| According
to many people: Who says Reggae, says
Jamaica. And it's true: Reggae originated
and has been developed on Jamaica. The first
outernational Reggae Acts were predominantly
run by Jamaicans who migrated elsewhere.
After Jamaica, the UK is a good second.
For who says Reggae, says UK too. UK Roots
and DUB to be precize. And the Mad Professor
is a leading force in the Movement of UK DUB
and Roots.
Ever since the 1980's, Mad Professor's
Ariwa Studio had been leading the way. Many,
many Jamaican vocalists came to Ariwa to
voice over some of the fattest riddims ever
made.
In the meantime, Mad Professor paved the
way for the acceptance of DUB to a world
wide audience. his "Dub Me Crazy"
and "Black Liberation Dub" series
are respected and accepted by an audience
that goes way beyond the avarage Reggae
audience.
Hijacked to Jamaica forms an interesting
combination of all of the above, and more.
First, the music is definitely different
then most of the other Mad Professor albums.
To experience the difference between UK and
Jamaica based Reggae Music, try this one
along with any other Mad Professor material.
Unlike most other Mad Professor material,
the music for this one is actually produced
on Jamaica!
Most of the music is kind of
dancehall-ish, so it's very
interesting to hear what a true DUB Master
like Mad Professor makes from this rather
minimalistic form of Reggae. And indeed,
there are albums in which Neil Fraser goes
much further. In most tracks, there could
have been a lot more going on. And whether
this is because of the music, or because -as
some say- the "Dub Me Crazy"
series began to show "forms of
burn-out" (SOURCE),
or because of a combination of these
factors, who shall say?
There are definitely some true gems on
the album as well. "Jungle Fresh
DUB", for example. Heavyweight Steppers
DUB, worthy of a Mad Professor mark.
Minimalistic too, but definitely appealing
to the fan of some hardcore UK Steppers.
For collectors of Mad Professor material,
this one should of course be present in your
collection. For those who wish to introduce
themselves to the works of the man behind
Ariwa Sound, there are other albums which
could be considered.
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