A journalist, broadcaster and photographer that has been documenting reggae music and the culture, politics and arts of the Caribbean since the early 1980s, David Katz is author of People Funny Boy: The Genius of Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry (first published by Canongate in 2000, revised edition published by Omnibus 2006), and Solid Foundation: An Oral History of Reggae (published by Bloomsbury in 2003). Katz also contributed to the Rough Guide to Reggae (Penguin, 1997), A Tapestry of Jamaica (MacMillan Caribbean, 2003), I-Land Reggae: From Heartbeat to Revolution (Opo, France, 2004) and Caribbean Popular Music: An Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rocksteady and Dancehall (Greenwood, 2006). Katz’s writing and photographs have appeared in many international publications, including The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, Mojo, Q, Uncut, The Wire, XLR8R, Riddim, Sky Writings, Caribbean Beat, Wax Poetics, Natty Dread, Vibrations, Bassist, The Beat, Rhythm, Lodown, and Murder Dog. He has also co-ordinated and annotated nearly 100 Reggae reissue CDs for labels such as Island, Hip-O/Universal, Motion, Wall of Sound, Jet Star, Ariwa, Sanctuary, Auralux, Heartbeat, etc. etc. Katz is also featured as a musician on records released in the UK and France and has co-hosted radio programmes on three continents. Katz has also contributed to various television and radio documentaries, was an Associate Producer on the feature documentary The Upsetter: The Music and Genius of Lee Scratch Perry (introducing the directors to Mr Perry and asking most of the questions put to Perry in the film), and was 'dub consultant' on the feature film Dreaming Lhasa (White Crane Films, 2005). Originally from San Francisco, he currently lives in London, where he sometimes spins records at select nightspots in support of artists such as Lee Perry, Mad Professor, Clive Chin and Aswad, and he has also deejayed in New York with Ras Kush and the Black Redemption Sound System.
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