Fantasy (zviroto) Riddim – Daclama Records

Daclama Records leans into local Zim dancehall energy here, and Fantasy (Zviroto) has a scrappier, more homegrown feel than the usual glossy one-drop or broad crossover stuff you might expect from a bigger Jamaican camp. The cut runs with eight tracks and nine voices, but the ear keeps landing on Fire Jigga’s “She’S Hott, ” Millitary SK’s “Dem Fi Kno, ” and the Daclama pairings, which give the rhythm its rough-edged, street-level charge. There’s a fast, skanking pulse underneath it all, with enough bounce for the singjay hooks to ride cleanly and enough grit in the drums to keep the whole thing from sounding polished. Redfire and Jah Kid’s “Da Ghetto Yutes” adds a more pointed edge, and the final Daclama instrumental version ties the project together by stripping it back to the bare rhythm and leaving that eerie, dreamlike “zviroto” mood hanging in the air.