4d Riddim – 1st Klase Music

Out of Trinidad in 2012, 1st Klase Music had one of those soca sets that felt like it was aimed straight at the road, with Kes, Konshens, Machel Montano and Swappi all working over the same bright, hard-driving 4D groove. 1st Klase, who’d already been carving out a name in the Chaguanas studio scene, pushes a sharp, dance-first rhythm here, and Montano’s “Make Yuh Rock” sits right in that sweet spot between fete energy and big-band carnival swagger while Kes’ “Stress Away” adds a lighter singalong pull. Konshens’ “Gyal Dem Come Out” gives the riddim a crossover edge, and the instrumental closes things out cleanly, almost like a DJ’s cue card for the road. Five tracks, no dead weight, and a crisp little snapshot of early-2010s Trinidad soca.