This is a really cool compilation. A smart cross section of Mad Professor’s back catalogue, that serves as both a brilliant sampler to the uninitiated and a treasure trove to the obsessive (1). The 3 compliers, Paul Byrne, Piers Harrison and Toby Tobias, have acquitted themselves admirably when confronted with the daunting task of cherry picking from Ariwa Studios’ vast archive. 

Their selections sorta fall, 50:50, into 2 camps. Tracks like the opening “Ariwa The Dub Sampler” are drum machine driven doses of Caribbean funk. Typically cut up, collaged and busy with chopped and skewed vocals. “H2SO4”, for example, is a bonkers, schizophrenic concoction, with no melody as such but crazy with mixing desk effects. In places, a whirlpool of juxtaposition. 

Built around a rare groove-ish break, Ragga Doll’s “Hippamuffin” begins with a back spin, and sets sampled, snipped voices spiralling off into space (2). Professor Doppler’s “Cook Up Rice” has tumbling beats, stutter, stall, trip over them themselves, while drum shot ricochets fly by like rockets speeding past (3). Throughout the comp, unique sounds are obtained by running sources in reverse. Aisha’s “Can You Feel It” is hands down the most sophisticated tune here. Its programmed locking and popping combined with Aisha’s roots call for unity (“Can we live in love?”) clearly establishing the connection between sound system culture, lovers rock and 80s / 90s street soul. 

The remaining numbers round up some perhaps lesser known reggae highlights from the Prof’s more than 4 decade career. “Only One God” is a collaboration with the legendary Jah Shaka. Beginning with extravagantly echoed shouts from a mid-western American preacher – very likely a comment on the so called Christian values of white fundamentals – this warrior charge of filtered nyabinghi rattle is further rocked by wild, intuitive flashes of delay. “Kathmandu Dub” is another phased steppers. Caught in collisions of percussive crossfire. With sonar blips demonstrating the depths of its serious low end rumbling. Starky Banton’s “Dub De Heart”, in contrast, is appropriately stark and stripped back. Its sparse rhythm coloured by plaintive guitar picking, plus the odd snatch of Starky’s DJing / MCing.

The Robotiks were Mad Prof’s backing band in the mid-80s, and appear on more of the tracks here than they are actually credited for. However, they do get 2 inclusions of their own. “Miss Mood” mixes steel pans and pedal steel like licks over a Revolutionaries-esque B-line. Their “Hong Kong Flew!” is the compilation at its most musical. With Patrick Tenyue and Roger Guthrie trading trumpet and saxophone blows, while the Professor shakes things up with his signature metallic EQ manipulations. 

Earl Lawrence’s “Dancing On A Bassline” is a solid song of praise to reggae itself. A hymn to the meditative quality of the bottom heavy music. Its ability to act as a sonic means for sufferers to escape from Babylon’s day to day grind. 

“I’ve got nothing on my mind, I’m just dancing on a bassline.”

A celebration of late night blues parties, humorously interspersed with samples of folks coughing on spliff tokes, presented as an epic “discomix”, its dubbed second half superbly showcases everything that Earl was singing about. 

Mad Professor’s “Cuts & Dubs” can be ordered directly from Test Pressing.

NOTES

(1) Nearly everything here is now almost impossible to find on an original 12.

(2) Originally appearing on the seminal “Macro Dub Infection” compilation, which contained a ton of cool exclusives, this is very much the sort of thing that would have made its way into a Weatherall warm-up or radio set.

(3) Listening, I was reminded of Che’s “Be My Powerstation”, and then the term “Scientific Dancehall”. Something that was coined for the title of a similar retrospective of Adrian Sherwood’s back catalogue, but would equally apply here. The mighty Trever Jackson, coincidently (?), designed the art work for both comps. Considering the similarities between the output of the labels Ariwa and On-U Sound, it’s a little strange that their paths have so rarely crossed. The only example I can think of is a solitary Mad Professor mixed Bim Sherman / Dub Syndicate LP.