The Syntobreak Beat Riddim – Various Artists

Somewhere in the middle of 2008’s dancehall run, The Syntobreak Beat Riddim turns up as a compact various-artists set with a clean/raw split on a few cuts, which already tells you it was aimed at selectors as much as casual listeners. Chromatics and Kimberly Dopson’s “Takover” and Nemesis and Press’s “Get That Money” both appear in clean and raw versions, while Pro Records’ “So Fly” gets the same treatment, and Jadee’s “The Boss” keeps the lineup moving without overloading it. There’s no flashy guest list here; the interest is in the way the rhythm is used twice over, with version cut included at the end to let the instrumental sit on its own. It plays like a stripped, forward-driving dancehall pattern, all tight drums, a clipped synth line and a bass pulse that stays focused rather than overworking the pocket.