Mad Professor - Melodies International Presents Ariwa Sounds (Vinyl 2LP)

This reggae compilation gathers fifteen tracks from Ariwa Sounds, the South London studio and label that Neil Fraser, better known as Mad Professor, started in 1979 with a four-track setup and homemade equipment in his front room. Ariwa went on to release more than 300 albums across reggae, dub and lovers rock. Melodies International, with Sam Shepherd (Floating Points) and Elliott Bernard as executive producers, curated the selection as a follow-up to its 2023 reissue of Ariwa Sounds: The Early Sessions. Rather than a greatest hits, it moves between the label's vocalists, including Johnny Clarke, Sandra Cross, Kofi, Sister Nancy and Queen Omega, and its heavier dub experiments, such as Non Violence Dub with Horace Andy. Frank Merritt mastered it from the original tapes at The Carvery, pressed at Optimal.