He likes the funky stuff
In the land of the lost, Greyboy is a freestylin' master of art
URBAN GROOVE PREVIEW
GREYBOY
Thursday, September 26
The Night Gallery
Back in the mid-90s, when acid jazz was at its artistic apex, a little-known producer from San Diego released an album on a little-known label out of San Francisco – both went on to create a lasting impression on a small portion of the dance world.
While neither Ubiquity Records nor Greyboy will show up on the "mush music" radar, they have each gone on to gain notoriety within their respective circles. Ubiquity has become well-known for reissuing some of the finest moments in rare groove, as well as producing and fostering innovative artists like Beatless, P'Taah and, of course, Greyboy.
Freestylin', Greyboy's inaugural release for the label, set a new standard for Ubiquity record sales and it remains the label's best-selling title to date. Like the label, Greyboy's sound is an odd fit in today's musical mix – too jazzed out to be flossin' and too hip-hop to be purely jazz.
"I listen to a lot of old rare groove, but I've got a tremendous love for hip hop, so my music is somewhere in between that," he says.
Greyboy's last album, Mastered the Art, moved to incorporate more hip-hop into the mix and even branched into world music, creating a hybrid of sorts.
It's hard to live up to one's initial success, but Greyboy has defied the odds and earned a loyal following in the many spheres of electronic music, and even among the tough-to-crack American music critics.
His preference is definitely for timeless elements in music, not unlike his taste for design, (a hobby he's nourished over the years).As a passionate collector of designer furnishings and music, his ears and eyes are trained to appreciate the qualities that make something ahead of its time.
"I like the minimalist elements of design... that something tasteful can say so much without overstatement. Music is the same – so many elements of the past are now coming to the fore."
Elements of funk that kicked the listener in the ass in the past are generally the same ingredients that will make something funky now.
"Funk is timeless. I suppose the key is in things that are funky. That's what I'm drawn to naturally – funky is whatever gets me moving and I want to bring that out, whether it's hip-hop or rare groove. Category isn't the point anymore – feeling something from the music is." |
