Cultura Riddim – Reggaeland Sound

Cultura-heavy. Reggaeland Sound lean into a late-’70s, early-’80s roots mood here, with a skanking one-drop frame and just enough dubwise space to let the voices breathe. Jah Thomas opens the set with the blunt-minded “Strong Ganja, ” then Linval Thompson folds “Know Your Rights” into the kind of cultural message he’s been carrying for decades. The riddim keeps its footing through cuts from Ranking Forrest, John Mouse, and Wayne Daniel with Malijah and Zanda P, while the Spanish touch comes through on Txilum and Zanda P’s “Cultura Accidental” and Roberto Sanchez’s dub versioning. But the tune that really hangs in the air is Jahmali’s “Selecta Man, ” a sharp, modern roots singjay cut that locks the whole compilation into place.