Black And Dutty Riddim – Aquarion Studios

Jab King’s “Jab Nut” leads the way on Black And Dutty Riddim, and it’s the cut that gives the whole Aquarion Studios set its snap, with K-Os’ “Dutty All Over” keeping the pace tight and the instrumental leaving the groove front and centre. Released in September 2018 as a three-track soca single, it runs lean at just nine minutes, but there’s enough attitude in the programming to make the title feel earned rather than decorative. Compared with Aquarion’s earlier Sokiwi and King Kobra work, this one feels a bit more stripped-back and percussive, less about crowd size than about clean pressure and movement. It sits neatly in the label’s run of compact, DJ-friendly soca riddims, the kind that leave room for the vocals to cut through without crowding the bass.