Essential footage of early electronic music pioneers Daphne Oram and Delia Derbyshire. In the 1960s, weird new sounds were infiltrating mass media. Cosmic tones generated through electricity, first […]
The Upsetter: The Life and Music of Lee Scratch Perry (2008)
Look inside the mind of the enigmatic dub producer.
Lee “Scratch” Perry’s supernatural musical insights created and transformed genres from dub to punk, and the stories that saturate his life in music sound more like recitations of religious text than reality. Across this documentary, we see the mastermind who transformed the Wailers from an innocent, forgettable trio into a force in global pop culture; the creator of the prolific Black Ark recording studio; the global traveller who emigrated from Kingston to London to spread the gospel of dub.
What makes The Upsetter: The Life and Music of Lee Scratch Perry special is Perry himself, who narrates each phenomenal moment. He reveals how working as a construction worker triggered his obsession with sound, and identifies the suspect responsible for burning the Black Ark to the ground. Combined, “The Upsetter” is among the most satisfying reggae documentaries. Below, all 90 minutes of it await your next movie night.