Drink

Rising up through New York's 90s ska scene, bassist and producer Victor Rice went on to play an important role in Easy Dub All-Stars’ covers albums and also relocated to So Paulo where he's become part of a scene finding links between African, Jamaican and Brazilian music.

Here, Rice shows his own take on things, following up his 2017 album Smoke with another rocksteady hybrid, using the slower, soulful Jamaican rhythm as the perfect vessel for adding elements of samba and other worldly influences. It's a beautiful formula, the lively bass line of ‘The Demander’ has some of The Specials’ manic energy, though it never lets itself get too frenetic. ‘Because I Can’ overflows with feel-good horns, evoking the spirit of Prince Buster. ‘This is Fine’ is a sprightly soul instrumental with a strong The Dap-Kings feel, ‘Madrid’ comes across like a spaghetti western curio and ‘Simão’ shares a space with Quantic's most laid-back productions. Rice has found himself a platform where he can take his music in many directions while keeping that rhythm steady at all times.