Jump and Spread Out Riddim – Digital B

Still moving in that early-’90s Digital B pocket, Jump and Spread Out catches Bobby Digital at the point where the label was tightening up its dancehall-reggae sound with a lean, kette-driven groove and a big, rubbery bass line underneath it. The lineup is classic enough to tell you the lane straight away: Chaka Demus on “Ital Man, ” Johnny Osbourne on “Rude Boy Skank, ” Shabba Ranks with “No Mama Man, ” and the Flourgon and Daddy Lizard combination cut that gave the riddim its name. Reggae Report notes that the rhythm was originally dubbed the “Bongo Riddim” and cut at Digital B without any one artist in mind, which fits the loose, session-like feel of the set. It’s a compact six-track run, all anchored by that clipped drum pattern and the kind of forward-rolling bassline that keeps the vocal deliveries riding just ahead of the one-drop.