Checkmate Riddim – Garrison Entertainment

Garrison Entertainment’s Checkmate Riddim came out in 2017 with a sharper dancehall edge than the more glossy, party-first material the label would later lean into, and the line-up keeps the pressure up with Wayne Wonder’s “Me A Put It On” leading the charge alongside Cutty Ranks’ gruff “Who Breed You” and Delly Ranx’s sharp-tongued “Chatty Mouth. ” The rhythm itself has that taut, marching feel that leaves plenty of room for the deejays to work, while Raytid’s pair of cuts, especially “Clarks Pon Feet, ” push the fashion-and-flip language that always lands well on a sound-system riddim; Wayne Wonder’s clean hook on the radio mix gives the set its most immediate pull. Cut from the same session is a raw version of “Me A Put It On, ” and the package also folds in tunes from Itakay, Danjay, Froggy Aka Badda General, Flashy Wonda, Chead and George P, making it an 18-track release anchored in 2017.