Words by Jesse Serwer—
One thing about reggae riddims, is the classic ones always come back ’round again. Steely & Clevie produced the original Poco Man Jam riddim for artist Gregory Peck’s tune of the same name in 1990, releasing the Poco In The East riddim compilation featuring Flourgon, Carl Meeks and others a year later. Other deejays who voiced the riddim at that time included Super Cat, Capleton and, most famously, Shabba Ranks on “Trailer Load A Girls.” (Check Riddimguide.com for a more complete list).
Twenty-odd years later, Donovan Germain’s Penthouse Records has brought back the Poco Man Jam riddim with a cast of current and veteran artists including Assassin/Agent Sasco, Romain Virgo and General Degree. The re-licked riddim first turned up a few months ago, getting an official iTunes release in February. But our friends at Riddimstream have just hit us with an updated pack of tunes, including “Okama” from the pictured Mr. Vegas and “Which Bun Hotta,” a new one from ’90s-era deejay Wickerman that updates his late friend Captain Barkey’s classic “Bun Fi Bun.”
Stream those two below, and check out more tunes on the re-licked Poco Man Jam here.