15 February 2024 - 0 Comments

Living legend and dub pioneer Mad Professor has announced his return to Aotearoa, with a string of intimate performances scheduled in Whanganui, Wellington and Raglan. He will be joined at all 3 shows by Misled Convoy, the alter ego of Pitch Black’s Mike Hodgson, providing a uniquely ambient take on the classic dub sound. Capacity at each event is strictly limited, so secure your place now and don't sleep on tickets while they're available!

Thursday 7th March - Porridge Watson, Whanganui

Friday 8th March - Moon, Wellington

Sunday 10th March - The Yot Club, Raglan

Early birds available from $25+bf from undertheradar.co.nz

You've got to earn a name like Mad Professor. And if anyone's done just that it is Neil Fraser, who was already dismantling home electronics and assembling his own radios aged 9, living in Guyana with his parents. Instrumental in bringing dub into the digital age, Mad Professor's influence cannot be overstated. In 1979, he hand-built his first mixing board, opened a four-track studio in his living room in Thornton Heath and began recording artists for his "Ariwa" imprint, with a focus on roots music. Since then he has released thousands of songs and over three hundred albums, working alongside some of the biggest names in the game, from original legends such as Yellowman, Pato Banton and Ranking Ann, through to 90's giants such as Massive Attack, Jamiroquai, Sade and the Beastie Boys. Few have covered so much sonic ground.

You would be remiss to talk about Mad Professor without mentioning Lee "Scratch" Perry, one of the very originators of the “dub” sound alongside King Tubby. The pair frequently worked together, and Mad Professor was substantially inspired by Perry's work throughout the 70's, crediting him with producing 'some of the greatest reggae records ever made'. Their paths finally crossed in 1983, and between the pair they worked on numerous records and helped to build a framework for the modern dub and reggae sound.

Since 1995, Mad Professor has been on tour to Aotearoa regularly, and clearly has an affinity with the motu, having collaborated with artists such as Salmonella Dub, The Black Seeds and Katchafire. A fiercely peripatetic individual, Mad Professor is constantly touring, bringing his sound to new places all across the globe. It was actually a New Zealander (DJ Goosebump from the Roots Foundation) who first encouraged Fraser to bring his sound into the live sphere, debuting ‘Mad Professor Mixes Live’ at a small basement club in Brixton, London in 1993. The word spread, and the rest is history. Mad Professor is - simply put - a living legend.

Early birds are available for the sweet price of $25+bf from undertheradar.co.nz - secure yours now and lock in for an unforgettable evening of dub and roots reggae with a genuine musical icon.

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