Mad Professor is an icon and living legend in dub music. Known for his prolific work across four decades and more than 200 albums, he is one of the leading producers and engineers that helped transition dub into the digital age. The Guyanese-born British visionary has reshaped the landscapes of dub and electronic music, working with everyone from Sade and Grace Jones to reggae artists like Lee “Scratch” Perry and Sly and Robbie. Renowned as a sound alchemist and inventive remix artist, he is perhaps best known for his 1995 remix album Massive Attack vs Mad Professor: No Protection, which is widely considered to be the best-selling dub album of all time. The album sold more than a million copies and became an instant classic in the genre. By embracing the “paradox between the ethereal and the earthly” (Rolling Stone) and introducing a new generation to the reverb-drenched, space echo-filled sonic wonderland of dub, Mad Professor’s “astonishing” (Rolling Stone) transformations of original sound into “fresh, cosmic versions of classics” (Resident Advisor) continues to move toward new horizons in dub.
For this special VIFF Live and Chan EXP event, and for the first time in Vancouver, Mad Professor will perform a rare live dub set in celebration of No Protection’s 30th anniversary, featuring music drawing from his Massive Attack remixes — including both No Protection and the Mezzanine remix tapes — and accompanied by live dub visuals from Vancouver interdisciplinary artist Saghi Ehteshamzadeh.
Join us for a hypnotic, audio-visual trip into the psychedelic worlds of dub, bass, and trip hop from one of the best to ever do it.
Vancouver reggae legend, DJ, and radio host George “Reggae Man” Barrett will DJ in the Chan Centre lobby to open the performance.
Co-presented with the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, as part of the Chan EXP Series
Supported by
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Mad Professor
Neil Joseph Stephen Fraser, better known as Mad Professor, is a maestro of dub, whose musical alchemy has transcended borders and genres. Born under the warm sun of Georgetown, Guyana, on March 27, 1955, this British visionary has reshaped the landscape of dub music. A pioneering producer and engineer, Mad Professor’s touch has brought a new dimension to the art, seamlessly blending traditional techniques with the digital era’s innovations.
Mad Professor’s journey in music is a tale of endless creativity and collaboration. He is a titan in the second generation of dub music, known for his unique productions and his skill in remixing. His studio — a playground of sound — has welcomed reggae legends such as Lee “Scratch” Perry, Sly and Robbie, Pato Banton, Jah Shaka, and Horace Andy. But his reach extends beyond the conventional boundaries of dub and reggae.
Mad Professor’s collaborations read like a who’s who of diverse musical talents. He’s added his Midas touch to the works of Sade and Massive Attack, floated through cosmic sounds with The Orb, explored sonic landscapes with Gaudi, and infused Brazilian beats with Marcelinho da Lua. Even icons like Grace Jones and Perry Farrell have experienced the transformative magic of his production.
Saghi Ehteshamzadeh
Live Visuals
Saghi Ehteshamzadeh (born 1995, Tehran) is a queer interdisciplinary artist/curator based in Vancouver whose practice encompasses video art, live visual performances, new media, and art installations.
Holding a Bachelor of Cinema Studies from the Art University of Tehran and graduating from Capilano University’s Arts and Entertainment Management Program in North Vancouver, Saghi’s diverse artistic background informs their creative endeavours.
Saghi’s art practice draws inspiration from their personal experiences navigating disabilities and advocating for social justice, particularly within Iran and the ongoing struggle for wxmen’s equality. Their video practice is characterized by a unique blend of compressed, low-resolution imagery and pixel manipulation, and their live visuals feature a fusion of exotic retro videos alongside digital scans of nature and urban environments.
Beyond their artistic pursuits, Saghi has held positions such as the Exhibitions Manager at North Van Arts and currently serves as Associate Curator at the Centre of International Contemporary Art (CICA) in Vancouver and Co-chair at VIVO Media Arts Centre’s board of directors.
George Barrett
Radio Host, DJ, concert promoter, and sound system operator George “Reggae Man” Barrett has been a pillar of Vancouver’s reggae and dub music scene for decades. Born and raised in the oldest inland town in Jamaica, Bath St Thomas, about 45 miles from Kingston, his passion for reggae music came at an early age. His home where his mother ran the family business was next door to Robert Night Club and Tavern. On the weekends, big dances were held in the nightclub and though George was too young to attend, he used to go to the club and watch them string up the sound system before the dance started.
In the tavern by day, Calypsonian Count Lasher used to grace the bar with his music. In those days, young George would listen to sound systems such as Barlow Sound, Daddy Nick, Mellow Canary, Merry Tone Disco, Danny Lou, and Phoenix the Ghost. When he was 12, George decided to throw a dance in his backyard. He invited some friends and used his mother’s salt fish and red herring box as his equipment. He heated a half-inch steel iron on the fire and used it to burn marble size holes in one side of the red herring box then filled the holes with different coloured marbles. He lit candles and put them in the box so that it would look just like the amplifiers he saw over at the club. For the speakers, he bore more holes into the salt fish box and got two of his friends, Ricky and Mickey, to stand in the box where he told them to sing out loud. Everyone laughed when they heard the boys sing, as the first human speaker was invented.
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