Initiation stones, buried recordings and the Black Ark of Lee 'Scratch' Perry

David Katz’s first meeting with Lee “Scratch” Perry captured the producer’s baffling mix of ritual and showmanship. Katz was asked to fetch 13 stones, told to collect them from the River Thames, and watched as Perry unscrewed a television monitor to hide the rocks inside before returning to work; the session later included attempts to mic up an alsatian dog.

That hazing felt like an initiation into Perry’s singular, often inscrutable approach to making records. Perry’s methods yielded unmistakable results. He helped shape early Bob Marley and the Wailers recordings such as Soul Rebel and Soul Revolution, produced the landmark dub record Super Ape, and through the Black Ark assembled almost a decade’s worth of roots reggae.

His productions, marked by crying-baby samples, extreme sub-bass and unexpected melodies, drew artists from beyond Jamaica, including the Beastie Boys, the Clash and Keith Richards, while some tales of other visitors remain apocryphal. The Black Ark itself was modest but legendary.

Jamaica

lee perry, black ark, bob marley, dub, super ape, soul rebel, roots reggae, david katz, river thames, beastie boys