Pan Belly Riddim – H2O Records

ZJ Liquid’s H2O Records keeps Pan Belly Riddim in the lane he knows best: sharp-edged dancehall made for the street and the dance. Liquid, the Montego Bay-born selector, radio personality and producer Michael Brissett, has been running H2O since the mid-2000s and has built a catalogue that includes names like French Vanilla, Good Book, Fix Up and Pied Piper. Pan Belly dropped in 2023 and sits alongside his recent round of modern dancehall production with the same club-ready instincts that have long marked his work.

The rhythm is brisk and muscular, with a bright, digital bounce and a percussive backbone that leaves space for deejays to cut through. It has that late-night, road-ready feel: lean enough for quick juggling, but sturdy enough to carry different vocal approaches. The release runs with the clean and radio versions of each cut, which is standard for the format, but the names on it give the project real weight.

Quick Cook brings the title cut, and his energy fits the rhythm’s clipped momentum. Pablo YG uses Talk Bout to push current young-gun confidence, while Milawno’s Solitary adds a more measured, reflective note. Jahvillani’s Big Bad And Mighty lands with the kind of authority that has made him one of St. Ann’s most reliable hitmakers, and Iwaata’s No Drama keeps the temperature high without overreaching. I-Octane’s Trust Nobody gives the riddim a veteran voice with enough edge to anchor the set. Badda General, HitMaker and Xyclone, and Ajji round out a compilation that feels built for juggling rather than novelty, with enough variation to keep the pattern moving.