Skettel Riddim (1995) – Steelie And Clevie

Steelie and Clevie were already one of the defining dancehall production teams by 1995, moving with the kind of tight, digital muscle that helped shape the era’s harder club records. Skettel Riddim lands in that lane with a sharp, skanking pattern, crisp drum programming, and a bassline that leaves plenty of room for deejays to work the pocket. It sits among the duo’s Studio 2000-era output, the run that later fed some of the most durable dancehall riddims of the decade.

The voicings are strong top to bottom. Buccaneer’s “Teddy” catches the riddim’s comic streak, while Bushman’s “Call The Hearse” brings a cooler, more cultural edge. Daddy Screw’s “Looks And Shape, ” General B’s “Bad Inna New Clothes, ” General Degree’s “When I Hold You Tonight, ” Powerman’s “Slim And Trim, ” and Spragga Benz’s “She Wrong” all push the same rhythm in different directions without breaking its stride. Delly Ranx’s “Sentinel” adds another sharp deejay cut to the set.

What makes Skettel Riddim linger is the balance between bounce and bite. It is jaunty enough for party play, but the production stays lean and clean, with the kind of clipped digital bounce that lets each voice cut through. General Degree and Spragga Benz are the easiest points of entry, but the whole package feels like a snapshot of mid-90s dancehall when a rhythm could travel far just by being tough, catchy, and built for the sound system.