Calender Riddim – Beach Back Music

Beach Back Music had already been putting its name on a string of 2010 and 2011 dancehall releases, and Calender Riddim sits neatly in that run as a five-cut project from 2011 with Dun Bless, Hi Light, I Mark and T Vicious carrying the vocals. The title tune and the surrounding songs keep the focus on a lean, street-level dancehall pattern rather than big studio gloss, with the kind of clipped drum programming and low-slung bass line that leaves plenty of room for the deejays to ride the groove. Hi Light’s “For The Last Time” and Dun Bless’s “January To December” do the heavy lifting here, while the whole set stays tightly wound and uncluttered. It moves at a steady mid-tempo, with the bass sitting deep underneath the voices and the rhythm locking in more through pressure than speed.