by Rick Anderson
Mad Professor is a British reggae producer whose incredibly prolific output rivals that of Jamaica's legendary sound factories of the late '60s and early '70s in both quantity and quality. His particular genius is an ability to produce music that is completely modern in sound and technique but that nevertheless draws heavily on the &roots and culture& tradition of golden-era Jamaican reggae. His collaborations with Pato Banton, Macka B, and the legendary Lee Perry (whose influence is felt heavily in Mad Professor's work) have brought him fame in the broader reggae community, while the Dub Me Crazy series on his Ariwa label (distributed by RAS in the U.S.) has earned him the adoration of dub fans around the world. This sampler is the place for a neophyte to begin. It includes rarities and tracks from his earlier albums, all recorded in &Dubarama.& That means that instruments and voices fly in and out of the mix, echoing crazily and careening off into the darkness only to return when you least expect them. Mad Professor doesn't do the introspective, mystical dub of so many of his predecessors; there's always an intense energy and a mischievous sense of humor at work, even on his more political material.