Dubtronic

by Rick AndersonThis is a disappointingly pedestrian outing from Mad Professor, a genius producer whose solo work has been maddeningly uneven in the 1990s. Although he practically holds the patent for the U.K. lovers rock sound and has done fine work with such artists as Lee "Scratch" Perry, Kofi and Sandra Cross, he hasn't been able to translate his production prowess into consistently interesting solo projects. Dubtronic is a collection of instrumentals featuring the fine Robotiks band and cameo appearances by Perry and several others, and the most interesting thing about the album is the degree to which it downplays explicit reggae rhythms in favor of slick and mild-mannered funk. "Boombox Dub" and "Boombox Version II" relieve the tedium somewhat with a deep, slow groove and interesting sound effects, but "Drum & Bass in the Asylum" is a thoroughly boring piece of generic jungle, and "Bedroom Sensation" is an equally tiresome attempt at instrumental lovers rock. It all adds up to a sort of easy-listening version of modern reggae.