Slide Bass Riddim – L.A.S.N Records

A few seconds into Slide Bass Riddim, the name tells you plenty: L. A. S. N Records keeps the low end front and center, with a lean, rubbery bassline carrying the whole thing and the vocalists riding it in a plainspoken, rootsy register. The 2015 set pulls together Shezy’s “Ndiwe Wandoda, ” Lady Banks on “Ndinokuda Times 2, ” Kelly Dee’s “Dai Zvaibvira, ” and G’s “Ndinokuda, ” with the songs moving in that steady, mid-tempo reggae pocket that leaves space for the rhythm section to do the talking. It’s a small but busy Zimbabwean-flavoured lineup, and the best moments come when the singers stretch their phrasing over the bass hook without crowding it. The whole riddim stays dry, uncluttered, and anchored by that rolling bass pattern.