Mad Professor

RAS Records/Airwa

It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Professor is a collection of lean, mean mayhem concocted by innovative London electro-dub scientist Mad Professor between 1981 and 1994. The simple reggae rhythms underlying the disc’s 14 spaced-out songs are bathed with swirling delay and phase, soaking this generally sun-dried music in a sonic rainfall. Mad makes a convincing case for the Prof’s tendency to anticipate trends: 1982’s “Beyond the Realms of Dub” includes one of the earliest uses of electronic sampling, while 1984’s “The Heart of the Jungle” features the same chaotic rhythms that are currently raging through Europe’s “jungle-techno” scene. Yet the disc’s most graphic track is “Invasion Dub”—when its incredibly loud shooting phase-effect kicks in, it’s hard not to duck.