Mad Professor
Encyclopedia
Mad Professor is a dub music
producer and engineer known for his original productions and remix work. He is considered one of the leading producers of dub music’s second generation and was instrumental in transitioning dub into the digital age. He is a prolific producer, contributing to or producing nearly 200 albums. He has collaborated with reggae artists such as Lee "Scratch" Perry, Sly and Robbie
, Pato Banton
, Jah Shaka
and Horace Andy
, as well as artists outside the realm of traditional reggae and dub, such as Sade
, Massive Attack
, The Orb
, and Brazilian DJ Marcelinho da lua
.
Fraser became known as Mad Professor as a boy due to his fascination with electronics. He emigrated from Guyana to London at the age of 13 and later began his music career as a service technician. He gradually collected recording and mixing equipment and in 1979 opened his own four-track recording studio, Ariwa Sounds, in the living room of his home in Thornton Heath
. He began recording lovers rock
bands and vocalists for his own label (including the debut recording by Deborahe Glasgow
) and recorded his first album after moving the studio to a new location in Peckham
in 1982, equipped with an eight-track setup, later expanding to sixteen. Fraser's Dub Me Crazy series of albums won the support of John Peel
, who regularly aired tracks from the albums. Although early releases were not big sellers among reggae buyers, the mid-1980s saw this change with releases from Sandra Cross (Country Life), Johnny Clarke
, Peter Culture, Pato Banton, and Macka B
(Sign of the Times). Fraser moved again, this time to South Norwood
, where he set up what was the largest black-owned studio complex in the UK, where he recorded highly successful lovers rock tracks by Cross, John McLean, and Kofi
, and attracted major Jamaican artists including Bob Andy
and Faybiene Miranda. He teamed up with reggae legend Lee "Scratch" Perry for the first time in 1989 for the album Mystic Warrior.
Dub music, which combines reggae music and recording studio trickery, seemed to fit Mad Professor's musical and technical tastes perfectly and his early work remained faithful to the traditional Jamaican dub pioneered by King Tubby
, Lee "Scratch" Perry, and Augustus Pablo
. Mad Professor's early work was characterized by few vocal tracks and heavy echo, reverb, and phaser effects on the instrumentals. Eventually, he began to experiment with electronic sounds and effects alongside the traditional instruments. Synthesized sounds began to find a place in his mixes. This experimentation caught the attention of artists outside of reggae and dub genres and led to Mad Professor's work with electronic artists, most notably Massive Attack.
, The Orb
, The KLF
, Beastie Boys
, Jamiroquai
, Rancid
, Depeche Mode
, Perry Farrell
and Japanese pop singer Ayumi Hamasaki
. His best-known project, perhaps, is 1995's No Protection, an electronic
dub version of Massive Attack
's second album, Protection
. He has also done a version of I&I for New Zealand reggae
band Katchafire
. Mad Professor has done three versions for New Zealand
electronic group Salmonella Dub
.
Dub music
Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
producer and engineer known for his original productions and remix work. He is considered one of the leading producers of dub music’s second generation and was instrumental in transitioning dub into the digital age. He is a prolific producer, contributing to or producing nearly 200 albums. He has collaborated with reggae artists such as Lee "Scratch" Perry, Sly and Robbie
Sly and Robbie
Sly and Robbie is the prolific Jamaican rhythm section and production team of drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare who joined in the mid 1970s after having established themselves separately in Jamaica as professional musicians...
, Pato Banton
Pato Banton
Pato Banton is a reggae singer and toaster from Birmingham, England. He received the nickname 'Pato' from his stepfather, and 'Banton' from the disc jockey slang for a "heavyweight DJ".-Biography:Born in Birmingham, Banton first came to public attention in the early 1980s when he worked with The...
, Jah Shaka
Jah Shaka
Jah Shaka has been operating a South East London-based, roots reggae Jamaican sound system since the early 1970s. His name is an amalgamation of the Rastafarian term for God and that of a Zulu warrior, Shaka Zulu.-Career:...
and Horace Andy
Horace Andy
Horace Andy is a roots reggae songwriter and singer, known for his distinctive vocals and hit songs such as "Government Land", "Angel", "Five Man Army" and a cover version of "Ain't No Sunshine"....
