Ganja Bee Riddim – Illoom

Ganja Bee Riddim comes in as a lean 2013 reggae set with a smoky, late-night feel, letting the groove carry the mood rather than crowding it with too much decoration. Illoom keeps the lineup tight: Bunny Lie Lie opens with “Go Away, ” Afro Omega returns on “Shine Bright, ” and Cheshire’s “Burnin” sits in the middle with the kind of rootsy pressure that suits the title. The Grimblee remix of “Shine Bright” adds a sharper, more electronic edge to the original, giving the package a little extra motion without breaking its laid-back pulse. Closing with the bare riddim instrumental, the release leaves the pattern exposed, which makes the drum-and-bass work do the talking and gives the whole thing a proper dubwise finish.