Reggae pioneer in town
The larger-than-life Jamaican figure Lee «Scratch» Perry, a towering figure of reggae music and one of the form’s offshoots, dub, will be the headline act at Jammin’, a one-day festival along Piraeus’s Freattyda beach this Friday. Also on the bill is one of Perry’s more astute students, Mad Professor – renowned for his remixing work for leading contemporary acts, among them Massive Attack – Chukki Star, and local reggae band De Traces. The influential and wildy eccentric Perry, who will be touring here for the first time, has produced literally thousands of distinctive Jamaican recordings, including some of the most noteworthy work by the late Bob Marley and the Wailers, as well as his own through various lineups, including the Upsetters. Nowadays based in Switzerland, Perry, a revered figure among reggae enthusiasts and artists, had produced most of his work at his own Black Ark studio in Jamaica, which, according to legend, he eventually torched. The 65-year-old Perry is currently enjoying a career revival, propelled by a reggae renaissance that has shed new light on reggae pioneers including Horace Andy, Augustus Pablo, and Peter Tosh. Mean Machine
