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“I'd like you to meet a genius.”
Some people call Lee ‘Scratch' Perry a prophet; others claim he's a madman. Seeing him in the opening scenes of this documentary - spinning in circles in his plaid shorts, oversized sunglasses, spouting the praises of Jah Rastafari - you could conclude he's a little bit of both. Kicking off in rural Jamaica, Upsetter looks into Perry's youth before segueing to the days of his musical peak in Kingston, where he mentored a young Bob Marley, shaped the reggae sound as we know it today, pioneered a new genre called ‘dub' and invented what would become ‘the remix'. A documentation of music culture and a unique character study, Upsetter uses archival and contemporary footage, interviews, concert and music clips, and dramatic recreations to detail Perry's influence across the globe. --- D/P/S Ethan Higbee, Adam Bhala Lough TD digibeta/2008/70mins