“It’s 2063 and I hear on the radio, “What you know about that Condense Riddim!”
Music starts to play.
“Summer Edition 2023!!!! We outside and we feeling nice.”
I rush to my closet and pull out a bent box of LPs. Brushing off a layer of dust I searched through, finding Jampuff Riddim, Tamarind Riddim…. I pull out a green vinyl with Condense Riddim written on the front.
The music on the radio intensifies and I close my eyes, finding myself in the middle of Broad Street. Pink hair, pink clothes, pink shoes to match, my friends and I walking down the street like it’s ours. Our hair bouncing with the beats, the sun illuminating our skin. That day we got a good deal from the man selling the newly released LPs on the street. “Tamarind juice! Peanut punch! Bottle water! If you get a vinyl you get a juice for free, if you get a juice you get a smile from me.”
“Summer Edition” was created to capture a time in history. It captures the same kind of excitement and memories that a dusty box of LPs in the corner of our aunts’ and uncles’ Caribbean home captures. I wanted to celebrate and showcase the beauty and visual expression that Caribbean street fashion has. By collaborating with AI, I pushed the limitations of AI’s understanding of “Caribbean style” and “Caribbean women” to create a range of women from different ethnicities, found in the Caribbean, and different styles of how they might dress, with an emphasis on color blocking.
Tamarind, Condense, and Jam puff riddim are releases of different dancehall riddims for this “Summer Edition” record.” — Zoe Osborne
