Melodies International releases a new double compilation showcasing music from the Ariwa Sounds label, created by dub producer Mad Professor (Neil Fraser). The collection draws from releases associated with the label from 1984 onward, presenting a range of styles rather than a strict greatest-hits or chronological overview. Sources describe the compilation as an exploration of Ariwa Sounds’ broader output, moving across genres including proto-grime, dub-related tracks, and lovers rock. The label’s early formation is linked to Fraser’s move to Croydon in the late 1970s, when he set up a four-track mixing desk and built studio equipment at home, laying groundwork for both studio work and the label. Ariwa’s early years were captured in an album originally released in 1984 and reissued by Melodies International in 2023. The new release continues that collaboration by documenting sounds that followed, featuring artists associated with the label such as Sister Nancy, Horace Andy, and Sandra Cross, alongside lesser-known selections.
Melodies International releases Ariwa Sounds compilation featuring Mad Professor’s label artists
Melodies International releases a new double compilation showcasing music from the Ariwa Sounds label, created by dub producer Mad Professor (Neil Fraser). The collection draws from releases associate...
- Melodies International releases a double compilation of music from Mad Professor’s Ariwa Sounds label.
- The compilation draws on Ariwa Sounds output beginning in 1984 and continuing onward.
- The release is not presented as a greatest-hits collection or a chronological history.
- Artists featured include Sister Nancy, Horace Andy, and Sandra Cross, alongside deeper cuts.
- A 1984 Ariwa-era album was previously reissued by Melodies International in 2023.
(Melodies International)With cuts from the producer’s Ariwa Sounds label between 1984 and the present day, this compilation hops from skulking proto-grime to dreamy lovers rockIn the late 1970s, Neil Fraser, AKA Mad Professor, and his wife moved into a house in Croydon. “The normal thing would be to put in some chairs, a table,” he said in a podcast last year. Instead, the legendary dub producer fitted his living room with a four-track mixing desk and his collection of homemade gear, thus marking the beginning of the studio and label Ariwa Sounds.The early years of Ariwa were captured in a 1984 album, which was reissued by Melodies International in 2023. Now, the two labels reunite to document the sounds that followed. This double compilation isn’t an attempt at a greatest hits collection, nor a chronological history, but an insight into the label’s expansive output between 1984 and 2026, featuring big names like Sister Nancy, Horace Andy and Sandra Cross, plus a handful of deeper cuts. Continue reading...
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