Upsetter Records

Upsetter Records was a Jamaican independent record label established in 1968 by producer and musician Lee "Scratch" Perry. It served as an outlet for Perry's own productions after his departure from Joe Gibbs's Amalgamated Records, where disputes over creative and financial matters had contributed to his decision to work independently. Perry had previously worked at Coxsone Dodd's Studio One and with Gibbs, gaining experience in Jamaica's rapidly developing recording industry. The label's name came from Perry's nickname, "The Upsetter", which he had adopted around the release of his 1968 single "I Am the Upsetter", a pointed musical response to his former association with Coxsone Dodd. The label was closely connected to the musicians who became known as the Upsetters. Perry's approach emphasized experimentation, unusual studio effects, rhythmic innovation, and creative independence. According to accounts of the period, he attracted strong musicians not primarily through high fees but by giving them room to experiment. This helped make Upsetter Records an important platform during the transition from rocksteady to reggae and, later, toward dub. Perry's productions often treated the recording studio as an instrument, a method that became central to the development of dub production and influenced later reggae, punk, post-punk, hip-hop, and electronic music. Upsetter Records entered into a distribution arrangement with the United Kingdom-based Trojan Records. Its first major international success came with Return of Django, a 1969 album credited to Lee "Scratch" Perry and the Upsetters. The record reached a British audience and helped establish Perry and the label beyond Jamaica. The label subsequently issued or supported recordings involving several important Jamaican artists, including the Wailers and early sessions associated with Bob Marley and the Wailers. Its catalogue therefore occupies an important place in the history of Jamaican popular music, even though the label was built around Perry's independent production activity rather than a large corporate structure. The label experienced a major change in 1973 when the Wailers moved to Island Records. Around the same period, bassist Aston "Family Man" Barrett and drummer Carlton "Carlie" Barrett left the Upsetters to form the Wailers Band, which became the backing group for Bob Marley and the Wailers. Perry responded by creating Black Ark Studios in 1973. Although Black Ark was also used for work issued by other labels, it became a principal creative base for Upsetter Records and a landmark studio in reggae history. Upsetter Records continued issuing music during the 1970s, but Perry's career and operations became increasingly unstable. In 1981, following a personal breakdown, Perry burned down Black Ark Studios, ending the facility's original period as a functioning center of production. After the 1989 death of pioneering dub engineer King Tubby, the studio was reportedly looted. These events damaged the physical infrastructure associated with Perry's work but did not erase the label's influence or the continuing circulation of its recordings. In 2014, Upsetter Records was reopened for the release of Back On the Controls, a new Lee Perry album produced with London-based producer Daniel Boyle. This marked a later-life continuation of the label as a vehicle for Perry's recordings. Available reference material does not establish a separate contemporary corporate owner, a permanent headquarters, or the label's current release status. Its historical identity remains closely tied to Lee Perry, the Upsetters, Black Ark Studios, and the formative international development of reggae and dub.

Upsetter Records emerged from Lee "Scratch" Perry's movement toward independent production in Jamaica. Perry had worked with major figures and institutions in the island's recording business, including Coxsone Dodd's Studio One and Joe Gibbs's Amalgamated Records. By 1968, disagreements involving his work with Gibbs encouraged him to establish his own label. He named it after the persona of "The Upsetter", associated with his single "I Am the Upsetter" and with his willingness to challenge established musical and business relationships. The label became both a release platform and a production network. Perry assembled musicians who were known as the Upsetters and encouraged them to prioritize experimentation and musical freedom. This environment helped produce distinctive early reggae recordings and contributed to the studio techniques that would later define dub. Rather than operating solely as a conventional artist roster, Upsetter Records functioned as an extension of Perry's production practice, with changing musicians, vocalists, and collaborators appearing across its recordings. A distribution relationship with Trojan Records gave the label access to the United Kingdom market. Return of Django, issued in 1969 by Perry and the Upsetters, became an important British success and introduced a wider audience to the label's instrumental and rhythm-focused sound. Upsetter Records also became associated with recordings by major Jamaican performers, including the Wailers and early sessions involving Bob Marley and the Wailers. These connections placed the label within the formative history of reggae's international expansion. The label's musical network changed substantially in 1973. The Wailers moved to Island Records, while Aston Barrett and Carlton Barrett departed the Upsetters to form the Wailers Band. Perry then established Black Ark Studios, which became the most important physical base for his later production work. Black Ark recorded material for Upsetter Records as well as for other labels and artists, and its reputation grew from Perry's innovative use of overdubbing, effects, rhythm tracks, and unconventional recording methods. The original Black Ark period ended in 1981 when Perry burned the studio after experiencing a breakdown. The associated infrastructure suffered further loss after King Tubby's death in 1989, when the studio was looted. Despite these setbacks, Upsetter Records and Perry's catalogue continued to be recognized for their influence on reggae and dub. The imprint was later reopened in 2014 for Back On the Controls, a Lee Perry album produced with Daniel Boyle. The available material does not confirm the label's present operating structure, but its historical importance rests on its role in independent Jamaican production, the development of dub aesthetics, and the international circulation of Perry's work.

