What We Are Gonna Do When The Grid Goes Down Riddim – Small Axe Production

Somewhere between a roots showcase and a singer’s set piece, this 2009 Small Axe Production riddim lines up Tom O Brien, Ernie Smith, Dalton Screwdriver Lindo, Ian Kimo Forrester and Tony Lamb across 16 cuts, with Ernie Smith’s “I Was Country” and Tom O Brien’s “When Do We Act” and “Peace Bredren Please” among the first tracks to catch the ear. The title has a slightly dystopian edge, but the production stays firmly in reggae territory: warm, steady drum and bass, a patient one-drop feel, and enough space for each vocalist to work the riddim without crowding it. Small Axe keeps the arrangement dry and direct, letting the harmony lines and spoken-leaning phrasing do the heavy lifting while the bass carries the whole thing forward. It’s the kind of riddim that moves at an easy mid-tempo, with a locked-in low end and vocals sitting cleanly on top.