Mad Professor @ NAC

Really big, really loud and really beefy

by lizzoutline 11 September 2016

It's a mixed crowd at the Arts Centre on this balmy evening - people who look like they definitely love the reggae riddims, others you'd never guess dug the dub. We've come together to give the utmost respect to one of the most innovative, influential and independent-thinking characters in the world of reggae. Mad Professor has been working for decades on making music, remixing music and helping others make music from his Ariwa label, and he's a total sweetheart to boot. All hail The Professor.

Norwich reggae collective Rebel Lion provide support tonight, with King Rebel Lion Finbarr on the decks. Additionally tonight there's an exciting live element, with an electric violin, tenor and alto saxophonists (one of whom is Jordan Smart from most excellent jazz combo Mammal Hands), MC UK Principal and a melodica player. They freestyle over some fat riddims, and it's bloody brilliant - it takes real skill to be able to improvise, and that really shows tonight.

Mad Professor's three hour set (THREE HOURS) is really big, really loud and really beefy. The room's hot and sweaty and gets increasingly so as the night progresses with everyone skanking away by the third track. The Professor plays dub classics to the enthusiastic crowd, including English Girl, Chase The Devil, They Call It Murder and some tasty King Tubby and Bob Marley. He's firmly ensconsed behind his complex electronics set up, and looks totally in command - he's a dab hand with live mixing, obvs, and looks so relaxed and cool. Some lucky attendees walk away with records they win from answering correct questions from the stage. The massive echoey rewinds, rhythm changes and sweet, warm, loving reggae feels make tonight very special...did I mention he delivers a THREE HOUR SET?

Saturday night's alright for dancing, especially when the riddim's gotcha. You can catch the totally banging Rebel Lion nights once a month at The Owl Sanctuary for just a fiver...massive bassbins, people fully into the dancing...see you there next month yeah?