Dubspot

Prince Fatty – Supersize

When a style of music has been around for decades, it’s hard to stand out if you adhere too strictly to the genre’s roots. There’s already a vast array of reggae to choose from made by those who created the style in the first place. Some are upset that people ache for its reproduction: “I think people feel that in order for reggae to be authentic, it needs to sound like it was made at Studio One 20 years ago,” London reggae artist Soloman told Voice Online recently (thanks Ed). But it can certainly still be enjoyable, as proven by Prince Fatty, out of the UK. They’ve got some good tunes on their new release, Supersize, like the lover’s rock track “Need It”, featuring the voice of Little Roy. It just makes you feel good. Besides, newer releases still benefit from the higher quality of production expected today. And these efforts also reach new audiences through modern channels – like BandCamp, where Fatty’s digital album is available for purchase now.

The Sound of Rhythm & Culture Label Compilation

Another approach is to take reggae and blend it with other genres to create a new whole. A number of the tracks on The Sound of Rhythm & Culture compilation take this route. This Washington, DC, label supports local artists who blend electronic music with international influences. Zeb, a New York producer featured on the release, is fond of taking the deep mood of dub and mixing it with the mysterious sounds of the Middle East. Thomas Blondet also blends dub with a variety of sounds in a couple of his remixes featured here. Some of the tracks on the comp fail to create a new mood and simply mix traditional sounds together. But for each failure, there’s a quality rebuttal. [BUY IT]

[Nickodemus feat Gypsy All Star Band-- "2 Sips & Magic (Second Sky & Thomas Blondet Remix)" FREE DL ]

Kenyatta Fire and Heatwave

And then there’s dancehall, where most anything goes as long as the lyrcis are there. The genre takes advantage of new technologies, incorporates a wide variety of sounds, and even gets off on different rhythms and speeds. The bashy side of things, as represented by London’s Heatwave crew, is especially electronic oriented. Heatwave recently posted a track for download on their blog by an artist named Kenyatta Fire. And, well, it’s FIYAH! (Even if it isn’t particularly groundbreaking.) The beat is simple with its dynamic drum loop and a short melody. But homie’s flow is on point with its timely builds and drops. He also blends the dense word play of a verse with the immediacy and musical quality of a hook throughout most of the track.

[Kenyatta Fire -- "Like A Gipsy" FREE DL]