The Hill & Gully riddim from Stephen 'Di Genius' McGregor has brought Jamaican folk music back to the centre of dancehall conversation 🌍🔥 One of the many things I love about Jamaican music is the way these threads never really disappear.

Five new tunes you'll hear me play at @hotwuk.co.uk on Saturday 23 May 🚀🏆 The maddest bashment party hits Fox & Firkin with The Heatwave, Chris Goldfinger, Jess Bee, Rae Dee, and Thai Chi Rosé 🚨⚠️ Join us for dancehall and dancing 💥💯 🔜 Saturday 23 May 2026 🕔 9pm-3am Tickets ➡️ foxfirkin.com

A singalong with no words 🧐 What other tunes are like this? 🎵🎶 There are few things more uplifting than a crowd of people all singing along to an anthem. This song guarantees that every time I play it - which is often, as it’s one of those classics that never leaves my record box 📀

The weirdest record in dancehall? 🧐 Name a tune stranger than this 💭 Tiger was a major force in Jamaica in the late 80s and 90s before his career was sadly cut short by a motorbike accident in 1994 🐯

Five tunes you'll hear me playing on vinyl at Filly Brook this Friday 🔊 Come down for a drink and some dancehall 🍹 It’s Bluespot Records with me alongside Elliot Baxter and Serious 🎧 🔜 Friday 13 March 2026 🕔 5pm-12am 📍 Filly Brook, 392 Grove Green Road, London E11 4AP

I’ve never seen this mix anywhere else 👀 It’s on the back of the 7” for Shabba’s Trailer Load of Girls, labelled the Poco Mix 📀 I love how it starts almost empty - and just keeps building 💛 Then when the beat finally drops 💥 🔥

It's hard to remix a classic like Under Mi Sensi 👑 Beenie Man jumps on the riddim and brings a completely different energy – without taking anything away from the original 🎯 The joy in his intro gets me every time 😁

Before Sean Paul became a global megastar, he was making dancehall tunes like this addressing social and political issues in Jamaica 🇯🇲 What’s your favourite early Sean Paul track? 🔊 Next Generation – Headache Riddim (2000) 🎤 Sean Paul 🎵 Delly Ranks – Louis ‘Flabba’ Malcolm 🎚️ Mo Music

Name a dancehall intro colder than this 🥶🔥 30+ years later and this tune STILL gets huge forwards 💥 Buju Banton rides the riddim masterfully, propelled by an unforgettable bassline 🔊 A true champion in action 🏆 🔊 Champion (1994) 🎤 Buju Banton 🎵 Donovan Germain 🎚️ Penthouse Records

Since first linking up in 2005, Warrior Queen and The Heatwave built something special - raves, records, studio sessions and dancefloor moments across the UK and beyond 🌍🌎🌏 It's been over 12 years since they shared a stage ⏳💫 Now the link-up returns to London 🔙📍

Why was Ninjaman angry about Nelson Mandela’s visit to Jamaica? 😡🤔 In July 1991, Nelson Mandela visited Jamaica and appeared at the national stadium, with musicians such as Jimmy Cliff, Marcia Griffiths, and Judy Mowatt performing in tribute 🎤🪘🎸

Can I mix these two records smoothly? Let's see 👀 Out of the original Pliers (no Chaka Demus) version of ‘Murder She Wrote’ into the sweet voice of Leroy Gibbons ‘Four Season Lover’ 🪻😎🍂⛄

It’s been heartbreaking seeing the devastation wrought on Jamaica by Hurricane Melissa over the past couple of weeks – but also beautiful to see the efforts to rebuild and pull together 🖤💚💛 Jamaica is a small country that has given so much to the world and it’s important that we offer our support 💷

Big things going on for Mr Vegas 💥 But not so much going on musically – the minimal production is key to the success of the Black Widow riddim 🕷️ The crisp, clean drums and bare bones melody leaves space for the melodic vocals and perfectly complements Mr Vegas’s style 🥁🎹🎙️

@footballcliches.bsky.social Can a move leading to a goal – rather than a classy albeit ageing Dutch defender playing for Liverpool – be described as a Rolls Royce? "It was a Rolls Royce of a move" – Adrian Clarke on Sky when Ethan Nwaneri scored for Arsenal against Brighton in the Carabao Cup

When did you first realise Vybz Kartel was a musical genius? 💡 This record is from 2002, the year of his first hit - New Millennium with Wayne Marshall 🎯 I remember seeing a video of him voicing this on YouTube a few years later and being blown away by his flow and the way he rode the riddim 🤯🔥

This record has been sampled sooo many times. What’s your favourite version? Choose one 😆 It’s tough to beat the original. Cutty Ranks on top form, hitting out at the idea he might be past it and laying into a new generation of dancehall artists including Buju Banton, Ninjaman, Capleton and Cobra 🔥

