Naya Rockers recently dropped their new single “Reggae Train (Mad Professor Dub),” featuring Johnny Clarke, a track from the band’s album, Naya Sound System.
The Naya Sound System album first came about when Nathan Sabanayagam, drummer and one-half of the Naya Rockers duo, started traveling to Kingston, Jamaica in 2004. Through his time there Nathan created the Naya Sound System album comprised of nine songs that catalog his time in Jamaica, and the talent he met, worked with, and was inspired by.
Nearly a decade later, The Naya Rockers remastered their iconic record to stunning audio effects.
Sabanayagam explains, “The new release/re-release is a look back for me, a reflective moment where I can revisit my early work and see where I have been. As a fan and dedicated student of reggae, I have gone to the source and have been fortunate enough to drink from the well.”
The critically acclaimed and renowned sound system producer Mad Professor is a disciple of Lee Scratch Perry. His Dub Me Crazy albums catapulted the genre into the digital age in the ‘80s during a time when electronic productions took over. By the mid-’90s, he brought the sound full circle by debuting a more retro-sounding style on the Black Liberation Dub series.
Working with Mad Professor on the new single was a dream come true for the Naya Rockers.
The band shares, “It was a collaborative dream that originated in Jamaica and continued in England, bearing the mark of Mad Professor.”
Mad Professor adds, “The remix is like looking at a project through X-Ray Eyes, Big Up to the band Naya Rockers!!!”
The song features the lyrics and vocals of Johnny Clarke who is one of Jamaica’s most outstanding vocal talents. His ability to write new lyrics, mostly in a cultural vein, to classic rocksteady hits opened the dancehall door for vocalists, and most critics acknowledge him as the first of the dancehall singers. Putting his trademark sound on the single, Johnny Clarke’s vocals are given the dubby reverb by the outstanding Mad Professor remix.
“Reggae Train (Mad Professor Dub)” opens on a fat, rolling riddim, featuring a delicious, walking bassline and crisp percussion. Reverberating vocals imbue the tune with resonant tones as skiffing washes of sound shimmer and undulate, infusing the harmonics with psychedelic-lite flavors.
Rippling with luscious sensations, “Reggae Train (Mad Professor Dub)” reveals the superb talents of Naya Rockers, Mad Professor, and Johnny Clarke.
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