Dark Slaya Riddim – Lando Genius Records

Out of the 2018 dancehall crop, Dark Slaya Riddim feels like a lean little corner-piece from Lando Genius Records, with just five cuts and an instrumental that leaves plenty of room for the mood to breathe. Sanjay’s “Mama Say” is the one that most readily sticks, sitting alongside Esco’s “Beat The Fight, ” Garrizon Curtiz’s “RIP, ” and Talis on “Harsh Program, ” each voice riding the same tense, pared-back framework without crowding it. Lando Genius was already putting out other instrumentals in that period, and here the name on the riddim itself gives the project an extra sense of control, almost like the producer is sketching the whole thing in one pass. It’s a compact set, right down to the instrumental tucked in near the middle.