Record Of The Week - Hill & Gully Riddim - Steven "Di Genius" MacGregor

This week's Record of the Week is actually a series of records -- a riddim. A quick refresher or lesson: a "riddim" (derived from the word rhythm, in case you were wondering) is a concept that naturally developed out of Jamaican music's practice of recording different vocal tracks to the same rhythm track or beat. Originated in the 70s by producers like Bunny “Striker” Lee who capitalized on the popularity of certain songs by making more versions of the same song, it has been a common practice in in Jamaican producer and DJ culture since, adapting with the changes in recording technology and swelling in popularity and practice with different generations and songs/trends/styles over the years. The “Hill and Gully Riddim” has risen in popularity because of, as well as in spite of, many of these factors. Perhaps most notably - it is based on a classic sample from one of Jamaica’s earliest popular recordings: Lord Curator’s 195x song “Hill & Gully Ride”, which you can hear bare on the intro. The playful guitar melody & singing along with the singular pulse of the 4/4 beat sketch the skeleton of the track, as producer Stephen “Di Genius” MacGregor (son of Freddie) adds the perfect amount of thump, percussion, and modern sounds to bring the track up to present day. Masicka’s “Slip & Slide” is the single that kicked it all off, catching on with swift popularity, spawning an almost instant wave of other versions (too many? Steven said PATIENCE! https://www.instagram.com/p/DXwqJK9PE3e/). Govana, Valiant, and even Elephant Man jumped on board, followed by more official and unofficial tunes from eager artists. Then Kes from Trinidad & Tobago jumped on an official track, oh gosh… it’s catching fire. A few listens to a DJ juggling (switching from song-to-song on the riddim, as done in my ROTW video) and it’s clear why: this track has a certain “stickiness” that improves with drop after drop, like many classic riddims before it — but perhaps unlike we’ve seen crossover out of Jamaica in quite some time. WYFL riddim had a seemingly infinite version of versions, but the feel was uniquely new, and the energy was a bit more individualized per-track, rather than building energy off each other. Street Vybz 2.0 from ’24 was maybe a bit too directly derivative of the 1.0 to measure. Maybe it’s too early to judge! Regardless, it’s worth your time. Check out this week’s ROTW and listen for yourself. Beware that there are some playfully slack lyrics which may not be for all ears (already causing a stir on island https://www.instagram.com/p/DYNtThnFAlm/). Dive into some of the previous incarnations of the riddim and sample thanks to Gabriel Heatwave in the UK https://www.instagram.com/p/DYOrep3P9ti/ and see how this one holds up. And add your favourite selections to your summer playlist because this one is heating up and bound to soundtrack the nice months that are to come. Riddim up!