Shining brightly in a sea of jungle imprints as a beacon of pure love: Run Da Riddim comes from a very special and unique place.
Launched by Leighton, AKA Calum Leighton, a talented young man who’s life was tragically cut short in a car crash in 2022, Run Da Riddim is now run by his friends and family. Genuinely, there is no other new label story quite as deep, touching or special as this.
It’s a story we’ve documented at a few key points so far. We announced the debut release back in May 2023. We then interviewed ex West Indian international cricket player Omari Banks in July this year when he appeared on the label in the form of Leighton’s remix of his track Reggae Summertime (a release that also compounded Run Da Riddim’s status as a unique platform as the only jungle imprint we know of that’s featured the vocals of an international test cricket player)
This summer we also went to their tribute event at Lost Horizon Bristol which marked two years since Leighton and two friends Lawrence and Joe had left us.
It’s one of the most touching short video editorials we’ve made so far…
As of this month, there’s even more to report as Run Da Riddim as they’ve released the label’s biggest drop so far – Dance To The Rhythm.
With the label’s day-to-day management now run by his father Andrew, four of Leighton’s WIPs have been handed to a collection of artists who had a connection with Leighton and a positive influence on him. The result is a powerful posthumous collection that highlights how skilled Leighton was and reflects an exciting snapshot of new generation talent in the genre: Toby Ross, Oram, Jappa and Scuffed.
“We reached out to collaborate with those artists because we knew how much they inspired Calum and that he was either friends with them or had made a connection with them,” explains Andrew.
Dedicated to galvanising his son’s legacy and ensuring that none of his WIPs go to waste, Andrew is doing an admirable job at creating meaningful and inspiring art from all of his son’s talents and endeavours and, from Calum’s messages to each of them alone, he knew how much each artist meant to him and how much he would have wanted to see them on his label.
“We’ve not even got through half of his hard drive yet, so there’s plenty more to come,” Andrew continues, hinting a bright future from a label that started from a broken hearted place.
The next major moment in that bright future is a new event at Bristol’s legendary Lakota on February 28. The same month Leighton would have turned 21. For added weight and an even deeper connection, the event is a collaboration between Run Da Riddim and Bristol promoters Wide Eyes… The same promoters who booked Leighton and his partner in grime Chunk for their Lakota debut in May 2022.
Need an even deeper note? Not only is his sister Dar C opening up the main room for the night, but Alcemist is headlining – one of the very first major acts Leighton ever warmed up for in Bath, February 2022, just weeks after his 18th. Naturally Leighton was a major fan.
You can expect every dispatch, drop and date from Run Da Riddim to hit with the same level of meaning and thought as we hurtle into the second half of the decade. We’ve said it before, we’ll say it again – no other label comes close to these cats when it comes to realness and commitment to a deep and emotional cause.
Back to their current project Dance To The Rhythm, we hollered up each collaborator to get their take on their own collaboration and hear how Leighton had a positive impact on their lives. Check each tune and feel their stories then support it here.
Tickets and information on their Lakota event can be found here.
Leighton & Toby Ross – Brawler
Toby Ross: “I met Calum a few times and every time we did so, he was high energy and you could tell how much he loved the music. When we first met, I’d just started doing sets and he recognised me and liked my music. I thought that was wild. Like really special. We chatted on Instagram a bit and he was into jungle and I found him to be a very positive source of energy every time he was around. When Andrew sent over these stems, it was really special. Calum had a solid idea and it was a pleasure to put my spin on it. I’m very proud of the track.”
Leighton & Oram – Cabasca
Oram: “I met Calum a few times in Bristol, he was one of the few people I remember from that time. When he came up to me it genuinely felt like he really looked up to me and that he was almost in disbelief I was there. He was with his friends, and I’ll always remember being at an event, I think he met Toby the same day and he was like, ‘Wow I’ve met Oram and Toby Ross on the same day!’ I’ll always remember how shocked he was to meet me. It was a good feeling and I was following along with what he was doing from then. We exchanged a few message and it was devastating to hear he’d passed. However it’s great to see how Andrew and the crew have been pushing the label for Calum.”
Leighton & Jappa Feat JMan – This One You
Jappa: “This is a high-energy tribute to Leighton, inspired by his love of my remix of Deekline and Ed Solo’s ‘Bad Boys’ with Ben Snow, taking me back to a style I haven’t done for a while. The track remains heavily influenced by Leighton and his original stems, including the melody pads used in the intro and throughout, retaining the overall vibe he had created. Drawing inspiration from my Bad Boys remix, I brought back those iconic steppy drums and hard hitting basslines to create this true dancefloor banger. That combined with the powerful vocals of Jman is just legendary weaponary! This track is a testament to Leighton’s legacy and a celebration of drum and bass music.”
Leighton & Scuffed – Move
Scuffed: “Our track reminds me of when we snuck on to the main stage at Nass Festival 2022. I was working so I had a wristband and was with Calum so i thought it would be fun and a bit naughty to make our way on to mainstage! We made it, and we’re having a great time. The music that was playing was jungle and I really wanted to make the track with him to remind me of that moment where we were both having a great time together. I love everyone involved with Run Da Riddim. They all have so much passion and unity, which is rare and so special as it makes us all feel like family. Also doing something that Calum loves is really cool.”