[RTD Interview]: Mad Professor

It's an honor that I got to speak to Mad Professor, one of the true torchbearers for the Dub sound. It was his No Protection remix of Massive Attack's Protection that helped me fully-realize how far Dub music could go, and from that point I truly started to discover the classics and such, and keep a finger to the pulse of the sound and its evolution. He's recently compiled a huge library of sounds for a Loopmasters' sample pack, Reel To Reel Reggae, and I got a chance to speak with him about this project, his sound and other bits.

khal: You’ve been creating dub music for a number of years; what made you decide to contribute to the Loopmasters series of sample packs?

Mad Professor: It seemed like a unique project. I had my reservations as some of my samples contain melodies which are assigned to various songs I’ve already published (that I own the rights to), but in the end it was something different to work on.

khal: How long did it take you to cull all of these samples?

Mad Professor: As you know, we draw material from the early days when Ariwa was based in a sitting room in South London till the present day. That’s a big collection to choose from, so it took quite a lot of time to make and some considerable attention to the detail.

khal: I’ve seen producers put out their riddims and such on singles, but not really seen a true reggae/dub sample pack, especially from someone of your caliber. What are some of your hopes for the future of dub in putting out projects like this?

Mad Professor: I definitely expect Dub to be represented properly, as it has been at the forefront of experimental electronic music for the past 30 years! Hopefully this pack will help provide some good tools for the scene for those who would like them.

khal: When I first heard your material, it was from the classic No Protection project, and then I did the knowledge on your previous works and continued to follow your progression. Takes us back to the release of No Protection, though: did you have any idea that this remix album would be as well-received as it became?

Mad Professor: No Protection started as a few remix singles from the then new LP from Massive. As it was such a high-end state of the art recording, at a time when analogue still ruled, it has become a benchmark project. I think digital recordings that are now the norm of the industry do not come any way near the sonic qualities of a good analogue project. The original Massive material was well-recorded using the very best, to match the dubs to the originals. I invested in two 2 inch analogue machines, a Studer A80 and an Otari, both spinning a hi-speed to deliver the true sonic sound… then was locked to my existing Ampex MM1200. Hi-speed analogue is very expensive, but it is the best sounding format ever.

khal: Your remix work has risen since then, including doing numerous remix projects for Salmonella Dub. Is your process for remixing someone’s song differ from your original productions?

Mad Professor: Remixing in the Nineties is a totally different process from now. To cut & paste on Pro-Tools/Logic is not very musical nor challenging; back then, a lot of the remixes relied on MIDI or highly-skilled musicians playing in real-time.

khal: If you had to choose, could you name an album or song of yours that you would consider to be a favorite, and/or an accurate description of your sound?

Mad Professor: I really enjoy True Born African by U-Roy from 1991, though the real outstanding projects are Who Knows The Secret of The Master Tape? from 1984, Mad Professor Captures Pato Banton from 1985 and Sign Of The Times by Macka B from 1986. All these projects consists of a combination of analogue recordings, using mid-Eighties drum machines.

khal: Do you get sent demos from aspiring dub producers?

Mad Professor: I get demos from a wide cross- section of musicians. From classical to rock, many musicians want me to get involved at various levels.

khal: Do you listen to any dubstep, and if so, do you have any favorite artists?

Mad Professor: Both of my sons are involved in making dubstep and other contemporary styles of music, some of which I like.

khal: Where do you see Dub evolving in 2010 and beyond?

Mad Professor: Who knows, lets see what happens. It could go anywhere!

khal: What can your fans expect from you and Ariwa in the near future?

Mad Professor: The studios and label are still quite active, both of my sons are quite active in the day to day running of label duties…I am semi-retired!!

khal: What do you think your legacy within Dub and for music in general will be?

Mad Professor: I’m not sure, it probably differs from all sorts of peoples opinions. It’s probably easier for me to be told this, rather than me telling you what I think ;-)


Here's a demo from the Reel To Reel Reggae pack:

Mad Professor Reel 2 Reel Reggae - Sample Pack Demo by loopmasters

If you are a producer of Dub, dubstep, Drum & Bass and other sounds, definitely pick up that Reel To Reel Reggae pack via Loopmasters. I thank the Mad Professor for taking the time out, and extra special shouts go to Rosie at Cypher PR for the hook-up. If you'd like to know more history on the Mad Professor, check out this in-depth interview at Niceup.

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