Modern Time Riddim – Dreadsquad Productions

A couple of tracks into Modern Time Riddim and you can hear Dreadsquad leaning hard into that old-school, mid-tempo dancehall feel, with minor-key chords and a rubbery bassline that nods back to the ’90s without sounding dusty. Charlie P’s “That Is Life” and Dr Ring Ding’s title cut give the set its clearest shape, while Million Stylez linking with Mr Williamz on “Can’t Stop The Youths” adds a sharper, more hooky edge. The cast stretches across Europe and the Caribbean — Taiwan MC, Marky Lyrical, Kacezet, S’Kaya, Ruffneck, Robbie Rule — which fits Dreadsquad’s Poland-to-the-world approach, and the riddim’s own instrumental version closes the circle neatly. It landed in October 2015, right when that kind of revivalist reggae-dancehall energy was having a strong run again.