Soul Mosaic

It was ten years ago that producer/DJ Greyboy burst onto the southern California club scene with the groundbreaking Freestylin', an album that helped give shape to the nascent acid jazz movement and define a regional dance music genre. Although he has been active and in high demand as both a producer and DJ since, his output of albums has been sparse, averaging about one every three years since his debut. Soul Mosaic (aptly subtitled "A Case Study in Beats, Soul and Funk") finds him muscling up the standard laid-back groove of acid jazz with good, sturdy funk breaks and inventive sampling. What makes the album special is that it's more than just an elaborate quiltwork of interlocked beats and expert mixing. Most of these tracks are actual songs, and most of them are excellent; the combination of quicksilver turntablism, funky breakbeats, sly sampling, and real, honest-to-goodness, hook-filled singing sets Soul Mosaic apart from the pack in just about every dance music genre. Highlights are difficult to identify, in part because weak tracks are so hard to find — whether it's Bart Davenport's charming Stevie Wonder homage ("To Know You Is to Love You"), D-Styles and Ricci Rucker's unassumingly virtuosic turntablist workshop ("Son-Ray"), or the funkadelic bonus remixes by Quantic and Paul Nice, just about everything here is top-notch dancefloor material. Very highly recommended.