Jamaican producers may be pressing less and less vinyl but the island still churned out around two thousand 7" singles last year and these are our favourite rowdy ones. In the words of a Heatwave regular who got a sneak preview of the mix:

"Who am I? The dancehall king"

A look back at 2007 enables you to go from the filthy, nasty but undeniably inspirational sex talk of Beenie Man, Chamelion and 'Sweet' C to the sparse vocal angriness of that old Elephant bloke and then surrender to the leg-lifting power of the Matterhorn man. And you're just getting started.

"Everybody start tek way yourself. Follow the riddim and tek way yourself"

What jumps out when you listen to these tracks all together is the control each artist commands. You feel at their mercy, and they're merciless. Whether it's the riddims coming in that you know you know - but you don't know you know until you hear the drop, and then you're shaking your shit so hard you're not sure what you know any more - or the fierceness of the lyrics that are flying at you like you're in a video game and you can't move quick enough so you just start letting them hit you. Just. Let. Go.

"Have you heard about that little boy in Jamaica?"

Militaristic beats dropping left, right and centre make you feel like you're a kind of bashment brigadier going over the top of the trench. It's weird when you've hated so much of what Shaggy has put out in the past to hear him rip the arsehole out of the Heathen riddim. I thought there were no lyrics that could excuse Angel.

"Return of the Indian. Truths and rights weh we come to tell the nation"

Like most years, 2007 leaves you with the perplexing problem of Sean Paul. It basically comes down to the fact that your legs and hips and arse have more respect for his voice than your brain. It's a bit like when Elephant Man provides the sting in the tail of the whole mix with Three Step on the Madness riddim. You'd like to sit down and have a rest, drink a cup of tea or maybe work on your New Year's resolutions, but it all just has you reaching for the rewind button yet again.

Tracklisting:

• Beenie Man — Mi Nuh See It (Voiceful — Black Jack riddim)
• Chamelion — She Nah Answa (Voiceful — Black Jack riddim)
• Sweet C — Hard Cock (Studio 2000 — Bug Out riddim)
• Elephant Man — Stamina (Studio 2000 — Bug Out riddim)
• Vybz Kartel — Translator (Black Pearl — Pearl Haaba riddim)
• Bounty Killer — Mi Own Boss (Black Pearl — Pearl Haaba riddim)
• Danny English — The Way You Move (Kirkledove — Dutch Pat riddim)
• Mr Vegas — Tek Way U Self (Kirkledove — Dutch Pat riddim)
• Macka Diamond — Hoolla Hoop (Hands & Heart — Bellevue riddim)
• Elephant Man — Tic Toc (Hands & Heart — Bellevue riddim)
• Dragz & Jus Bus — Rum Ram Riddim (Greensleeves/Just Kauz)
• QQ — Tek It To Dem (Greensleeves/Just Kauz — Rum Ram riddim)
• Tony Matterhorn — Start The Party (Don Corleon)
• Elephant Man — Booty Clap (Black Chiney — Drumline riddim)
• Monster Twins — Dem A Super Freak (B-Rich — Touch This riddim)
• Kiprich & Leftside — The Tribute (Young Legends — Drop Draws riddim)
• Leftside & Esco — Clothes Off (Young Legends — Drop Draws riddim)
• Tony Matterhorn — Cockey Partner (Stainless)
• Tony Matterhorn — Sidung Pon It (Seanizzle Records — Reverse riddim)
• Beenie Man — Reverse Di Ting (Seanizzle Records — Reverse riddim)
• Assassin — Boring Gal (Birchill — Stage Time riddim)
• T.O.K. — Masculine Gender (Birchill — Stage Time riddim)
• Tony Kelly & Christopher Birch — Heathen Riddim (Big Yard)
• Shelly Thunder — The Gospel (Big Yard — Heathen riddim)
• Shaggy — Heathen (Big Yard — Heathen riddim)
• Ninjaman — The Pastor (Big Yard — Heathen riddim)
• Mr Vegas & Overmars — Raging Bull (Greensleeves)
• Natasha aka Natasja & Enur — Calabria 2007 (Ministry of Sound)
• Cecile — Tell Me What Yuh Like (Jah Snowcone — Cheerful riddim)
• General Degree — Elegant (Jah Snowcone — Cheerful riddim)
• Busy Signal — Saviour Divine (40/40 — Swazzi riddim)
• Beenie Man — Stamp Di Yard (40/40 — Swazzi riddim)
• Erup — Fire Blazer (Hyperactive Entertainment — Super Natural riddim)
• T.O.K. & Supa Hype — Tek It Off (Hyperactive Entertainment — Super Natural riddim)
• Jam II — Jook A Gal Riddim (Jam II)
• Wayne Marshall — Long Story (Jam II — Jook A Gal riddim)
• Elephant Man — Jook A Girl (Jam II — Jook A Gal riddim)
• Beenie Man — The Crime (Black Shadow — Bad Dog riddim)
• Mad Cobra — AA (Black Shadow — Bad Dog riddim)
• Wayne Wonder — Nine (Big Ship — Breaking News riddim)
• Junior Cat — Sessions Affi Ram (Big Ship — Breaking News riddim)
• Christopher Birch — Madness Riddim (Birchill)
• Sean Paul — Pick It Up And Drop It (Birchill — Madness riddim)
• Tami Chynn — Rude Boy (Birchill — Madness riddim)
• Elephant Man — Three Step (Birchill — Madness riddim)