New Music: Lee 'Scratch' Perry, Flying Lotus, Pop Levi

Lee 'Scratch' Perry - Fight to the Finish - Panic in Babylon (Narnack 2006)


Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry – Panic in Babylon / Narnack

First of all, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, one of if not the most inventive mind in the history of reggae and dub music (King Tubby makes a strong argument), is fucking 70 years old… 70 years old and making music that is just as creative and amazing as his early productions days when he was a wily 20-something mixologist fighting for studio time at Coxsone Dodd’s Studio One. Originally released in 2004 on Damp Music, Narnack has re-released this amazing latter day Perry album that feels not a day older than 1978 with Scratch in top form. His knob twiddling is still spot on as typically cheesy special effects (like the vocoder for instance) take on illustrious life spinning songs in twenty different colorful directions without ever sounding exceedingly manic or schizophrenic (Perry’s psyche may be another story). Backed by apt Swiss reggae band White Belly Rats, Perry sings in his truly individual and often unintelligible style that just ups the quirk level to fantastically fun realms of ridiculousness. Packaged with the re-release is a bonus disc featuring a Dave Sitek (TV on the Radio) and DJ Spooky remix, but neither even approaches the original music and are unnecessary.




Flying Lotus - Orbit Brazil - 1983 (Plug Research 2006)


Flying Lotus – 1983 / Plug Research

Bringing some of the finest instrumental hip-hop I have heard in a while out of Plug Research, beat concocter Flying Lotus drops his debut full-length with a galaxy of potential. Pushing boundaries without losing accessibility, the L.A. producer rides a very necessary line between J Dilla and Daedelus (who mixes up his brand of odd glee on the closing track) never leaning too much on traditional hip-hop or left-field excursions. Keyboards shimmy to oddly defined drum patterns while sci-fi samples sweep in from the stars, drop a futuristic groove and disappear into the night sky. In a perfect summation from Plug Research themselves, “this is Blade Runner, Bambaataa, the Bomb Squad, and Basquiat, all in one.” Word to that and word to another visionary ready to take beat-oriented music to yet another level.




Pop Levi - Skip Ghetto (Echo Park Version) - Blue Honey (Counter 2006)


Pop Levi – Blue Honey / Counter

Emerging phoenix-like from the hazy Liverpool psych-rock collective Super Numeri, Pop Levi (leave-eye) is taking center-stage with his wavering falsetto, gritty electric guitar and a sleeve full of classic-rock influences. With just a couple of raw demos from Levi’s emerging album, Ninja Tune actually drew up an entirely new imprint called Counter Records so they would have first crack at releasing his super infectious psych-blues on the music world. Self-described as “Prince making out with Dylan in Syd Barrett's bedroom,” this 5-song single/EP just hints at Levi’s full potential when he is able not only to embrace but expand on the obvious Marc Bolan influence (which is no knock whatsoever). In the mean time, Levi’s dirty glam retro-pop leaves little else to be desired as he picks out the best attributes of 70s rock and swirls them into a kaleidoscope of psychedelic grit tinged with winding guitars, handclaps and even a killer whistle solo or two.