, as well as artists outside the realm of traditional reggae and dub, such as Sade
Sade (band)
Sade is a British smooth jazz band that formed in 1983, named for Nigerian lead singer Sade Adu. Their music features elements of R&B, soul, jazz, and soft rock....
, Massive Attack
Massive Attack
Massive Attack are an English DJ and trip hop duo from Bristol, England consisting of Robert "3D" Del Naja and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall. Working with co-producers, as well as various session musicians and guest vocalists, they make records and tour live. The duo are considered to be of the trip...
, The Orb
The Orb
Throughout 1989, the Orb, along with Martin Glover, developed the musical genre of ambient house through the use of a diverse array of samples and recordings. The culmination of its musical work came toward the end of the year when the group recorded a session for John Peel on BBC Radio 1...
, and Brazilian DJ Marcelinho da lua
Marcelinho da lua
Marcelinho da Lua is a Brazilian reggae/electronic singer and DJ. He released the album Tranqüilo in 2003. The album's staple song, Tranqüilo, was part of the playlist for EA sports' FIFA 06 video game. Both Seu Jorge and Mart'nália participated to Tranqüilo...
.
Fraser became known as Mad Professor as a boy due to his fascination with electronics. He emigrated from Guyana to London at the age of 13 and later began his music career as a service technician. He gradually collected recording and mixing equipment and in 1979 opened his own four-track recording studio, Ariwa Sounds, in the living room of his home in Thornton Heath
Thornton Heath
Thornton Heath is a district of south London, England, in the London Borough of Croydon. It is situated south-southeast of Charing Cross.-Geography:...
. He began recording lovers rock
Lovers rock
Lovers rock is a style of reggae music noted for its romantic sound and content. While love songs had been an important part of reggae since the late 1960s, the style was given a greater focus and a name in London in the mid 1970s.-History:...
bands and vocalists for his own label (including the debut recording by Deborahe Glasgow
Deborahe Glasgow
Deborahe Glasgow was an English "Lovers Rock" singer of guyanese parentage who was active from the late 1970s to the beginning of the 90s. Though Glasgow released only one album in her lifetime, 1989's Deborahe Glasgow, she began releasing singles in her adolescence...
) and recorded his first album after moving the studio to a new location in Peckham
Peckham
Peckham is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Southwark. It is situated south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London...
in 1982, equipped with an eight-track setup, later expanding to sixteen. Fraser's Dub Me Crazy series of albums won the support of John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
, who regularly aired tracks from the albums. Although early releases were not big sellers among reggae buyers, the mid-1980s saw this change with releases from Sandra Cross (Country Life), Johnny Clarke
Johnny Clarke
Johnny Clarke , Whitfield Town, Kingston, Jamaica) is a reggae musician.-Biography:Clarke grew up in the Kingston ghetto of Whitfield Town. In 1971 he won a talent contest in Bull Bay, his prize a meeting with producer Clancy Eccles, with whom he recorded his first song, "God Made the Sea and the...
, Peter Culture, Pato Banton, and Macka B
Macka B
Macka B is a British-born reggae artist, performer and activist with a career spanning thirty years in the United Kingdom and Jamaica. According to AllMusic.com “Macka B was one of Britain's most influential dancehall toasters.”...
(Sign of the Times). Fraser moved again, this time to South Norwood
South Norwood
South Norwood is an urban town and in south London, England, in the London Borough of Croydon. It is a suburban development 7.8 miles south-east of Charing Cross. South Norwood is an electoral with a resident population in 2001 of just over 14,000...
, where he set up what was the largest black-owned studio complex in the UK, where he recorded highly successful lovers rock tracks by Cross, John McLean, and Kofi
Kofi (musician)
Carol Simms, better known as Kofi, is a British lovers rock singer who was a member of the group Brown Sugar prior to embarking on a solo career.-Biography:...
, and attracted major Jamaican artists including Bob Andy
Bob Andy
Bob Andy is a Jamaican reggae vocalist and songwriter. He is widely regarded as one of reggae's most influential songwriters.-Career:...
and Faybiene Miranda. He teamed up with reggae legend Lee "Scratch" Perry for the first time in 1989 for the album Mystic Warrior.
