Uptown Girl Riddim – Firehouse Records

Lloyd Hemmings sets the tone here with “Rude Boy, ” a tidy mid-’80s cut that sits nicely alongside Tinga Stewart’s “Dry Up Your Tears” and the bare-bones version side. Firehouse keeps the arrangement lean and spacious, letting the rhythm ride with that polished digital-era pulse that was starting to define the label’s 1986 output. There’s a clear kinship with Firehouse’s other King Tubby-linked work from the period, especially the “Bobby Babylon / Uptown Girl” connection, which gives this riddim a familiar roots-to-modern bridge without feeling overly recycled. With just three tracks, it’s a small release, but it fits neatly into the label’s sharp run of late-’80s reggae singles and dubwise rhythm pieces.