Joe Ariwa blends family legacy and modern production to shape the next era of dub music through live performance and studio mastery.
Joe Ariwa, the London-born son of dub pioneer Mad Professor, is crafting a powerful legacy of his own connecting dub’s analog past with its digital future. Known for his deep basslines, genre bending collaborations, and high-energy live dub performances, Joe is a leading force in the evolution of UK sound system culture.Growing up at Ariwa Studios, Joe was immersed in music from a young age. He learned the craft by helping in the studio after school, eventually studying music technology to merge hands-on experience with formal training. One of his earliest contributions was digitizing rare multitrack recordings, bringing long-lost gems like Tippa Irie’s “Rebel on the Roots Corner” back to life.
By 2006, Joe had become an integral part of the Ariwa operation engineering, DJing, and performing with his father. He soon launched his own projects, exploring dubstep, jungle, and drum & bass while collaborating with major names like Young Warrior and Ashanti Selah. Releases such as Cessman vs. Joe Ariwa Shanker and Dub Ripe Fruits demonstrate his diverse sonic palette.
Joe’s impact extends beyond the studio. As front-of-house engineer and live dub selector for the re-formed Robotiks band, he has performed with reggae greats like U Roy, Big Youth, and Lee “Scratch” Perry. Festival audiences at Boomtown, Reggae Land, and Rototom Sunsplash have witnessed his unique blend of traditional dub mixing with modern flair.
In recent years, Joe has also focused on artist development. His Ariwa Posse project nurtures emerging talent like Abel Miller, Askala Selassie, and I Jah, whose voices feature prominently on Joe’s newest productions, including The Next Generation of Dub and Sunshine Rise.Whether on stage or in the studio, Joe Ariwa is a key architect of modern dub. He honors the sound system foundation while pushing its boundaries ensuring that dub continues to thrive across genres and generations.
