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This July, Cadiz Music and Entertainment One will take audiences on a magical journey into the enigmatic life and mind of a legendary music producer with “Lee Scratch Perry’s Vision of Paradise,” the acclaimed feature-length documentary, filmed over 15 years by director Volker Schaner, with unprecedented access to Perry.

The film will arrive on July 12, packaged in a limited-edition collectible book/DVD, with hours of extras, rarely-seen archival photos and specially-produced featurettes.

The documentary takes audiences into the mysterious world of Perry, who created reggae and dub in his hand-built Black Ark Studios. The iconic breeding ground for some of Jamaica’s most innovative sounds and recording techniques in the latter half of the ’70s, Perry introduced the world to delay, flanger and reverb, delivering a psychedelic sound that opened new sonic worlds and inspired generations of musicians. But aside from his genre-busting work with Bob Marley and the Wailers among others, the eccentric Perry has spent decades protecting and building upon what he refers to as “the original Jah soundtrack,” a “spiritual revolution, against parasites and vampires, against the heads of governments and council of churches” that continues to this day.

From Jamaica and Ethiopia to Switzerland and London, Schaner, equipped only with a camera and a microphone, has followed Perry on a spiritual and geographical journey around the globe, capturing intimate footage full of revelatory surprises. With Perry’s trust, “Lee Scratch Perry’s Vision of Paradise” offers a never-before-granted level of access and rare insight into the iconic artists’ fantastical world. The film also serves as exclusive documentation of Lee’s now infamous and already legendary “secret laboratory” in Switzerland, which, despite its recent destruction by fire, has been immortalized here in celluloid.

In addition to engaging footage of the man himself, along with an all-star cast of dub and reggae-related musicians, the film is enhanced with original and distinctive animation from artists Maria Sargarodschi and Normann Petkau. Utilizing traditional painting techniques, Sargarodschi and Petkau created a highly imaginative universe influenced by Ethiopian Christian Orthodox Church Art, Perry’s imaginary cosmos and the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine, adding another dimension to an already singular viewing experience.

Aside from the documentary, DVD bonuses include the 24-page book filled with Sargarodschi’s illustrations and designed by Petkau, a 30-minute ‘making of’ documentary, audio commentary from director Schaner and more than two hours of never-before-seen footage. Also included is a photo gallery of Lee’s creative space in all its chaotic and artistic pre-fire glory.

One of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, “Lee Scratch Perry’s Vision of Paradise” is said to be less a biography and more of a “fairytale documentary,”giving audiences the world over, entrée into Perry’s inimitable genius, his unique worldview and his positive, attitude-shifting vibrations as he continues to influence generations with his music.

The film will arrive on July 12, packaged in a limited-edition collectible book with hours of extras, rarely-seen archival photos and specially-produced featurettes.

Lee Scratch Perry's Vision of Paradise

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