Baddis Retro Riddim – Various Artists

Baddis Retro Riddim sits in the 2005 dancehall run as a very lean, two-song showcase with a version cut, and that economy gives it a sharp, no-frills feel. The music sits in that mid-2000s bashment pocket: hard-edged, a little retro in spirit, but still built for the dance with enough swing for the vocals to cut through. Alozade and Kiprich turn “All Of My Gangstas” into the grittier cut here, while Mr Lexx and Vegas keep “Taxi Fare” moving with more of that playful streetwise energy. The title track closes it out as “Version, ” which says plenty about the project’s shape: a stripped-back riddim statement rather than a crowded showcase, letting the rhythm carry the weight.