Is it me, or is 1980s funk making a comeback? Damon Riddick – aka Dam-Funk – would seem to think so, as his mix for the DJ Kicks series is peppered with a few examples from the decade – and some more up to date, highly effective dancefloor items that successfully blur the boundaries between funk and techno. Riddick himself has been making productions since that decade, so he’s got more reason than most to revisit it in a set that really lets the good times roll. There is some deep, liquid funk to start from Moon B’s ‘Oof’, while Brandon’s ‘Suzy Hijack’ is excellent, heady stuff. Gemini offers some more mellow thoughts but with a reassuring full beat to ‘Log In’, while Randell & Shippers’ ‘Love Jam’ is a nice and chunky instrumental. Crowing off an excellent, feel-good set are True Design with ‘I Wanna Break’ and some brief but classic Crystal Winds, ‘Funk Ain’t Easy’. DJ Kicks is such an eclectic series, but it’s somewhere near its best when funk is involved – as here.
4 out of 5
Reviewed by: Ben Hogwood
