Sinister Riddim – Plycity Records

Plycity Records leans into a dark, gritty dancehall swing here, the kind of skeletal riddim that leaves plenty of room for the voices to cut through. Sinister Riddim gathers 11 artists across 13 tracks, with Sentimental coming through twice on the same song in radio and raw form, while Bad Spurr’s “National Gun, ” Clarity’s “Wiggle Like Worm, ” and Poto’s “Brace” keep the pressure on. At around three minutes a tune, it moves with that tight, no-frills 2016 juggernaut feel, and the instrumental at the end underlines how hard Plycity were working the pattern. It sits neatly alongside the label’s other instrumental-led dancehall work, a sharp little entry in a catalogue that was clearly building its own lane around this kind of clipped, menacing sound.