Its far from uncommon for artists to want to cement their legacy in the late stages of their career – think Johnny Cash – but for Lee “Scratch” Perry the path chosen was always likely to be an unorthodox one. As a producer he needs little by way of introduction, having been responsible for some of the cornerstones of dub via Blackboard Jungle Dub (1973) and then Super Ape (1976).
His legendary back yard studio Black Ark went up in flames by his own hand shortly after that (Allegedly/Or…not) and since then…wow, way too much to catalogue here. For what he realised might be his final act however he chose to seek out Berlin based producers Mouse On Mars, and his only stipulation to them was that the fruits of their partnership would not ostensibly be reggae, despite having a Grammy award for Jamaican E.T..
Spatial, No Problem – Perry’s supposed response to the audio capture technique employed – is in that sense a posthumous mission accomplished, by largely turning it’s back on what might for him have been considered the orthodox. As cases in point opener Rockcurry is driven by a krautrock chassis, Fire Dali leans mischievously on post punk and State of Emergency is an eight minute journey that channels jazzy Avant-garde. At it’s most engaging on Spatialee, Spatial, No Problem will have Perry doubtless grinning ear to ear at it’s basket full of curios, a final gift from a man who rarely saw the world through anything other than his brilliant, idioscyncratic lense.
You can read a full review here.
The Voice Of Unreason 