Dub music, which combines reggae music and recording studio trickery, seemed to fit Mad Professor's musical and technical tastes perfectly and his early work remained faithful to the traditional Jamaican dub pioneered by King Tubby
King Tubby
King Tubby was a Jamaican electronics and sound engineer, known primarily for his influence on the development of dub in the 1960s and 1970s...
, Lee "Scratch" Perry, and Augustus Pablo
Augustus Pablo
Horace Swaby , known as Augustus Pablo, was a Jamaican roots reggae and dub record producer, melodica player and keyboardist, active from the 1970s onwards. He popularized the use of the melodica in reggae music...
. Mad Professor's early work was characterized by few vocal tracks and heavy echo, reverb, and phaser effects on the instrumentals. Eventually, he began to experiment with electronic sounds and effects alongside the traditional instruments. Synthesized sounds began to find a place in his mixes. This experimentation caught the attention of artists outside of reggae and dub genres and led to Mad Professor's work with electronic artists, most notably Massive Attack.
Recordings
Mad Professor has released hundreds of original recordings and has worked with a number of reggae and non-reggae artists. He is perhaps best known for his 12 installments of the Dub Me Crazy series and 5 albums under the Black Liberation Dub banner. The following is a list of his more accessible original releases, collaborations with other artists, and remixes. A complete discography can be found at Discogs.com.Original recordings
- 1983 – In A Rub A Dub Style
- 1985 – A Caribbean Taste Of Technology
- 1992 – True Born African Dub
- 1994 – The Lost Scrolls Of Moses
- 1995 – It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Professor
- 1997 – RAS Portraits
- 2001 – Dubbing You Crazy
- 2001 – Trix In The Mix
- 2005 – Method To The Madness
- 2007 – Dub You Crazy
- 2008 – The Dubs That Time Forgot
- 2009 - Audio Illusions of Dub
Dub Me Crazy series
- 1982 - Dub Me Crazy
- 1982 - Beyond The Realms Of Dub (Dub Me Crazy, Pt.2)
- 1983 - The African Connection (Dub Me Crazy, Pt.3)
- 1983 - Escape To The Asylum of Dub (Dub Me Crazy, Pt.4)
- 1985 - Who Knows The Secret Of The Master Tape (Dub Me Crazy, Pt.5)
- 1986 - Schizophrenic Dub (Dub Me Crazy, Pt.6)
- 1987 - Adventures Of A Dub Sampler (Dub Me Crazy, Pt.7)
- 1988 - Experiments Of The Aural Kind (Dub Me Crazy, Pt.8)
- 1989 - Science And The Witchdoctor (Dub Me Crazy, Pt.9)
- 1990 - Psychedelic Dub (Dub Me Crazy, Pt. 10)
- 1992 - Hijacked To Jamaica (Dub Me Crazy, Pt.11)
- 1993 - Dub Maniacs On The RampageDub Maniacs on the RampageDub Maniacs On The Rampage is a dub album released by Mad Professor. It was released in 1993 on the Ariwa label. This album was the last installment in Mad Professor's "Dub Me Crazy" series.- Track listing :# "Dub So Hard" - 4:22...
(Dub Me Crazy, Pt.12)
Black Liberation series
- 1994 - Black Liberation Dub (Chapter 1)
- 1995 - Anti-Racist Broadcast (Black Liberation Chapter 2)
- 1996 - The Evolution Of Dub (Black Liberation Chapter 3)
- 1997 - Under The Spell Of Dub (Black Liberation Chapter 4)
- 1999 - Afrocentric Dub (Black Liberation Chapter 5)
Dub You Crazy With Love Series
- 1997 – Dub You Crazy With Love
- 2000 – Dub You Crazy With Love (Part 2)
- 2008 – Bitter Sweet Dub
With Lee “Scratch” Perry
- 1990 – Mystic Warrior
- 1995 – Black Ark Experryments
- 1995 – Super Ape Inna Jungle
- 1996 – Experryments At The Grass Roots Of Dub
- 1996 - Who Put The Voodoo Pon Reggae
- 1996 – Dub Take the Voodoo Out of ReggaeDub Take the Voodoo Out of ReggaeDub Take the Voodoo Out of Reggae is a studio album released by Reggae artist Mad Professor with Lee "Scratch" Perry. It was released in 1996 on Ariwa Sounds.- Track listing :All tracks by Mad Professor# "Cheerful Dub" - 3:23...
