I first came across Josh the Funky 1 during my misspent youth by way of a CD-R much like this one. It was to promote a young DJ with a very Bad Boy Bill style sound that was trying to break into the industry. Apparently it worked and this promo is a testament to that.
If you like bouncy, funky, Chicago house with laser quick mixing and hot scratching, this is the man for you. Included in this release are no less than twenty-nine, yes, 29! tracks that are layered and cut up like only a master can. Most of the tracks are only a minute or two long each so it’s hard to pick standouts from the crowd. Instead, Josh makes the twenty-nine tracks seem like a whole unit. It’s almost like listening to a long night out at the club sped up a bit.
The Funky 1 also does what I think every good DJ should do – he doesn’t let the records do all the work. He layers a capellas on top of beat tracks, does live-editing and re-mixing, and tries out interesting mixes that most other DJs would wet their pants attempting. By mixing this way, it’s always Josh that’s in control of taking a party where he wants it to go. It’s never the records themselves being clever, but the DJ taking control and I love that.
While this CD is wonderful, if you ever get a chance to see this man live, jump on it. That’s where the real magic is.