As local creators push to reimagine Belize’s rich musical heritage for a new generation, the innovative *Rising Riddims* project is bringing its genre-bending fusion sounds to audiences across two major Belizean cities this weekend. What began as a collaborative experiment back in May 2025 is now ready for public showcase, with two consecutive nights of free live performances that celebrate the evolution of Belizean rhythm.
The project kicks off on the evening of September 18 at Orange Walk’s Banquitas House of Culture, running from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. The collective will then travel south to Belize City’s House of Culture for a second show on September 19, held during the same evening hours. Entry to both performances is completely free, designed to make the new experimental work accessible to as many local listeners as possible.
Helmed by producer Deron Thompson of the Belize Sound Syndicate, *Rising Riddims* centers on a core creative mission: blending time-honored Belizean musical traditions with contemporary global genres to craft entirely new, distinct sounds. Thompson describes the work as intentionally experimental, with the collective already developing two fully realized original styles under the project umbrella: xPunta and Boom & Chill.
Breaking down the xPunta sound, Thompson explains the genre layers driving four-on-the-floor house music beats and edgy alternative production over the backbone of traditional punta rhythm. For Boom & Chill, the team draws inspiration from the local Boom & Chime style, integrating iconic traditional instruments—including the percussive jawbone and boom drum—with modern harmonic progressions that resonate with contemporary listeners. Thompson notes the resulting sound carries a laid-back dancehall energy that also accommodates reggaeton flows, resulting in something that cannot be mistaken for any existing genre.
Artist Seth Cambranes, who performs under the stage name Flayed Lotus, emphasizes that the project prioritizes collaboration between creators from every region of Belize. The performance lineup for the weekend showcases this wide-ranging collaborative spirit, featuring Flayed Lotus alongside a diverse roster of local talent including Xhaba, Bad Bwau, Mocha, Stina, Viv and more.
For Cambranes, the project’s creative approach is rooted in respect for Belize’s existing musical identity, rather than attempts to overhaul it. “A lot of our music is very rhythm-based,” he explained. “We’re not removing anything, we’re just adding to it. We’re only adding to the rhythms that we have.”
DJ and producer Kristopher Arnold, another core member of the collective, says the project does more than create new music—it opens a path for Belizean sounds to connect with younger audiences and grow beyond the country’s current local industry. Arnold says he holds a clear long-term vision for the movement: “I personally see a vision of this music going places, taking Belize’s music industry a little bit further than it is at the moment.” Beyond just creating new genre labels, Arnold says the fusion approach injects fresh, youthful energy into traditional Belizean sounds that can resonate with listeners both at home and abroad.
For Thompson, *Rising Riddims* is more than just a series of performances—it is part of a broader push to nurture original creativity across Belize’s music scene. The end goal, he says, is to cultivate a truly distinct Belizean fusion sound that gives local creators the platform to share their work with global audiences far outside the country’s borders.