- 1998 – Live At Maritime Hall
- 1998 – Fire In Dub
- 2000 – Lee Perry Meets Mad Professor
- 2001 – Techno Dub
With other artists
- 1982 – Rhythm Collision Dub (With Ruts DC)
- 1983 – Punky Reggae Party (Positive Style) – Anti Social Workers
- 1984 – Jah Shaka Meets Mad Professor At Ariwa Sounds
- 1985 – Mad Professor Captures Pato Banton
- 1989 – Mad Professor Recaptures Pato Banton
- 1989 – Mad Professor Meets Puls Der Zeit
- 1990 – A Feast Of Yellow Dub (With Yellowman)
- 1996 – New Decade Of Dub (With Jah Shaka)
- 2000 – The Inspirational Sounds Of Mad Professor
- 2004 – Dub Revolutionaries (With Sly and Robbie)
- 2004 – From The Roots (With Horace Andy)
- 2004 – In A Dubwise Style (With Marcelinho da Lua)
- 2005 – Moroccan Sunrise (With Borrah)
- 2005 – Dancehall Dubs (With Crazy Caribs)
- 2009 - Revolution Feat. Pato Banton And Mr. Professor (With Tugg)
- 2009 – Nairobi Meets Mad Professor – Wu Wei
- 2010 - Izrael Meets Mad Professor and Joe Ariwa
Remixes
Since the 1990s he has remixed tracks by SadeSade (band)
Sade is a British smooth jazz band that formed in 1983, named for Nigerian lead singer Sade Adu. Their music features elements of R&B, soul, jazz, and soft rock....
, The Orb
The Orb
Throughout 1989, the Orb, along with Martin Glover, developed the musical genre of ambient house through the use of a diverse array of samples and recordings. The culmination of its musical work came toward the end of the year when the group recorded a session for John Peel on BBC Radio 1...
, The KLF
The KLF
The KLF were one of the seminal bands of the British acid house movement during the late 1980s and early 1990s....
, Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
, Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai is a British jazz funk and acid jazz band formed in 1992. Jamiroquai were initially the most prominent component in the early-1990s London-based acid jazz movement, alongside groups such as Incognito, the James Taylor Quartet, and the Brand New Heavies. Other Acid Jazz artists such as...
, Rancid
Rancid (band)
Rancid is an American punk rock band formed in Berkeley, California in 1991. Founded by Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman, both of whom previously played in the ska punk band Operation Ivy, Rancid is credited—along with Green Day and The Offspring—for reviving mainstream interest in punk rock in the...
, Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
, Perry Farrell
Perry Farrell
Perry Farrell is the frontman for the alternative rock band Jane's Addiction. Farrell created the touring festival Lollapalooza as a farewell tour for Jane's Addiction in 1991; it has since evolved into an annual destination festival. Farrell continues to produce Lollapalooza with partners William...
and Japanese pop singer Ayumi Hamasaki
Ayumi Hamasaki
is a Japanese singer-songwriter, record producer, model, lyricist, and actress. Also called "Ayu" by her fans, Hamasaki has been dubbed the "Empress of Pop" because of her popularity and widespread influence in Japan and throughout Asia. Born and raised in Fukuoka, she moved to Tokyo at fourteen to...
. His best-known project, perhaps, is 1995's No Protection, an electronic
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
dub version of Massive Attack
Massive Attack
Massive Attack are an English DJ and trip hop duo from Bristol, England consisting of Robert "3D" Del Naja and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall. Working with co-producers, as well as various session musicians and guest vocalists, they make records and tour live. The duo are considered to be of the trip...
's second album, Protection
Protection (album)
-Sound:Protection was featured in the top ten of Rolling Stone magazine's 'Coolest Albums of All Time List,' calling it "great music for when you're driving around a city at 4 am," due to the 'chill out' nature of the album...
. He has also done a version of I&I for New Zealand reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
band Katchafire
Katchafire
Katchafire is a New Zealand roots reggae band from Hamilton, New Zealand.Katchafire formed in 1997 as a Bob Marley tribute band and later began writing and performing their own songs...
