CHUNE

Riddim: Chase Vampire

Producer: General Lee

I don’t know if this qualifies as a hidden gem, but it’s tough to find in any format, let alone 7″ vinyl. Campbell was a successful roots singer in the ’70s, then dropped this on a label compilation in 1998, and it became a sound-system favorite. Just an easy loping tune with a vintage feel, and the opening bar never fails to make me happy: “Old people say don’t run down bus, and don’t run down woman / ’cause when you get left, the whole wide world will be laughing at you.”

Additional Listening:

• Campbell voicing a special for Little Lion Sound. In recent years, international sounds have turned voicing sessions into a popular Instagram/TikTok clips, and Little Lion has capitalized perhaps more than anyone. This clip shows Campell as a veteran in complete control of his instrument—peep that prolonged “lih-lih-lih-lih”—and is a crystalline example of how anything can transform into a clash tune. (“Soundboy waan come test, dubplate to dem chest, soundboy ah gon weep an’ moan / cause if you cross we border, we put you in order, send you over dead man zone”)

• Chase Vampire Riddim (1987). The first of many.

• A playlist of various songs on Chase Vampire (various versions)