First International Reggae Festival Solnechny Svet at Luzhniki Stadium

On August 30, Luzhniki Sports Palace, starting at 7:00 pm. The first international reggae festival Solnechny Svet (Sunny Light) Essentially, this is the first reggae music festival in Moscow that will truly be international. We have had performances by Poles, Estonians, and Belarusians, but artists from Jamaica don't often spoil us with their appearance. And this time one of the legendary figures of Rasta culture will be appearing - Lee 'Scratch' Perry. A crazy genius who buried recordings in the ground for several years 'to imbue them with the spirit of roots'; he has traveled the world over his forty-year musical career, releasing and producing an incredible number of albums (mostly in collaboration with Mad Professor, who will also grace us with his presence). But this is not just a reggae classic concert - it is a real festival where the best Russian reggae bands will also participate - Jah Division, Marksheider Kunst, Caribace, and a young duo from Kharkov, 5'NIZZA. Boris Borisovich Grebenshchikov has also decided to support the festival and perform with a special program. Don’t miss the main event of the musical summer! Participants: Lee 'Scratch' Perry - a legend of reggae music, the first producer of Bob Marley Mad Professor - one of the few renowned kings of dub and the band The Robotiks - who almost always perform with Lee Perry and Mad Professor. Among the Russian participants: Jah Division, 5'NIZZA, Marksheider Kunst, Caribace. The festival's special guest is Boris Borisovich Grebenshchikov with a special program. Lee 'Scratch' Perry (born March 20, 1936) - one of the most influential figures in the development of reggae music in Jamaica and worldwide. His career began in the late '50s working with Prince Buster and the sound system Coxsone Dodd. Soon he was recording with Dodd and releasing records on Studio One, but their partnership dissolved due to personal conflicts. In 1968, Perry founded his own label, Upsetter. His first single was the hit 'People Funny Boy', which gained attention mainly due to the innovative use of a slow, bass-driven beat that soon became the hallmark of the reggae sound (specifically, known as roots-reggae). Throughout the '70s, Perry released a large number of records under various names - Scratch, Pipecock Jakxon, The Upsetter, Super Ape, and Jah Lion. Many of his songs became hits in the USA and UK, and Lee soon became known and recognizable for his unique style and harmonious sense, as well as for his amazing music. In the early '70s, Perry also became interested in dub and founded the Black Ark studio for experiments in this style. One of the first to work with him was Bob Marley, and several records were released (including 'Small Axe') which caught the attention of Chris Blackwell, head of Island Records, with whom Bob later signed a contract. Music critics were amazed that using a regular 4-channel tape recorder, Lee Perry's sound was indistinguishable from a 24-channel. He responded to these questions with: 'Look up, and you will see a space station with my equipment. Four channels here, and another 20 over there, above your heads; that's the whole point'. He buried tape reels in the ground for several years ('to imbue them with the spirit of roots'), burned them, and washed them in head-cleaning fluid. Despite all this, the recordings from his studio are still considered the benchmark. Shortly after a fire destroyed the Black Ark Studio, Lee Perry moved to Switzerland. And now, despite his age, he continues to perform concerts worldwide and release records, notably, the album 'Jamaican E.T.' won a Grammy in 2002 in the category 'Best Reggae Album'. What can be said about Mad Professor? He has more than 25 albums in his personal collection, another 150 he recorded and released on his 'Ariwa' label. The number of albums he produced is unimaginable; add to that the countless remixes he did for Massive Attack, KLF, The Beastie Boys, Rancid, and Jamiroquai, not to mention his work with reggae stars like Lee 'Scratch' Perry, Kofi, Sandra Cross, The Robotics, Pato Banton, Jah Shaka, Macka B, Horace Andy - this is far from a complete list. It's nice that despite such busy schedules, he found the opportunity to come to Russia - by the way, this is his second visit to Moscow. Mad Professor (born Neil Fraser) earned his nickname in school - his classmates called him that for his crazy experiments with electronics, which he preferred over football and basketball. At the age of 10, without any special literature, he built a radio receiver (though it gave him quite a shock). At the age of 13, he moved to London and by 1979 had set up a full studio in his house, packed with echo effects, reverbs, and other electronics. With this, he started working with groups on his label 'Ariwa' (a Nigerian word meaning sound). From 1982, the series 'Dub Me Crasy' began to be released, which gained notable popularity. Now, 20 years later, he is one of the most successful reggae labels/producers in the world. It is wonderful that despite all his baggage, this man does not rush to stop but continues to work on the principle of 'doing something every day'. We hope that the joint concert of Lee 'Scratch' Perry and Mad Professor will bring true pleasure to all of us. Pre-sale tickets are available at the rock gallery 'Zig-Zag', at the ticket offices of 'Luzhniki Stadium' (the largest selection), www.kontramarka.ru, and in city ticket offices.