Original Riddim Groundation

“Original Riddim” features Groundation alongside reggae legends Israel Vibration and The Abyssinians — a combination that reads like a conscious reggae summit meeting. The track lives up to the weight of those credits, delivering a roots foundation heavy enough to support the combined legacies of all three acts. Harrison Stafford's production gives the legends room to shine while maintaining the jazz-inflected sophistication that has always set Groundation apart from the pack.

The collaboration reflects Easy Star Records' unique position as a label that can credibly bridge generational divides. Israel Vibration and The Abyssinians represent the deep history of Jamaican roots music — acts whose catalogs stretch back to the golden era of conscious reggae. Groundation, while deeply steeped in that tradition, brings a contemporary musicality — the jazz harmonies, the extended improvisations, the studio craft — that keeps the music from feeling like a museum piece.

“Original Riddim” is ultimately about the riddim itself — the foundational groove that connects all three acts to the same musical tradition. In a genre where the riddim has always been the backbone — the constant around which vocalists, toasters, and dubmasters build their interpretations — the track's title is both a statement of purpose and a declaration of lineage. This is where the music comes from, and this is where it still lives.