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Review of Mad Professor: "Afrocentric Dub..."

© Ryan A. MacMichael

There are a few names one instantly associates with creating a particular type of dub style: King Tubby, Augustus Pablo, Prince Jammy, and Mad Professor. In the early 1980s Mad P brought a dub style out of England that broke the boundaries -- the beats weren't always laid back, frequently they were more upbeat and more complex. The types of percussion in his dubs also differed from other producers of the time: way more congo drums. With hundreds of album as producer and several dozen dub albums under his belt, Mad P has become one of the most recognized names in English reggae.

I'd missed the last few Mad Professor releases, so Afrocentric Dub (the fifth in the "Black Liberation Dub" series) brought an instant smile to my face when it arrived on my doorstep. 14 tracks deep, we have Mad P, Michael Prophet (who has a new solo album out on RAS), Chukki Starr, and a few others on vocals. My favorite cuts are those with Prophet on vocals, especially the title track. Here is Mad P at his best -- stretching a Michael Prophet vocal shot for a full 15 seconds without any fading of the echo. In the past 17 years, the Professor has developed some very effective signature dub techniques -- notably the warbly basslines and the extended vocal echoes.

There is are two more versions of the title track. Instrumentally, the second is more typical Mad P with thundering, chest-pounding bass. Vocally, though, it's much sparser than the earlier version. The third version combines elements of the first two, but loses its effectiveness in the process.

There are a few more unique tracks: "Confa Dance" has a slight drum-n-bass feel to it (appropriate since some credit Mad P with fathering the jungle revolution as far back as 15 years ago). Nice brass is provided by Urban Breeze, an unfamiliar name to me. "Studio 54 Dub" has Blondie-esque vocals (singing, appopriately enough, "Rapture"). The album closes out with an unusally mellow and melodic "Motor Town Dub."

It's good to hear from Mad Professor again -- his sound is certainly his own, and at 45+ years old, the man is still churning out some incredible music.

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