Ascenso Riddim – Dankillah Records

Dankillah Records comes through with a thick, uptempo ZimDancehall cut on Ascenso Riddim, the kind of pattern that leaves plenty of room for sharp patois hooks and streetwise local phrasing. The project runs 28 tracks and keeps the energy tight at around the three-minute mark, with Jahnoz Xtrabad’s “Beware” and Mr Retreat’s “Lighter” setting the tone early, while Mr ACH’s “Chidhakwa” feels like one of the more immediate cuts in the pack. There’s a nice line running between Dankillah’s lean, repeat-ready production and the way artists like Queen Pin and Dobba Don ride it with clipped melodies and firm delivery, never crowding the beat. It’s a big, all-hands affair, and even the shorter closer, “Double Storey, ” lands like a quick final stamp.