Lewes Con Club

A disciple of Lee “Scratch” Perry, Mad Professor stands as one of the leading producers in dub reggae’s second generation. His Dub Me Crazy albums helped dub make the transition into the digital age, when electronic productions started to take over mainstream reggae in the ’80s. His space-age tracks not only made use of new digital technology, but often expanded dub’s sonic blueprint, adding more elements and layers of sound than his forebears typically did. In the mid-’90s, he returned to the basics, debuting a more retro-sounding style on the Black Liberation Dubseries. Additionally, he runs his own studio and label, Ariwa, which has been a home to a stable of vocalists (with an emphasis on lovers rock and conscious roots reggae) and some top shelf British reggae productions. As his reputation grew, he became a remixer of choice for adventurous rock and techno acts, most notably revamping Massive Attack’s entire second album under the new title No Protection.
Mad Professor remained productive as the decades wound on, working in the realm of reggae and beyond, with production credits as wide-reachingas work for Sade, the Orb, Perry Farrell and many others. Mad Professor’s solo output continued as well, with solo sets like 2009’s Audio Illusions of Dub, and collaborations like 2019’s Mad Professor meets Gaudi or the 2023 soundclash style release Mad Professor Meets Channel One Sound System Round Two.