Forever Loving Jah Riddim (1996) – Mafia And Fluxy

Mafia and Fluxy’s Forever Loving Jah Riddim lands in 1996 as a small but sturdy roots set, anchored by the British rhythm team of Leroy “Mafia” Heywood and David “Fluxy” Heywood. The brothers came up in London’s reggae scene before becoming known as players, arrangers and producers, and by the mid-90s they were recording regularly in their own Tottenham setup and working with a wide spread of UK and Jamaican voices.

This one keeps the arrangement lean: heavy bass, clean drums, and a muted, rolling groove that leaves space for the singers to work the melody and message. The pull is devotional rather than flashy, with the rhythm sitting in that late roots pocket where the drums stay firm and the bass line carries the emotional weight. It feels made for sound system use, but the mix also has the polish of a studio cut aimed at lovers of conscious reggae.

Robbie Valentine’s Last Days brings the sharper warning tone, riding the rhythm with a serious, end-times edge. Sylvia Tella’s There Is No Love is the more vulnerable cut, and her voice gives the riddim its sweetest moment. Tella’s place in British reggae is long established, and her delivery here gives the track a calm authority that fits the riddim’s meditative mood.

As a project, Forever Loving Jah is compact but memorable: a 1996 Mafia and Fluxy production with just two vocal cuts, both of them fully in step with the roots direction of the title.