. Mad Professor has done three versions for New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
electronic group Salmonella Dub
Salmonella Dub
Salmonella Dub are a Dub/Drum n Bass/Reggae/Roots band from Kaikoura, New Zealand. They were formed in 1991 by Andrew Penman, David Deakins and Mark Tyler...
.
- No Protection – "Dub version of Massive AttackMassive AttackMassive Attack are an English DJ and trip hop duo from Bristol, England consisting of Robert "3D" Del Naja and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall. Working with co-producers, as well as various session musicians and guest vocalists, they make records and tour live. The duo are considered to be of the trip...
album ProtectionProtection (album)-Sound:Protection was featured in the top ten of Rolling Stone magazine's 'Coolest Albums of All Time List,' calling it "great music for when you're driving around a city at 4 am," due to the 'chill out' nature of the album...
" (1995) - Soul CoughingSoul CoughingSoul Coughing was a popular New York-based alternative rock band. The band found modest mainstream success during the mid-to-late 1990s. Soul Coughing developed a devout fanbase and have garnered largely positive response from critics. Steve Huey describes the band as "one of the most unusual cult...
– "Sugar Free Jazz (Multiple Remixes (Most were released on the Sugar Free Jazz: Slash In-House Cassette))" (1995) - Black Orpheus Dub – Dub version of Black OrpheusBlack OrpheusBlack Orpheus is a 1959 film made in Brazil by French director Marcel Camus. It is based on the play Orfeu da Conceição by Vinicius de Moraes, which is an adaptation of the Greek legend of Orpheus and Eurydice, setting it in the modern context of a favela in Rio de Janeiro during the Carnaval...
for the AIDS-benefit album Red Hot + RioRed Hot + RioRed Hot + Rio is a compilation album produced by Paul Heck as part of the Red Hot AIDS Benefit Series intended to promote AIDS awareness. This installment is a contemporary tribute to the Bossa nova sound, especially the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim...
produced by the Red Hot OrganizationRed Hot OrganizationRed Hot Organization is a not-for-profit, 501 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture.Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilation albums, related television programs and media events to raise...
(1996) - Urrun DubBrigadistak Sound SystemBrigadistak Sound System is a studio album from Basque artist Fermin Muguruza. It was released in 1999 and produced by Esan Ozenki Records....
– Dub version of Fermin MuguruzaFermin MuguruzaFermin Muguruza is a Basque rock musician, singer, songwriter, producer, record label manager, and co-founder for the ska punk band Kortatu, active from 1983 to 1988, and for the crossover group Negu Gorriak, active from 1990 to 1996.He is the brother of musicians Iñigo Muguruza and Jabier...
's Urrun (1999) - Salmonella DubSalmonella DubSalmonella Dub are a Dub/Drum n Bass/Reggae/Roots band from Kaikoura, New Zealand. They were formed in 1991 by Andrew Penman, David Deakins and Mark Tyler...
– "For The Love Of It" (1999) - Salmonella DubSalmonella DubSalmonella Dub are a Dub/Drum n Bass/Reggae/Roots band from Kaikoura, New Zealand. They were formed in 1991 by Andrew Penman, David Deakins and Mark Tyler...
– "Tui Dub" (2002) - Salmonella DubSalmonella DubSalmonella Dub are a Dub/Drum n Bass/Reggae/Roots band from Kaikoura, New Zealand. They were formed in 1991 by Andrew Penman, David Deakins and Mark Tyler...
– "Mercy" (2004) - Miss KittinMiss KittinMiss Kittin is an electronic music DJ, vocalist, and songwriter. Since rising to prominence in 1998 for her singles "1982" and "Frank Sinatra" with The Hacker, she has worked with other musicians such as Chicks on Speed, Felix da Housecat and Golden Boy...
– "Happy ViolentineHappy Violentine"Happy Violentine" is the third single from the Miss Kittin's first solo album I Com.-Critical reception:Derek Miller of Pitchfork Media described the song "Happy Violentine" as "a love song pulled inside out, a track that seems pleased to display its visceral heartbreak.-Live performances:Miss...
(Mad Professor Smiling Orange Dub)" (2005)