Ebola Riddim 2.0 (2014) – Anjublax Uim Records

Anjublax UIM Records drops Ebola Riddim 2. 0 as a hard-edged dancehall juggling from 2014, carrying the kind of raw, street-facing energy that Anju Blaxx has long pushed through his UIM imprint. UIM, short for Uptempo International Music, is the Kingston-rooted label he founded and built into a steady home for straight dancehall work, with a catalogue that has run from early breakout cuts to a long line of artist-driven riddims.

This one rides with a clipped, militant pulse and a tense, slightly menacing bounce, the sort of rhythm that leaves room for DJs to cut through with sharp singles and simple hooks. The mix alternates clean and raw versions on key tunes, which gives the riddim that classic juggling feel and underlines its club and radio utility.

Agent Sasco is the name that jumps off the page first. His “Bad Man Ting” fits his usual commanding style, blunt and unsmiling, with the discipline and authority that made him one of the genre’s most reliable voices. Fire Links brings “Yuh Mad, ” a title and delivery that sit naturally in the war-talk lane. Gramma Zone’s “Hot” adds another roughneck angle, while Etalian’s “None A Dem” keeps the energy lean and confrontational. Wasp’s “Freestyle” rounds it out with a looser, throwback-minded attack.

As a project, Ebola Riddim 2. 0 works because it doesn’t try to overdecorate itself. It keeps the pressure on, and the artists on it answer in kind.