MAD PROFESSOR - SCHIZOPHRENIC DUB

MAD PROFESSOR - SCHIZOPHRENIC DUB
DUBROOM ALBUM REVIEW





Originally released in 1986 as the 6th part of the crucial Dub Me Crazy series, Schizophrenic DUB contains 12 superb DUB mixes from the hands of Neil Fraser aka the Mad Professor.

A document from a time wherein the sound of Reggae Music was dramatically changing with the introduction of more and more digital technology.

Real drums and drum computer are both used in the production of the riddims on this album, part 6 of Dub Me Crazy. Analog and digital effects go very well together as well.

Short phrases between the tunes, sudden change of one riddim into the next, short clips from one tune used in another: when you think that this was all done in the mid 1980's, you can imagine some of the immense creativity of the Mad Professor.

It was also a time wherein digital technology was introduced in the Reggae studio's more and more, much to the chagrin of people who feared that all this "music-from-a-box" would take the place of creativity and inspiration.

A time wherein cokane was introduced to Jamaica and caused much more than just the music to dramatically change as Ronald Reagan's "War on Drugs" was practiced throughout the whole of South America.

In this time, the Mad Professor produced one crucial album after the other. Just like he's doing now, still, in January 2008. His DUB productions are unmatched until today, while his many releases with a whole army of vocalists complete an oeuvre which takes a predominant place in the (hi)story of Reggae Music as a whole.

Schizophrenic DUB is simply a must-have for the collector of the better UK DUB, the better DUB, the better Roots Reggae even!

THE ISRAEL LOBBY

THE ISRAEL LOBBY
BABYLON OBSERVER VIDEO REVIEW



WWW, January 2009 - How can it be that the USA backs up Israel in just about everything this state does? The answer is partly given in the title of this Dutch documentary with English subtitles.

The recent strike on Gaza by the Israeli military sent shockwaves among people world-wide. Once again, one might add. There is hardly any conflict in the world that triggers more emotion and even empathy than the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

It's a conflict where religion, politics, history and ethnicity blend together in an explosive situation. People in the street are the biggest sufferers, as those in power fuel the conflict at the cost of innocent blood, every day.

In this documentary, we try to find an answer to a significant aspect of this complicated matter: the fact that the USA seems to back up the Israeli state in just about everything it does. After all, it is because of this -as it seems- unconditional support that the state of Israel can do what it does.

The documentary was produced by Dutch public broadcasting company VPRO, and is almost completely in English. The few Dutch words spoken are subtitled in the English language.

We'll meet with Richard Perle, a well-known Neo-con and advisor of George Bush. We'll see someone who worked on the presentation that Colin Powell gave to the United Nations which caused the war in Iraq.

We also see an Amerikan evangelical pastor explaining how he has millions and millions of people under his wings who he can, and will, mobilize any time an American politician votes against Israel in some or another resolution.

We see Barack Obama, "presidential candidate", and George Bush as well as Dick Cheney as they visit an organization called AIPAC. This organization is extremely powerful. It seems like every politician who wants to be(come) something in American politics, needs the approval of AIPAC.

We see... The Israel Lobby.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH

A MAN CALLED DUB

Dubroom Online - January 30 2009


"A MAN CALLED DUB" (WEBMASTER'S COLUMN)

WWW, January 30 2009 - Today's edition of Dubroom online is livicated to Neil Fraser, aka the Mad Professor. Specifically, we focus on his works in 2007 with a video interview and review of a crucial Dub album he did in that very same year.

He is truly more than just an example and source of inspiration for me, as he is one of the most strong powers within the musical art called DUB ever since he started back some decades ago.

One thing that makes him really one of the most interesting producers also outside the field of Reggae, is that he uses acoustic or analogue instruments like a drum and subsequently makes them sound synthetic.

Usually, it is done the other way around. But the Mad Professor does things different today, where they will all do it tomorrow.

He surely is DUB, in a way. A man called DUB.

One Love, Give Thanks,
Messian Dread (Dubroom Webmaster)

The above column is the personal opinnion of the Webmaster and does not neccesarily reflect the contents of the Dubroom Website and/or Message Boards and/or Weblogs.

ITEMS FOR THIS EDITION:

MAD PROFESSOR INTERVIEWED IN ISRAEL, 2007 (DUBROOM VIDEO REVIEW)



WWW, January 2009 - He's not "just" releasing one crucial album after the other, the Mad Professor is also continually touring the world with some DUB show. In this video, we see him as he visits Tel Aviv and gives an interview to reggae.co.il

READ MORE


MAD PROFESSOR - DUB YOU CRAZY IN 2007 (DUBROOM ALBUM REVIEW)



Fourteen top DUB shots from the hands of the man who was there when UK DUB started a few decades ago, and who is still there, dwelling at the top of DUB producers world-wide.

READ MORE

MAD PROFESSOR INTERVIEWED IN ISRAEL (2007)

MAD PROFESSOR INTERVIEWED IN ISRAEL (2007)
DUBROOM VIDEO REVIEW



WWW, January 2009 - He's not "just" releasing one crucial album after the other, the Mad Professor is also continually touring the world with some DUB show. In this video, we see him as he visits Tel Aviv and gives an interview to reggae.co.il

Where did Neil Fraser get his name "Mad Professor" from? He's explaining it in the start on the almost 5 minutes long video. It didn't come when he built his Ariwa studio...

