“I AM an improviser and I am the saviour,” declares Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, quickly getting on a roll as he tells Uncut about his exciting new project. “I’m the son of devils so I’m the blazing sun, the flaming sun, and I’m the son of God – the black sun.”
Of these claims, we can unequivocally confirm that Perry is an improviser. The proof is in the Jamaican dub innovator’s collaboration with experimental Canadian duo New Age Doom on their new album Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry’s Guide To The Universe, the follow-up to January’s unsettling drone classic Himalayan Dream Techno. “We wanted to work with a vocalist, and his name came up almost immediately,” says drummer Eric J Breitenbach, who first met Perry in Vancouver in 2016. “It felt natural to team up with an artist well known for boldness and experimentation. We made this with him in mind.”