MAD PROFESSOR
Photo by HervéAll
Interview by Lud Dub
With over 200 releases on his Ariwa label, Neil Fraser (aka Mad Professor) has been a pioneer among the second generation of Dub producers. Spanning 20+ years in the business, Mad Professor has helped preserve the Dub sound; keeping it dynamic and dissimilar amongst the recent digitization trend. His production talents have also left a significant mark on the Lover’s Rock and Roots Reggae sub-genres; working with established artists like Lee “Scratch” Perry, Horace Andy, U-Roy, and Macka B. I had the chance to link up with Mad Professor over the phone in London, where he recently got back after a short tour of Italy,
Why did you choose to produce Reggae/Dub?
Well, Reggae and Dub, it was natural. Growing up near the Caribbean it was part of culture. I was drawn to electronics as an electrical technician and started building my own studio equipment, and eventually a studio in the 70s. Electronics and dub in particular; more or less interest me. Dub has really interested me. When I started, Dub was only from Jamaica. No one else was doing it. By the time I started it was like Tubby’s the King, Lee Perry, and Jammy’s. Scientist was just coming in. It was completely analog back then. I use the computer to communicate with the rest of the world, like downloading files and stuff like that, but I don’t use computers I’m still all analog production in my studio. When I do my own stuff I still try to make it sound like how it was 24 years ago. Real deep.
What type of music influenced you?
Early influences were from Soul records out of like Motown and Philadelphia; these guys were experimenting with studio trickery. Know what I mean? Other than that there was no other dub or studio trickery at that time. Soul, Rock, and African music genres really influenced me.
What is your approach to producing? Do you come up with a particular theme or artist in mind when you produce?
I guess there is no one way. There’s no standard way. Like, umm when you’re cooking a meal. You don’t necessarily start with cooking the meat. You gotta make sure the meal is good and done right. You know, so I mean I don’t work in a standard way. It depends if it’s an artist that has approached me with a concept or an artist that I approach with a concept. Sometimes it’s from a musician playing a certain beat.
How would you describe the “Steppers” style of Dub? How is it different?
Well Steppers is one type of beat, really the kick drum is on all fours. One drop is on the one and the 4’s. (Mad Professor hums examples of both beats). Steppers actually started in Jamaica, not in England. Sly Dunbar is the inventor of steppers. Around 75’/76’. The first steppers tune I actually heard was from Channel One, lemme think, was a tune that went like this (He hums a beat again). And just after that Exodus was the 1st Bob Marley Steppers beat, the song “Jammin”. But when we started it wasn’t only steppers, some people got stuck in steppers because they were dancing like robots and not really listening to the music and the emotional side of things. They become kinda mechanical. But it’s never been about one type of beat.
How would you describe the UK Dub scene? Why do you think Dub is so popular in the UK as opposed to Jamaica?
Dub has been popular for years now. Because what happened, Dub was universally popular in the 70s starting from Jamaica. Because all the producers would take any old tracks and maybe love songs and then they would take the tracks and give them to somebody like usually Tubby’s, or Errol Thompson, or Sylvan Morris. And get them to mix down the tracks, could have been a bunch of love songs from like John Holt or Johnny Clarke. And they would remix it dubwise with echoes, reverbs, and phasers and call it something like “King Mountain Dub” or “Rasclat dub”. And then albums would go on and sell. And then albums came out like “King Tubby’s meets the Upsetter” or King Tubby’s meets the Rockers”. So it became immensely popular out of Jamaica, and you have like one of the most popular albums was Joe Gibbs “African Dub” mixed by Errol Thompson. That was very popular in England. Dub was the music you came to dance to in England. So it caught the whole of England, and soon after that in the UK people like Dennis Bovell started making Dub from England, and then myself & Jah Shaka around 1980; we started making our own brand of dub.
How did you get introduced to Lee “Scratch” Perry, and how it is working with him? What elements does he bring to your production techniques?
When he left JA in the early 80s, Tony Seven Leaves thought we should work together. He needed a studio to finish some tracks. I love his approach to vocals.
How did you come up with the concept of the “Dub Me Crazy” album series?
Well, dub needed some craziness.
What’s next for Mad Professor and the Ariwa label?
New dub albums in 2009 with Dennis Bovell, Joe Ariwa, and Yabby You.
