Black Ark Studios
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
| Revision as of 18:45, 29 September 2008 Jahsonic (Talk | contribs) (→The end) ← Previous diff |
Revision as of 19:07, 29 September 2008 Jahsonic (Talk | contribs) Next diff → |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| {{Template}} | {{Template}} | ||
| + | :"An example of Lee Perry's inventive [[music production]] style was his ability to [[overdub]] layers of sound effects and instrumentation on each recording track of a basic [[4-track (multitrack)|4-track]] [[TEAC 2340 and 3340|TEAC 3340]] machine, with such precise timing and in such a way that the resulting sound would destroy the competition from Jamaica's other top producers using the latest [[16-track]] mixing consoles. Perry once buried [[microphone]]s at the base of a palm tree and thumped it rhythmically to produce a mystifying bass drum effect; his drum booth at the Black Ark was for a time surrounded with [[chicken wire]] to further his distinctive sound; many of his songs are layered with a variety of subtle effects created from broken glass, ghastly sighs and screeches, crying babies, and a mooing cow children's toy. These and other notable recording techniques helped define the Black Ark sound, as well as Lee Perry's creative legacy." --[[Sholem Stein]] | ||
| The '''Black Ark''' was the [[recording studio]] of legendary [[reggae]] and [[dub music|dub]] producer [[Lee Perry|Lee "Scratch" Perry]], located in the yard of his family's home in the Washington Gardens neighborhood of [[Kingston, Jamaica|Kingston]], [[Jamaica]]. Although the studio itself was somewhat rudimentary in its set-up and particularly basic with regard to some of the dated equipment employed by Perry, it was nonetheless the breeding ground for some of Jamaica's (and arguably the world's) most innovative sounds and recording techniques in the latter half of the [[1970s]]. | The '''Black Ark''' was the [[recording studio]] of legendary [[reggae]] and [[dub music|dub]] producer [[Lee Perry|Lee "Scratch" Perry]], located in the yard of his family's home in the Washington Gardens neighborhood of [[Kingston, Jamaica|Kingston]], [[Jamaica]]. Although the studio itself was somewhat rudimentary in its set-up and particularly basic with regard to some of the dated equipment employed by Perry, it was nonetheless the breeding ground for some of Jamaica's (and arguably the world's) most innovative sounds and recording techniques in the latter half of the [[1970s]]. | ||
Revision as of 19:07, 29 September 2008
|
Related e |
|
Featured: |
- "An example of Lee Perry's inventive music production style was his ability to overdub layers of sound effects and instrumentation on each recording track of a basic 4-track TEAC 3340 machine, with such precise timing and in such a way that the resulting sound would destroy the competition from Jamaica's other top producers using the latest 16-track mixing consoles. Perry once buried microphones at the base of a palm tree and thumped it rhythmically to produce a mystifying bass drum effect; his drum booth at the Black Ark was for a time surrounded with chicken wire to further his distinctive sound; many of his songs are layered with a variety of subtle effects created from broken glass, ghastly sighs and screeches, crying babies, and a mooing cow children's toy. These and other notable recording techniques helped define the Black Ark sound, as well as Lee Perry's creative legacy." --Sholem Stein
The Black Ark was the recording studio of legendary reggae and dub producer Lee "Scratch" Perry, located in the yard of his family's home in the Washington Gardens neighborhood of Kingston, Jamaica. Although the studio itself was somewhat rudimentary in its set-up and particularly basic with regard to some of the dated equipment employed by Perry, it was nonetheless the breeding ground for some of Jamaica's (and arguably the world's) most innovative sounds and recording techniques in the latter half of the 1970s.
Contents |
Innovative musical techniques
An example of Lee Perry's inventive style was his ability to overdub layers of sound effects and instrumentation on each recording track of a basic 4-track machine, with such precise timing and in such a way that the resulting sound would destroy the competition from Jamaica's other top producers using the latest 16-track mixing consoles. Perry once buried microphones at the base of a palm tree and thumped it rhythmically to produce a mystifying bass drum effect; his drum booth at the Black Ark was for a time surrounded with chicken wire to further his distinctive sound; many of his songs are layered with a variety of subtle effects created from broken glass, ghastly sighs and screeches, crying babies, and a mooing cow children's toy. These and other notable recording techniques helped define the Black Ark sound, as well as Lee Perry's creative legacy.
Musicians and the Black Ark
In addition to providing pioneering sounds for such reggae stars as Bob Marley and The Wailers, Junior Byles, and Max Romeo, Lee Perry and his studio were formative in creating the highly innovative reggae sub-genre called Dub, in which the producer/engineer becomes the focus of the music, manipulating a pre-recorded track and creating something entirely new using his or her mixing console as nothing less than an instrument.
The end
In 1979, following years of increasingly bizarre and erratic behavior, Lee "Scratch" Perry allegedly set fire to The Black Ark studio, effectively ending an era during which much of Jamaica's most delightfully creative sounds had captured the world of music. However, it has been related by several Perry family members that the studio in fact caught fire in 1983 after an ill-fated attempt to rebuild it, the result of an electrical accident. More often than not, Perry has claimed that he personally destroyed the Black Ark due to "unclean spirits" - an allusion to some of the undesirable people who were constantly at the Black Ark in later years.
Equipment
According to "People Funny Boy" Scratch used these in the early days of Black Ark (1973-75):
- - Alice mixer (Scratch: "They weren't professional machines they were only toys")
- - Grantham spring reverb
- - Roland Space Echo RE201
- - Marantz amplifier for instruments
- - AKG drum mic for vocals
- - Teac 3340 1/4 inch 4-track recorder
- - Teac 2-track recorder for mix down
In 1975 he added some new equipment:
- - Soundcraft mixer (replaced the Alice)
- - Mutron phaser (an early demo model)
- - better mics
- - Around 1979 he was given a Teac 1/2 inch 8-track recorder but he didn't like it and almost never used it.
Films
- 1977 - Roots Rock Reggae. Directed by Jeremy Marre.