• 2014

  The label is reopened

  [1]Upsetter Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Perry reopened Upsetter Records for the release of Back On the Controls, produced with Daniel Boyle.

• 1989

  The studio is looted after King Tubby's death

  [1]Upsetter Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The studio associated with Perry's work was looted following the death of King Tubby.

• 1981

  Black Ark Studios is destroyed by fire

  [1]Upsetter Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  After a breakdown, Lee Perry burned down Black Ark Studios, ending its original operating period.

• 1973

  Black Ark Studios is built

  [1]Upsetter Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Perry opened Black Ark Studios, which served Upsetter Records and became a major center for experimental reggae and dub production.

• 1973

  The Wailers and key Upsetters personnel move on

  [1]Upsetter Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The Wailers signed with Island Records, while Aston and Carlton Barrett left the Upsetters to form the Wailers Band.

• 1969

  Return of Django becomes an international success

  [1]Upsetter Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The album by Lee Perry and the Upsetters became a hit in the United Kingdom following distribution by Trojan Records.

• 1968

  Upsetter Records is established

  [1]Upsetter Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Lee "Scratch" Perry founded the Jamaican label as an independent outlet for his productions after leaving Joe Gibbs's Amalgamated Records.

An artist-led Jamaican reggae and dub imprint centered on Lee "Scratch" Perry's experimental production, independent releases, and studio-based innovation.

• Studio album · 1969

  Return of Django

  A 1969 album credited to Lee "Scratch" Perry and the Upsetters. Its rhythm-led instrumental style and British success made it the label's first notable international breakthrough and helped introduce Perry's production work to audiences outside Jamaica.

• Studio album · 2014

  Back On the Controls

  A later Lee Perry album released through the reopened Upsetter Records in 2014. The project was produced with London producer Daniel Boyle and represented a continuation of Perry's use of the imprint as a vehicle for new music.

• Reggae and dub recordings

  Upsetters recordings

  The label's core catalogue includes instrumental and vocal productions made by Lee Perry with the musicians known as the Upsetters. These recordings are associated with early reggae experimentation, rhythm reconstruction, studio effects, and techniques that contributed to the emergence of dub.

• 2014

  Upsetter Records is revived for a new albumStrategy

  Background

  Following the long historical gap after the original Black Ark period, Lee Perry returned to the imprint for a new recording project.

  Action taken

  The label was reopened for Back On the Controls, made with producer Daniel Boyle.

  Aftermath

  The release extended the label's identity into Perry's later career, although the available material does not establish its continuing corporate operation.

  Source

• 1969

  The label secures United Kingdom distributionStrategy

  Background

  Upsetter Records needed access to listeners beyond Jamaica in order to circulate Perry's productions internationally.

  Action taken

  The label entered a distribution arrangement with Trojan Records in the United Kingdom.

  Aftermath

  Return of Django became a United Kingdom hit and gave the label an international audience.

  Source

• 1968

  Perry creates an independent production imprintStrategy

  Background

  After disagreements during his work with Joe Gibbs's Amalgamated Records, Lee Perry sought a label through which he could control and develop his own productions.

  Action taken

  He founded Upsetter Records and used it as the principal outlet for his independent recordings and the work of the Upsetters.

  Aftermath

  The imprint became an influential platform for experimental reggae and helped establish Perry's distinctive production identity.

  Source

• 2014

  Lee Perry reopens Upsetter Records for Back On the Controls[1]Upsetter Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  The label was revived for the release of Back On the Controls, produced with London producer Daniel Boyle.

• 1973

  Black Ark Studios is established[1]Upsetter Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Lee Perry built Black Ark Studios as a creative base for Upsetter Records and other recording projects.

• 1969

  Return of Django brings Upsetter Records international attention[1]Upsetter Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  The Lee Perry and Upsetters album became a United Kingdom hit after the label secured distribution through Trojan Records.

• 1968

  Upsetter Records is founded by Lee "Scratch" Perry[1]Upsetter Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Lee Perry established the label after leaving Joe Gibbs's Amalgamated Records, creating an independent outlet for his productions.

1. 1Upsetter Recordsen.wikipedia.org