Flat Shoe Riddim – Royal-T Music

Coming in as a four-track 2018 cut, Flat Shoe Riddim finds Royal-T Music leaning into a lean, dubby dancehall frame rather than anything flashy, with each vocal version running the same 3: 31 slot on the August 3 release. Riko Dan, ONJUICY and Smack all get a turn over the riddim, and the set feels especially sharp on the Riko Dan cut, where the patter sits right on top of the instrumental’s clipped drum pattern and rubbery low end. Royal-T keeps the arrangement tight under his own name too, which gives the whole thing a producer-led, almost demo-like focus. It’s a short release, just 14 minutes in all, but the pull comes from that dry bounce and the way the bass stays tucked into a steady mid-tempo roll.