Mr. Woodwicker — independent producer, multi-instrumentalist, and dubmaster from Udine, Italy — brings his signature touch together with Jamaican deejay legend Ranking Joe on the latest single “Free Up Africa (Hommage to Ibrahim Traoré).” A tribute to a contemporary pan-African figure from Burkina Faso whose name has been resonating powerfully across African communities and their diaspora.

The entire production was built through a live dub mix approach using an eight-channel mixer — a method that puts spontaneous dynamics at the center of every recording. Over that foundation, Ranking Joe’s vocals settle into Woodwicker’s arrangements — a cross-generational collaboration rooted in Jamaican studio tradition, with the blues and jazz colors that have defined Woodwicker’s musical character from the start.

Ranking Joe’s presence brings historical weight to the work. For Mr. Woodwicker, analog technique and contemporary perspective have always traveled the same road.