What’s the biggest tune for Notting Hill Carnival? 🔊 Here are my favourites 💚 🇬🇭🇯🇲 Shake It To The Max - Moliy x Shenseea x Skillibeng 🇯🇲🇺🇸 Dansa - Klassik Frescobar 🇹🇹 Greatest Bend Over - Yung Bredda 🇯🇲🇭🇹 Tip - Ayetian 🇯🇲 Pretty Baby - Elephant Man 📹 when I played the Mangrove truck a few years back 💥

What's your favourite tune on the Filthy riddim? 💦 Released in 1997 on the Juvenile label, Filthy is one of the elite 90s dancehall riddims, spawning a huge, career-defining crossover smash for Mr Vegas alongside hits for multiple other artists including General Degree, Lady G, and Spragga Benz 💥

This is a flawless record 💯 🎙️ Sweetest voice in reggae 💫 Timeless songwriting 🎛️ Classic riddim ✨ Crisp production I'm gonna listen to it on repeat now 🔁 🔊 Tempted To Touch – A Love I Can Feel Riddim (1990) 🎤 Beres Hammond 🎵 Donovan Germain 🎚️ Penthouse Records

Where is the protest music in dancehall and reggae? 🤔 I remember as a kid often hearing that political or socially conscious music was too worthy, boring, not fun, or variations on this theme 😒

I swear any tune with “oh na na” lyrics is an anthem 💯 This is probably top of the pile though 🔝1️⃣ Beenie Man is a master when it comes to vocalising with no lyrics 🙌🏼 🔊 Romie – Punaany Riddim (1997) 🎤 Beenie Man 🎵 Steven 'Lenky' Marsden - Andrew Thomas 🎚️ Shocking Vibes

Come record shopping with me! Let’s see what I ordered 👀 I made a late-night purchase on Discogs and by the time it arrived, I had forgotten what I’d bought 😂 The Spragga Benz cut on Pocoman Jam aka Dem Bow riddim has been a favourite of mine for years, but I’ve never had it on vinyl 📀

What’s your favourite Shabba Ranks tune? 🤔 This record was a huge crossover hit when I was a kid and was all over the radio 💯📻 For years I refused to DJ it because I thought of it as “too commercial” but I’ve grown to love it again 😎

Mixing modern reggae classics on 7" vinyl 🎧 Out of Junior Kelly's anthem 'Love So Nice' into a message for the haters as Collie Buddz sings, "I'm blind to you" 🎶🎵 I've been enjoying remembering how to mix vinyl again for Bluespot Records every month at Dreamhouse in Leyton 💥🔥

Is there a better combination than this duo? 🤔🎶 Mr Vegas is elite when it comes to catchy hooks and the contrast between his ‘singjay’ style (halfway between singer and deejay/MC) and Mr Lexx’s deep voice is perfect – they complement each other so well 💯🎤

What’s your favourite dancehall tune by a jungle MC? 🎤 Like all the best junglists, UK Apache – the voice behind the massive Shy FX anthem ‘Original Nuttah’ – started out making dancehall and his name is a reference to Super Cat aka the Wild Apache 🇯🇲

I’ve been DJing this tune for nearly 25 years and never noticed where the melody comes from 🤯 Last week my friend told me he’d played it to his girlfriend years ago and she had started singing another song 🎵🎶

What would you do if you heard this at a party? 🔊 Dancehall meets opera courtesy of “world-renowned tenor Andrew Bradford” as he’s labelled in the intro – also known as Buccaneer 😁 It’s based on ‘Figaro’s Aria’ from Rossini’s 1816 comic opera, The Barber of Seville 💈

What 80s pop tune are TOK borrowing here? 🪩 I love the contrast between the sweet melodies on the hook and Bay-C’s deep voice verses 🖤💛💚 The production is so good too and there’s a brilliant cut by Sizzla on the same riddim 🔥

What would your dancehall karaoke song be? 🎤 This was one of the tunes that got me into dancehall in the early 90s 💚💛🖤 In that era, dancehall artists like Chaka Demus & Pliers, Shabba Ranks, and Red Dragon would be in the charts and I'd see and hear them on Top of the Pops and Capital FM 📺📻

St Pauls Carnival wasn’t “officially” on this year, but everyone just set up their soundsystems and stalls anyway and it was the best day I’ve had there for years 💚💛🖤 I didn’t hear as much dancehall or soca as I would’ve liked but the 2000s bashment selection on Grosvenor Road was on point 🎯🔥

What’s your favourite UK dancehall tune? This classic from Top Cat is right up there for me 🔝🎯 I love the sunny bounce of the riddim and Top Cat’s catchy melodic flow ☀️🎙️ He doesn’t repeat any verses, just pure new lyrics right to the end of the record 🔛💯

