Nyabingi Love Riddim – Clive Hunt Productions

Clive Hunt has long been one of reggae’s serious studio architects, a producer, arranger and multi-instrumentalist whose catalogue stretches from classic roots work into modern roots-reggae projects for VP-era audiences. Nyabingi Love Riddim sits neatly in that lane: a 2024 digital release issued through Ineffable Records, carrying Hunt’s name front and center and framing the riddim as a love song exercise rather than a hard-edged dancehall juggling.

The cut is anchored by a warm, steady one-drop pulse with Nyabinghi coloring in the feel, giving it a ceremonial, rootsy lift without turning the arrangement stiff. Maxi Priest opens the set with the title song, and the remix with Kabaka Pyramid gives the riddim a more contemporary push. J. C. Lodge brings the kind of polished lovers-rock phrasing that made her a crossover name from the 1980s, while George Nooks and Lutan Fyah push the material deeper into roots territory. Omar Perry, the son of Lee “Scratch” Perry, adds another veteran voice with a dub-conscious edge, and Jamelody’s “Keeps Me Rocking” rounds out the vocals with a smoother modern reggae delivery.

What makes the project work is the balance: Hunt keeps the production clean and melodic, but the lineup prevents it from settling into easy romance. It feels like a roots set designed for singers who know how to stretch a phrase and shape a chorus, and the Maxi Priest and Kabaka Pyramid remix is the clearest sign that the riddim was meant to travel across generations.