Although he was born in Georgetown, Guyana, Neil ‘Mad Professor’ Fraser says his love for music came from Kingston, Jamaica. The British reggae stalwart discovered that country’s pop culture as a teenager in London, where he moved to with his family during the mid-1960s.
“My heart was in Jamaica spiritually in the mid ‘60’s with Delroy Wilson, Max Romeo, Jimmy Cliff, The Ethiopians, The Melodians, etc, before my (first) physical visit in the late ‘80’s,” said Mad Professor, who was in Kingston in early June.
Unlike previous trips to Jamaica, when he recorded with fellow artists, the bespectacled engineer/producer took time out to relax. He visited the famous Tuff Gong recording studio, which was recently refurbished.
There was a time, especially during the 1980s, when British reggae artists and producers visited Jamaica to record songs with local musicians. Mad Professor says those days are long gone and described the current state of British reggae as “Terrible!”.
He noted that, “It’s completely ignored by the mainstream media! Nepotism, gatekeepers, Disc Jockeys promoting themselves instead of the most creative artists and musicians.”
There was no such scenario when Mad Professor started his Ariwa company in 1979. Like his heroes, Jamaican producers Clement “Coxsone” Dodd and Lee “Scratch” Perry, he amassed a formidable catalog.
British artists such as Kofi, Macka B and Pato Banton, as well as Jamaican stars like Max Romeo and Johnny Clarke, have recorded for Ariwa.
