Riddim I like

baboon2004

Darned cockwombles.
Simple question: your ten favourite (recent-ish) riddims from Jamaica?

Coolie Dance
Bollywood
Buy Out
'I'm Still in Love With You' (OK, so that's an oldie)
Bionic Ras
Chrome
Baghdad
Cure
Hindu Storm
Clappas
 

minikomi

pu1.pu2.wav.noi
i think cure was germaican, so maybe we should just say top 10 riddims!

great idea though!

not all recent but all gold to me


hammer (my fave riddim ever.. minimal, driving and with some of the best versions)
hot sex (nothing special but the strength of the versions makes this one a winner)
dreamweaver (Diwaali's ugly cousin? the TOK and chico versions proved this one for me)
irob (the beenie man version blows me away every time.. but all in all a solid riddim!)
dub inna rome (lovely lovely almost ska-ish roots)
sleepy dog (definitely a grower.. dropped in the middle of a mix proves irresistable!)
kopa (duh)
Bellyas (oldie but a goodie. detroit kick sounds with muted catch-calls dropping into pingy reggae-piano..)
Mexican (can't knock the shuffle in this oldie! halftime 2-step)
Ceaser (for the sheer bredth of the versions. each one tweaked in just the right way.. the hiphop breakout at the end of the Al Borosie version makes it lovely to mix, and comes like a gulp of fresh air after a lengthy session of boom boom snare 3rds).
 

stelfox

Beast of Burden
oh come on, you HAVE to mention diwali! it's hands-down the most important and probably the best rhythm of the past few years.

cure was german - not that that's a particularly bad thing...

i'm not doing an "ever" list, though, coz it'll change next week, so i'll just stick to now.

1) Bionic Ras - Obviously!
2) Fowl Fight - Frenchie coming on strong with a tough martial beat, but melodic and synth-splashed rather than plain old stripped-down tough. The Wayne Marshall is killer on this.
3) Irob - still can't stop loving this; it's the Lean Back of ragga and the Bounty Killer version just slays.
4) Sweet Dreams - does what it says on the label, no original versions, but the remixes of Beenie Man's Picture Dis and Vybz's Sweet To Di Belly rock the houses.
5) Forbidden Dance - More didgeridoos and weird-ass thumb pianos in the dance, please!
6) Scallawah - Cracking new roots rhythm with the most punchy, churning bass guitar line. Only have one version of this so far on 7, Turbulence's Notorious, but boy is this big.
7) Rose Gold - I LOVE this rhythm, just a shame all the official Stone Love 7-inch voicings are such unmitigated bollocks. Some really good blends floating about on the interweb, though, and the version is fabulous.
8) Sleepy Dog - This is so old-fashioned, but works so well. The Buju and the Famous face cuts totally rule.
9) Chat - Cutesy Cajun-style bashment, has a real zydeco feel to it and the Mr Easy versh is top-a-top.
10) Reggaematic - Not so new and not Jamaican, coming out of Long Island somewhere on the Wild Apache label. Although the beats break no new ground, it bounces and Yami Bolo's "A Di Music" is one of the best songs I've heard in ages.
 
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baboon2004

Darned cockwombles.
minikomi said:
i think cure was germaican, so maybe we should just say top 10 riddims!

great idea though!

Ah- didn't know that. Was just trying to rule out soca riddims!

As a poitn of interest, what is the deal with Germaican riddims - are there any key producers to watch out for, a whole scene? I just remember that Dr Ring-a-Ding (?) tune from a couple of years back.
 

stelfox

Beast of Burden
germaican is the label that the cure riddim came out on - there are a few other german labels, too, but germaican and pow pow are the most consistent. most of the output, even on these, tends to be slightly less futuristic (read more trad and boring) than the best yard dancehall, but they're mostly solid. they do occassionaly turn up some pure gold, though: cf the night nurse remake, doctor's darling which formed the base to tanya stevens' it's a pity. i also really LOVED the superior riddim on pow pow a while back, especially the gentleman and morgan heritage cuts. germany does actually have quite a reggae culture, so much to the point that it's easier to get JA-pressed records sent from there than it is to buy them in the UK these days, but these rhythms don't have much currency outside of the country - it is pretty tough for non-jamaicans to score yard hits, though, and it's a pity did eventually have some success on the island, albeit about 18 months after its original release.
 
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Eric

Mr Moraigero
just a list ...

bionic ras
chrome
bomb a drop
red alert
drop leaf
masterpiece
stepfather
military
bubble up
i rob
bollywood
...
 
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