Let me give you some love and affection! ❤️💛💚 Massive tune from Pressure Busspipe which never fails to get a big singalong from the crowd 🎶🎵 And there’s only one thing to do after a singalong like that 🔄 🔙

What’s your favourite Red Rat tune? I love his hyper delivery – the distinctive higher pitched vocals and audible excitement ⚡🎉 His “ohh noo” catchphrase is so much fun too. My kids love echoing it whenever we listen to Red Rat 🔴 🐀

Come record shopping with me! Let’s see what we find 👀 I popped into Analogue Music in Rochester after stumbling across it on a weekend away. They had a nice selection of 7” reggae but I’m usually looking for dancehall, plus old reggae singles can be pricey! 💰💸

When Fred Flintstone became a dancehall MC 🦕 It might not sound like it’ll work, but trust me it does 😅 Mad Cobra uses the melody from The Flintstones theme tune for his 90s dancehall hit ‘Dun Wife’ 🎯💥 I love playing this record out and watching people as they eventually clock what is going on 😂

Can you name a better double A side? Two huge anthems on one single 🤯 I bought this record in 2006 for ‘Come Around’ which was and is a massive reggae hit 💥 The way the horns in the intro herald the drop always gets a huge response 🎯💯

What's your favourite tune on the Duck riddim? Released in 1988 by King Jammy, Duck is an early example of the dancehall drum pattern which became reggaeton in the 1990s. The riddim was built by dancehall pioneers and legendary musicians/producers Steely & Clevie.

What’s your favourite example of dancehall borrowing pop melodies? 🎶 I love the way huge hits by the likes of Phil Collins are reimagined by dancehall artists, and this 2006 version of ‘Against All Odds’ is a brilliant example 👌🏼💯

What's your favourite Spice tune? Easily in the top five dancehall artists over the past decade 🔝👑 It's hard to choose but these are my picks 🤔 1. Fight Over Man (2005) 2. So Mi Like It (2013) 3. Needle Eye (2015) 4. Cool It (2018) 5. Jim Screechie (2010) 🎤 @spiceofficial.bsky.social

Is this the greatest dancehall tune of all time? 👀 Definitely one of the strongest singalongs 💥 The bassline is huge, the beat is irresistible, Beenie Man is on top form – this is a record that has absolutely everything 💯🔝 💎 🔊 Who Am I – Playground Riddim 🎤 Beenie Man 🎵 Jeremy Harding 🎚️ 2 Hard

Can I mix these two records smoothly? Let's see 👀 Out of Courtney Melody's Bad Boy into a King Tubby digital dancehall hit, Special Singer by King Everald. I love these tunes 💛🔊 I've been enjoying remembering how to mix vinyl again for Bluespot Records every month at Dreamhouse in Leyton 💥🔥

What's your favourite tune on Diwali riddim? Probably the best dancehall riddim of the 21st century 🔝👑 I tried to keep it to five but I couldn't! So many bangers 💥 Lenky really did a madness with this one 💫

When soap opera goes dancehall 😂 I love how Jamaican artists can take a hook from the unlikeliest of places and make it work 💫💯 Joseph Cotton uses the ‘Neighbours’ theme tune to perfectly set up his verses about how rival areas of Kingston should stop warring and be better neighbours 🕊️🫱🏾‍🫲🏿

What's your favourite Buju Banton tune? This one is seriously underrated 💯🔝 The riddim is hard and Buju’s flow is skippy and energetic. It’s mad to think he was only about 18 when he recorded it 🤯 Dancehall star in the making ⭐ 💫 🔊 Stamina Daddy 🎤 Buju Banton 🎵 Kurt Riley 🎚️ Techniques

What new tunes are you feeling? 🔊🎧 Here's five releases I've got on repeat 💛💚 DM me your email and I’ll send you my new music playlist on Spotify 📥 🎵 Koffee - Original Koffee 🎶 Bruk It - Cecile 🎵 Alive - Mr Vegas 🎶 Yuh Bad - K More 🎵 Dansa - Klassik Frescobar

What’s your favourite Ninjaman tune? I didn’t fully get the appeal of Ninjaman when I first started listening to dancehall. Everything I knew about the music came from buying records, and the ones of his I heard weren’t really connecting for me.

Is there a better father/son combo in dancehall than Poison Chang and Stylo G? Poison Chang made waves in early 90s dancehall with global hit 'Press Up' built by Steely & Clevie. He made albums with Top Cat and Cutty Ranks and a jungle tune with DJ Rap, before his untimely death in New York in 1998

What's your favourite Aidonia tune? It's a tough choice but these are probably my top five 🤔 His vocal delivery is top notch, unique, and instantly recognisable. Lyrics and flow are always on point 🔝💯 The first three in particular are regulars in any DJ set I play 🔈🔉🔊