We were having a great evening spinning tunes whether it be reggae, hip-hop, afrobeat or soul, one after the other. As the needle pushed trough the first grooves of the disc, a slow drum pattern makes its way through what sounds like hits on a high-pitch plastic block for drum kits.
Unexpectedly, after the third bar (or loop, should we say in this case), a ground-breaking bass takes over the rhythm, transporting the listener to a new dimension. Needless to say this struck me like never before - I had just experienced Lee Perry making what sounds like an avant-garde hip-hop song, but with a pure reggae pattern.
Of course, this is the riddim to Shinehead's Billy Jean - an adaptation from the King of Pop's hit - however, hearing the version on its own is a whole other experience.
It's difficult to put an exact year on this track, but what makes it all the more special is that it's the first in Jamaica to ever incorporate a drum machine.
Freshly arrived on the island, the programming of the machine was left to Familyman and his brother Carlton, and the song was credited to the Upsetters.
An exclusive dubplate version was also released, and it can thankfully be found on the B-side of Pressure Sounds' 7" release.
To those for whom this is the first time they're listening to a Lee Perry production, be warned that this is far from his signature sound, but it's another production from the neat little man that proves his genious and how far ahead of time he was. Lee Perry was making hip-hop before hip-hop.
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