TechnoMajikal (Lee Scratch Perry)

Album review

Lee "Scratch" Perry's 1997 release Technomajikal is a collaboration with Dieter Meier of Yello. It can be described as electronic reggae, but the music's organic sound and feeling has certainly not diminished. The story behind how this unlikely collaboration came to pass is interesting. Perry had been living in Switzerland, and since Meier lives there as well, he tracked Perry down and talked about laying down some tracks in his Zurich recording studio. Perry accepted the invite, and soon was singing and rapping over acoustic tracks laid down by Meier, which were later replaced by a more electro accompaniment. Perry refused to record his vocals the accustomed way, and sang into a microphone while sitting outside the studio with a pair of headphones on. The finished album easily appeals to both dance enthusiasts and fans of reggae/dub, with several tracks featured as official versions, then repeated as either remixed radio versions or instrumentals (such as "UFO Attack," "Maxi Merlin," and "X-Perry-Ment").

© Greg Prato /TiVo