Drama Riddim (2005) – Pressure Sounds

Pressure Sounds’ Drama Riddim sits in that mid-2000s run of hard-edged dancehall where the rhythm does most of the talking: a lean, tense pulse with enough room for voices to jab in and out, and a bassline that keeps the whole thing moving. The cast is deep without feeling crowded, with Anthony B and Dasia on “Rasta, ” Elephant Man cutting through on the oddly named “Sulan – Stroke Me Slow, ” and Vybz Kartel turning up twice, first on “Pussy Watcher” with Escobar and then solo on “Informer. ” Roundhead’s “Get Higher” and Wayne Marshall’s “Oh Yeah” add some extra lift, but the riddim keeps its bite through the final stretch, ending on Zumjay and Hotta Ball’s “Dance Forever, ” then the version, which leaves the bare groove hanging in the air the way a good dancehall cut should.