Double Muffler Riddim – Lockecity Music Group / Truckback Records

Lockecity Music Group and Truckback Records kept the Double Muffler Riddim in the 2013 dancehall lane, and the cast tells you this one was aimed squarely at sound system rotation. Beenie Man turns up with “Make Money, ” Elephant Man fires off “Bad Wi Bad (The Extractors), ” Chico rides the groove on “Out In The Streets (One Link), ” and the younger voices New Kidz, Jus Chris, Bawse Dawg, and Flexx fill out the set with cuts like “Nuh Fear, ” “Quenger Dem, ” “More Plans, ” and “Young Veteran. ” Andrew Locke and Steve Locke are the names behind the riddim, working under the LockeCity banner that had already been putting out a steady stream of dancehall projects around that period.

The rhythm has that rough-edged, street-level 2013 feel: a thick, bouncy drum pattern, a dark synth line, and enough open space for the deejays to punch their lyrics through cleanly. It is the sort of juggling built for contrast, and that is where the package works best. Beenie Man’s “Make Money” brings veteran polish, Elephant Man gives it raw energy, and Chico’s “Out In The Streets” adds a more narrative, everyday angle. The radio and raw versions on the releases from New Kidz, Jus Chris, and Chico also point to a format designed for both airplay and dancehall crowd control.

This sits neatly in Lockecity’s early-2010s catalog, where the crew was also behind other riddims in the same stretch, and Double Muffler fits as one of those local dancehall projects that leaned on name recognition, young voices, and a tough instrumental that could hold the room.