1. Gyptian, “Hold Yuh” (Jamaica/Brooklyn)
Yes it was the biggest reggae crossover of 2010 but one of the keys to Gyptian’s success was the sheer volume of pop, soca, chutney, house, UK funky and reggaeton remixes, refixes and answer records this shit generated. Even on its own Ricky Blaze’s spare arrangement foregrounded the kind of raw, striking melody that can be all things to all islands; though it is most likely a variation on a North African pop song, I’ve heard the spare, plinky keys on the intro described as Latin jazz piano by a mambo connoisseur and steel pan by a Guyanese hipster.We called it here and here.
