Happy Time Riddim – Various Artists

By the time Happy Time Riddim came through in 2008, it sat neatly in the run of mid-aughts dancehall pieces that leaned on a bright, rolling bounce rather than brute force, and the lineup keeps that mood moving with Alozade, Mr. Vegas, Minku and Spontanius cutting across the same instrumental in different shades. The strongest pulls are the dual versions of “Closer, ” “Can’t Cool Mi” and “Can’t Get Mi Down, ” where the edit/raw pairings let the vocals carry the attitude while the riddim’s slick, upbeat swing does the heavy lifting underneath; even the one-off cuts like Higher Tone’s “I’ll Be There” and Unicorn’s “Dagga Morning” slot into that easy, party-forward feel. The set closes with the instrumental version, giving the riddim its own final lap.