Abel Miller, Mad Professor

𝘼 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙡𝙮 𝙪𝙣𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙧𝙞𝙬𝙖 𝙘𝙖𝙢𝙥 (𝙈𝙖𝙙 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙛𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙤𝙧’𝙨 𝙡𝙖𝙗𝙚𝙡 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙤) 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙐𝙆 𝙍&𝘽 𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝘼𝙗𝙚𝙡 𝙈𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙧 — 𝙖 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙍𝙤𝙘𝙠 𝙘𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙘 𝟭𝟵𝟲𝟬𝙨 𝙋𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙥𝙝𝙞𝙖 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙡 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙠 “𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙄 𝙎𝙚𝙚 𝙈𝙮 𝘽𝙖𝙗𝙮” 𝙗𝙮 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙚𝙡𝙛𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙨.

"A few years ago, Mad Professor teamed up with frequent collaborator and multi-instrumentalist virtuoso Black Steel — who regularly records bass, guitar, keys, and vocals for Ariwa Studios (“he can play anything” Mad Professor tells us) — to record a series of Lovers Rock covers of songs by The Delfonics. Mad Professor’s love for 60s and 70s US soul is no secret and shines through much of his production, but he realised he had never heard this particular song, originally written by Thom Bell and William Hart. For the session, they brought in Ashanti Selah on keys and Horseman on drums, with Abel Miller delivering the lead vocals. Mad Professor and his son Joe Ariwa recorded and produced the track.

Since their first reissue project with Mad Professor a few years back (Ariwa Sounds: The Early Sessions LP), he has occasionally performed with the Melodies crew — most recently on Floating Points’ Sunflower Soundsystem this past summer. At their Osaka gig a couple of years ago, he closed the show with this track, immediately blowing everyone’s minds. When asked what it was, he told the team that Melodies could release it!"