Pure White Riddim – Open Ear Productions

Pure White rides a soft, rootsy one-drop pulse with just enough polish to keep the whole thing moving. Open Ear Productions lined up a tidy 2008 set, and the best moment might be the way Junior Reid’s “Never Let You Go (Need You More)” sits alongside Lutan Fyah’s “Ever Since, ” two voices that lean into the same warm, lovers-rock mood without sounding cut from the same cloth. Konshens, Delly Ranx and Aisha Davis keep the riddim varied, but the selection never strays far from that mellow, late-night feel. The version at the end is a nice little nod to the sound itself, too, and the credits on this one point to Matthew Lawrence and Davy Dunbar behind Open Ear.