Vip Riddim – Various Artists

Coming out of the 2011 wave of digital reggae productions, Vip Riddim keeps the energy bright and trim, with a springy one-drop bounce that leaves room for melody as much as attitude. Ace and Khalil’s title cut sets the tone, while Dale Ryan’s “Believe In Yourself” and Spectre and Gabby’s “Searching For Your Love” lean into the more conscious side of the set, and Cryminal and Menace keep things moving with rougher, more streetwise turns. The instrumental version underlines how cleanly the rhythm is cut, and Ziggy’s “Replay” adds one more hooky pass through the pattern. It’s the kind of early-2010s juggling that showed reggae still had plenty of life in a compact, radio-friendly format.