Blitz Riddim – Various Artists

Blitz Riddim comes across like a lean, hard-edged 2007 dancehall set rather than one of those glossy, overpacked various-artists packages, with the focus staying on sharp singles and a clipped, streetwise swing. Busy Signal’s “Real Hot Head” gives the riddim its biggest jolt, and the cut feels built for his quick-fire style, while Leftside and Esco’s “You See It” and Tornado and Wayne Marshall’s “Gangsters (Raw)” keep the energy rolling with that raw, minimal-charge pulse that was all over late-2000s dancehall. Flexx, Ises and Looga Man each slot in with tracks that ride the same dark, taut groove, and the whole thing hangs on tight drum programming and a bassline that leaves plenty of room for the voices to cut through. The release runs six tracks deep: Busy Signal, Flexx, Ises, Leftside and Esco, Looga Man, and Tornado and Wayne Marshall.