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LP
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EB 129RED-LP
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$32.00
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 6/26/2026
Red color vinyl. After falling out with Sir Coxsone, the legendary head of the Kingston label Studio One, Lee Perry first founded his own band and then, in 1973, set up his own studio in his backyard. What was born out of necessity developed into a unique success story. With both the Upsetters and the Black Ark, Perry made music history -- most notably with the 1976 release of the album Super Ape, on which he made the genre of dub bubble and boil from the mixing desk in previously unheard ways. For Perry, the studio is like a living organism. Whether he truly experiences it that way or simply lets too much ganja go up in smoke, for Perry the equipment is organic, empathetic, and intelligent. The catch is that the results sound exactly like that as well. Long before sampling was invented, he layered tracks of deep basslines, echoes, and reverb with various self-recorded sound sequences -- often played in reverse -- on top of, into, and beneath each other. In other words, Perry was the first producer who made the music instead of the band. Among other things, this earned him the title "Salvador Dali of Dub."
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LP
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EB 129C-LP
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2026 repress forthcoming. Lilac color vinyl. 41 years later, Lee "Scratch" Perry uses today's sound system to revisit his classic Black Ark album that defined Jamaican dub music, reincarnating the magic for the sound system generation. Big question about it: "How do you improve on a masterpiece?" Lee "Scratch" Perry defined dub music with his seminal 1976 Super Ape album, and he returns with New York City's Subatomic Sound System to conquer again, definitively reincarnating the magic of his Black Ark studio in Jamaica, heavy on Ethiopian horns and percussion, while reinvigorating it with the 21st century booming bass and beats that capture the energy of their innovative live electronic show. Largely known as the mentor to Bob Marley, Perry's influence has transcended reggae. Since 2010, he has toured with NYC's Subatomic Sound System, his go-to band for recreating his Black Ark studio sound live on stage, in new exciting ways as a one-of-a-kind hybrid of beat heavy electronics and live musicians, including original Black Ark studio percussionist Larry McDonald. Subatomic Sound System has been pushing the envelope of electronic music in combination with reggae since their inception in 1999. In dub, Lee "Scratch" Perry is a star at organizing and remixing the music with drum and bass in the forefront and tweaking knobs and faders, adding effects like a jazz improvisation. In the 1970s, the idea of a producer as a star, rather than a singer or musician, seemed crazy, but looking across the world of star DJ producers, he is rightly acknowledged as a visionary as well. There are many stories to be told, but this album follows on the mission of the tour which has the goal of reaching out to old fans and new fans. As sound system culture continues to expand globally with reggae and beyond, these are DJ-friendly heavyweight versions of Scratch material that makes sense in the 21st century. "Scratch" started his music career as a dancer so he loves to get a party started even at 81. The album shows that Scratch was 40 years ahead of his time with Super Ape, and that at 81, he's more relevant to youth culture than ever. The original "Burning Man", "Scratch" was called "the Salvador Dali of music" by Keith Richards and Bounty Killer hailed him as "the greatest Jamaican artist of all time". Features: Jahdan Blakkamoore, Screechy Dan, and Ari Up of The Slits.
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CD
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SS 033CD
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"Forty-one years after Lee 'Scratch' Perry defined dub music with his seminal 1976 Super Ape album, he returns with NYC's Subatomic Sound System to conquer again, reincarnating the magic of his Black Ark studio in Jamaica, heavy on Ethiopian horns and percussion, while reinvigorating it with the 21st century booming bass and beats that capture the energy of their innovative live electronic show."
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