British music national treasure Shaun Ryder teams up with the dub innovator, studio icon and visionary master of reggae Lee “Scratch” Perry on the ‘Green Banana’ single.
Taken from the forthcoming album ‘King Perry’, which is released on Tricky’s False Idols label (and who co-produced four of the album tracks), the single comes backed with a mighty bassbin rattling remix by the Bristolian duo Dubkasm.
“King Perry” represents the final studio album written, produced, and recorded with Grammy-nominated producer Daniel Boyle in the months before his passing and concludes an almost endless discography to his celebrated name.
The 12-track album sees Perry recording with an eclectic line-up of artists, including Bristol’s Tricky, South-London’s GreenTea Peng and the Happy Mondays’ Shaun Ryder, each representing a deeply creative alliance that brings their own free-flowing, distinct vocal and production qualities.
Prolifically active to age 85 with six decades in the music business, Perry’s idiosyncratic vision left a deep legacy and a resounding influence spanning reggae, rock, hip-hop and dubstep. Once described by Keith Richards as “the Salvador Dalí of music”, Perry opened profound new depths in Jamaican music. Equally known for his eternally youthful and hallmark chaotic dress sense, he originally earned his “Scratch” nickname from an early recording, The Chicken Scratch, in 1965.
The distinctive creative quality of relentless experimentation combined with a magical guiding philosophy led Perry to collaborate with U.K. producer Daniel Boyle, who accurately replicated the analogue specifications found at the original Black Ark studios. The decade-long association began with the Grammy-nominated 2014 album “Back On The Controls”, released on the revived Upsetter label, and continued with various productions through to 2019 with the Black Album, so called because the location for the recording was Abbey Road’s Studio 2 – where the Beatles recorded the legendary White Album back in 1968.
“King Perry” captures Perry’s accomplished and creatively charged musician, who is joyful, intuitive, and always colourful, alongside guest talent sculpting musical textures by manipulating sonic space and rhythmic echoes. Released in full on February 2nd, 2024, it further preserves the memory of a musical visionary and a true collaborator – defined by a reassuring force of power, eccentric to the very end.
Lee Scratch Perry ft. Shaun Ryder’s “Green Banana” (incl. Dubkasm Remix) is out now. Listen BELOW:
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