Various

There's still plenty of life left in digidub after dubstep. Jahtari maintains its same aesthetic as always: eight-bit that doesn't quit. Even though the sounds are pretty basic, the rhythms are very diverse and cover illbience, Sleng Teng versions and rough and ready, Flying Lotus-type stutters. A variety of vocals further personalize this approach, whether the singers are conventionally rootsy or electronically eviscerated. At their best, the rhythms are simple, direct and catchy. For instance, "Mars," by Clause Four, features a hip-hop bounce with a strong 6/8 bass oscillation; it brings just a few ideas together into a well-realized construction. When it's reprised at album's end, it mutates into more of a waltz with a skank, thanks to the polyrhythm. That captures the deft approach to the electronics here ― there's still an identifiable Jamaican-ness about everything. It may be Jamaica via outer space, but this is still in the tradition of early '80s dub. The tunefulness of every song is quite welcome.