His many travels as well as the fact he's worked with a list of artists that is just too long to mention, obviously keep teaching him a lot of things. He mentions some of them, specifically he talks about his time with Lee Perry, which dates back to the mid 1980's.

Unfortunately, there are some glitches in the sound as the microphone doesn't really seem to work as it should. However, everything is pretty well understandable and just too good to not at least watch one time, when you're into getting to know one of the best DUB Producers the music has ever known!

CLICK HERE TO WATCH

MAD PROFESSOR - DUB YOU CRAZY LIKE 2007

MAD PROFESSOR - DUB YOU CRAZY LIKE 2007
DUBROOM ALBUM REVIEW





Fourteen top DUB shots from the hands of the man who was there when UK DUB started a few decades ago, and who is still there, dwelling at the top of DUB producers world-wide.

It says a thing, especially on this album. Created in 2007, it seems to look back at the 1980's when Neil Fraser set up the Ariwa Studio's and the history that came after that.

We hear a variety of riddims and effects, some which definitely date back to the 1980's. The spring reverb, for example. Many of the riddims are of the very same style that Mad Professor made to come out of his studio during the last three decades, some with effects he used in the 1990's.

More of the enormous amount of work that came out of the Ariwa studio during these last decades can be tasted, when you consider the wide variety of different vocalists which drop in and out of the mix. All of them, and more, have been singing and chanting into the microphone throughout time.

A surprisingly refreshing, and in the same time kind of really spaced out: the unmatched quality of Mad Professor's work is shown once again and all we can do is say: crucial!

DECADES OF DUB

Dubroom Online - January 29 2009


"DECADES OF DUB" (WEBMASTER'S COLUMN)

WWW, January 29 2009 - Today, the Dubroom has a brand new review of a very old DUB video: 25 years old.

The video has the Sound of the Sitar in it, a reference to the 1960's: the times of the hippies and the times just before DUB came into existence when King Tubby discovered the power of the drum and bass with effects.

It made me realize once again, that we're living in times wherein we can already look back at decades of Dub.

Equally, I think we can also look forward to decades of Dub as well. The concept of a Drum and Bassline with effects and instruments dropping in and out at strategic points is by far not worked out to the fullness...

And so, whether I look into history, or into the future, I see DUB.

One Love, Give Thanks,
Messian Dread (Dubroom Webmaster)

The above column is the personal opinnion of the Webmaster and does not neccesarily reflect the contents of the Dubroom Website and/or Message Boards and/or Weblogs.

ITEMS FOR THIS EDITION:

DUB SYNDICATE WITH RAVI SHANKAR (1984) (DUBROOM VIDEO REVIEW)



WWW, January 2009 - What happens when Indian Sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar plays his instruments over a Reggae drum and bass line? Indeed: 25 years after the fact, we're still talking about it.

READ MORE


MAD PROFESSOR - UNDER THE SPELL OF DUB (DUBROOM ALBUM REVIEW)



Fortunately, it's not really a spell. In reality, it's a collection of 13 hard riddims from Ariwa Studio, superbly mixed by Mad Professor himself.

The fourth chapter in the Black Liberation DUB series is definitely one of the strongest chapters. It says a thing, because in fact the whole series is in itself already of an unmatched quality.

READ MORE

DUB SYNDICATE WITH RAVI SHANKAR (1984)

DUB SYNDICATE WITH RAVI SHANKAR (1984)
DUBROOM VIDEO REVIEW



WWW, January 2009 - What happens when Indian Sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar plays his instruments over a Reggae drum and bass line? Indeed: 25 years after the fact, we're still talking about it.

The year is 1984 and in the UK, we have Adrian Sherwood with his On-U Sound experimenting with just about everything one can experiment with when it comes to DUB. The producer also worked one this one: a collaboration between the British band DUB Syndicate and Indian Sitar player Ravi Shankar.

Shankar is one of the lesser known musical stars of the 1960's. It was the hippie time, when groups like the Beatles went to India to study what they perceived to be Hinduism. A time wherein the sound of the sitar was well sought after as it brought that vibration many were looking for.

25 years ago, the Hippies were already history. At least, the time of "peace, love and hippieness" had already been replaced by the colder vibe of the 1980's.

This did not matter to Adrian Sherwood then, as it doesn't matter to us now. What matters is: the Sound of Shankar's Sitar goes very well with the Drum and Bass lines of the DUB Syndicate band.

Enjoy!

CLICK HERE TO WATCH

MAD PROFESSOR - UNDER THE SPELL OF DUB

MAD PROFESSOR - UNDER THE SPELL OF DUB
DUBROOM ALBUM REVIEW





Fortunately, it's not really a spell. In reality, it's a collection of 13 hard riddims from Ariwa Studio, superbly mixed by Mad Professor himself.

The fourth chapter in the Black Liberation DUB series is definitely one of the strongest chapters. It says a thing, because in fact the whole series is in itself already of an unmatched quality.

Strange phrases by a strange person, even more strange phasers over some not-so-strange Ariwa riddims, there is no effect left untouched as we're taken from the top to the very last drop of the album.

We can hear "real instruments" and programmed material, blending together into a massive sound that takes us through many different styles of Reggae too: from militant Steppers to massive One Drops and everything in between and around.

A variety of singers drop in and out soaked in all kinds of echoings and reverberations, as they provide some food for thought. It's a balance to the many, many humorous parts of the album, one of Mad Professor's trademarks which nobody will be able to match for quite a while to come.

Not an album to leave behind, when you respect yourself as a DUB connoisseur or even "mere" collector of the better material.