Lee 'Scratch' Perry and The Upsetters

As far as originators go, few can come close to having had the kind of guiding influence on any style of music as Lee 'Scratch' Perry has had on dub reggae.
Since the days of flogging records at Clement Dodd's soundsystems in the late 1950s and founding his first record label in the 60s, Perry has been at the heart of the history of reggae and dub to such an extent that it has become an impossible task to review the man - we could reel off a list of names like Bob Marley, Mad Professor, the Wailers, the Beastie Boys, George Clinton, Moby and Keith Richards, and still we wouldn't have covered the full breadth of Perry's back catalogue, which has latterly taken in collaborations in dubstep and jungle, finger ever on the pulse of bass music.
One thing we're sure about is that when Scratch rolls back into town this December, he will be reunited with his house band The Upsetters, with whom he has been recording since the late 60s, who provided the sounds for Max Romeo's ubiquitous classic Chase the Devil, and who shared members with the Wailers during their time with Bob Marley.
The word 'legend' is thrown around too often these days, but it's not often you get the chance to see a genuine pioneer in the 6^th decade of his glittering career, with a peerless history of innovation, collaboration and production with some, if not all, of the greatest names in the history of dub and reggae – a group amongst which Scratch long ago earned his place. Don't miss it.