Don Goliath - Digikal To The World Vol. 1 (Digikal Division Recordings)

With 'Digikal To The World Vol. 1' he's releasing the first volume of what should become a series of what he likes to call 8bitdigikallofireggae. This first opus is a collection of 8 new tunes, each followed by its instrumental version. Most of them are soundclash oriented and actually sound closer to Jahtari than to the original Waterhouse style. Add to this a touch of UK steppers, plus the usual fat bass Don Goliath made his trademark and you get a modern not so lo-fi digital sound. For this album, Don Goliath has invited eight up-and-coming artists from all around the world to ride his riddims. The first one, Paupa Man hails from Spain and sets the tone with 'Strikly Digikal', a strong stepper with a dubstep-like rise. Princess K-Shu, a Columbian singer who lives in Paris, brings a Soom-T-like vibe on a relick of the Promised Land riddim re-baptized 'Champion'. Scottish Rudy Alba brings a soundclash cover of Bob Marley's 'Forever Loving Jah' called 'Forever Killing Sounds'. For 'Unity' Don Goliath summoned the rough Parisian deejay, Sista Rosta. The next riddim is recognizable from the first few notes as it's none other than the Intercom riddim renamed 'Gone Digikal' for the occasion and featuring new US talent, Essential I. Last but not least, Ackee Singa, delivers a 'Welcome To My Sound' over a grimey version of Johnny Clarke's 'Declaration of Rights'. All-in-all 'Digikal To The World Vol. 1' offers a strong selection… if you've got nothing against vocoders, that is.