MAD PROFESSOR - PSYCHEDELIC DUB

MAD PROFESSOR - PSYCHEDELIC DUB
DUBROOM ALBUM REVIEW





A long horn solo spices up the first DUB of this 1990 Ariwa release. It's a celebration to Nelson Mandela and sets the tone for the rest of this 12 track collection of magnificent DUBS.

Time for DUB ME CRAZY Part 10, which looks both back and forward.

DUB has more than once been called "Psychedelic Reggae", and for a reason. However, the word was more popular in the 1960's and 1970's as it referred to spaced out music and various forms of drugs.

The cover and title of Psychedelic DUB is an obvious hint to that period, but none of that can be said about the music. The album was originally released in 1990, and contains some solid Roots riddims, UK Style. Cool and deadly here, upfull and joyous there...

There are many surprise parts throughout the entire album. Just when you space out a little too much, there is some flanger over the drums to wake you up again. The music can suddenly stop, you hear a phrase and a next DUB is there.

The album was produced in a time wherein the Mad Professor was about to jump into the production of DUB in a more digital style than he did before. Decades were about to come, in which Neil Fraser would (and will) take DUB to an ever deeper dimension. Some anticipating vibes can also be heard already on Psychedelic DUB...

Nice One!

OBAMA'S FIRST STRIKE

OBAMA'S FIRST STRIKE
BABYLON OBSERVER VIDEO REVIEW



WWW, January 2009 - Under the new Obama administration, the so-called "War on Terror" is business as usual: last week, the US military launched two missile attacks against people in Pakistan.

Many people have protested against the wars that George W Bush and his group pulled the world in. Many people point out to the new president Obama as he has rhetoric's about leaving Iraq, but they forget the fact that Barack Obama left the same guy in charge of the military.

Even stronger, Obama made it clear that those who are against the war should not count on him and last week this became painfully clear as the US military attacked people in Pakistan, killing 17 under which two children.

Check out this short interview that CNN's Wolf Blitzer had with the president of Pakistan on Obama's first strike...

CLICK HERE TO WATCH

THE LOBBY

Dubroom Online - January 31 2009


"THE LOBBY" (WEBMASTER'S COLUMN)

WWW, January 31 2009 - The recent inauguration of Barack Obama certainly marked a point of "change". However, that "change" has not so much to do with the politicks of the new administration as some would like to believe.

In a video reviewed for today's edition of Dubroom Online, the Babylon Observer reports on a documentary by Dutch public broadcasting company VPRO about a strong lobby in the USA that makes everyone who wants to be someone on politicks (like becoming the president of the USA) pay tribute to them.

It's a quite revealing piece of footage, when you consider how people of several sides are interviewed as they admit to the enormous strength of... the Israel Lobby.

Check it out...

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 - 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.

READ MORE


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.

READ MORE

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!