Follow Fashion Riddim – Linval Thompson

By 1981, Linval Thompson was deep into that heavy Channel One-to-Roots Radics sound, and Follow Fashion sits right in that pocket: lean, hard, and cut with a dubby edge. The Roots Radics’ “Dub Fashion” lays down the bare-bones backbone, while Sammy Dread and Saddle Dread turn the title tune into a sly, steppers-style chant that feels more pointed than flashy. The real curveball is “Dematerialize, ” where Scientist and the Roots Radics push the rhythm into space-dub territory, all echo, pressure, and weird little sonic flashes. It’s only four tracks, but it captures that early-’80s moment when Thompson’s productions were moving from roots weight into the tougher, stripped-down sound that would carry reggae into the decade.