Timbeats Riddim – Nikooo Productions

Deejay Nicky’s “Party” is the first jolt of Timbeats Riddim, and it sets the tone for a 2012 dancehall project that’s got a distinctly Francophone Caribbean feel running through it. Nikooo Productions threads together 16 cuts here, with voices like Zorro Chang on “Kafrine, ” Malkijah on “Jah Is The Best, ” Xyclone on “Clean, ” and Maylan’s “Vyin Cote Moin” pushing the set in different directions without losing that sharp, compact riddim pulse. There’s enough variation in the lineup to keep the project moving between straight dancehall chants and more melodic, island-flavored turns, but the strongest impression comes from the opener and the way Deejay Nicky rides the rhythm with easy authority. Nikooo, who later mapped out other riddims too, was clearly in producer-mode here, and “Party” still feels like the track that locks the whole package into place.