of Jamaican music, as a producer, arranger and writer, and also simply as a singularly powerful guiding force during several crucial phases.”
- Bbc.co.uk

“He also truly deserves the title of living legend, and his contribution to Jamaican music is immeasurable. Perry's ceaseless creativity has resulted in some of the most startling and original sounds ever recorded, and the uniqueness of his vision has found resonance in music forms around the world…. A survey of his career reveals incredible achievements.”
- Global Rhythm Magazine

“One of reggae and dub's undisputed pioneers, Perry helped shape Bob Marley and The Wailers' early sound. He was also among the first to use sampling techniques long before samplers were invented…..influence of his groundbreaking recordings continues to this day… Perry and his densely layered sounds, eccentric and hilarious samples, and constant search for novelty created the sound that has influenced generations of reggae, dub and electronic artists.”
- Remix Magazine

“The words mystic, abstract and pulsating describe the work of the Jamaican roots reggae agitator and dub innovator…as well as a renowned eccentric.”
- Philadelphia Inquirer

“When one speaks of reggae music’s progenitors, there are usually three names that come before any others: Bob Marley, Coxsone Dodd, Lee “Scratch” Perry. And now, only the Upsetter remains—Perry , the mad, mystical, and wildly talented musician and producer.”
- Relix

“Since the dawn of time itself, one question above all others has confounded and confused scholars, pundits, and pontificators the world over. Namely, Lee “Scratch” Perry-is he a mad bastard or what?...One thing that does remain a diamond-hard fact is that Perry is one of the greatest producers of all time and arguably the single most important individual in the history of Jamaican music.”
- Philadelphia Weekly

“Is Lee “Scratch” Perry the greatest pop music artist you’ve never heard of?”
- Washington Post