Cuts & Dubs Vol. 1 LP

Ariwa Sounds started in a front room in Thornton Heath, South London. Four tracks, some homemade equipment, and Neil Fraser, better known as Mad Professor, at the controls. That was 1980. Over four decades later, the label has more than 300 albums to it's name and a legacy that stretches well beyond the reggae scene. This compilation pulls twelve tracks from across the catalog. Dub, lovers rock, heavy roots music, digital dancehall - it's all here. What ties it together is the Ariwa studio sound all going through Mad Professor's desk. Mad Professor is the backbone of it. "Dub Me Crazy" got him known and his production credits run from Jah Shaka and Horace Andy to Massive Attack, Sade, and The Orb. The tracks here - "Ariwa the Dub Sampler", "H2SO4", "Disco Dude", "Kathmandu Dub" - show why.The Jah Shaka collaboration "Only One God" is a landmark. Two of the UK's most important dub figures on one track. Dark and heavy roots music. The Robotics appear twice - "Hong Kong Flew!" and "Miss Mood". They are Ariwa's house band and have backed U-Roy, Lee Perry, Big Youth, and more over the years. Aisha closes things out with "Can You Feel It", a track that crosses reggae, soul, and boogie funk. Collectors have been after original pressings for years. Starky Banton, Ragga Doll, Professor Doppler, and Earl Lawrence complete the compilation. Exactly the kind of thing that reminds you how wide the Ariwa net was cast. Sleeve design is by Trevor Jackson. One of the UK's most respected graphic designers. His work has defined the visual language of British music for thirty years. His involvement here signals exactly the kind of release this is. A serious catalog and compilation of music, treated with the respect it deserves. Ariwa sits alongside Greensleeves as the most important reggae imprint the UK has produced. This compilation shows why.