In the late 1970s, Neil Fraser - better known to the world as Mad Professor - and his wife moved into a house in Croydon. The normal thing would be to put in some chairs, a table, as Fraser himself noted on a podcast last year. Instead, the legendary dub producer fitted his living room with a four-track mixing desk and his collection of homemade gear, thus marking the beginning of the studio and label Ariwa Sounds. Because who needs furniture when you can have a recording studio? Certainly not Mad Professor.

The early years of Ariwa were captured in a 1984 album, which was reissued by Melodies International in 2023. Now, the two labels reunite to document the sounds that followed. This double compilation isn't an attempt at a greatest hits collection, nor a chronological history, but an insight into the label's expansive output between 1984 and 2026, featuring big names like Sister Nancy, Horace Andy, and Sandra Cross, plus a handful of deeper cuts. Because why settle for a straightforward hits package when you can have a head-spinning journey from skulking proto-grime to dreamy lovers rock? Exactly.