Various Artists: Riddim Box - review

When UK funky emerged in 2008, it seemed like the future. Since then, though, it has lost its momentum somewhat, more due to an inward-facing turn following lack of mainstream support than any real drop in quality – in other words, it is in sore need of compilation. One would imagine the normally stellar cratediggers and curators at Soul Jazz to be ideal for the job – but Riddim Box is merely a grab-bag of tracks that barely work together at all, let alone as a history or narrative of a scene. A penchant for dry, serious beat workouts both misrepresents UK funky by passing over its sexier, lighter, R&B-driven side, and makes for a wearying listen, with even excellent examples of the sound rendered monochrome in this context. Tried- and-true (but played-out) anthems rub senselessly against a selection of newer tracks and five-year-old broken beat and garage tracks – and the compilation consequently fails to showcase what makes UK funky itself so distinct. The baffling decision to pass over the vocal original of Shystie's Pull It (Ill Blu Remix) in favour of an instrumental that surgically removes the track's fun and attitude sums up this missed opportunity.