Julius Papp

Currently based in San Francisco, DJ Julius Papp grew up in Montreal, and pays tribute to his home base with the title of this new two-disc set. The first disc is a DJ mix of club and house tracks taken from the catalogs of Salted Music and Om, while the second consists of original music and remixes culled from the Papp back catalog. The material on disc one is mostly pretty predictable, but still lots of good, jazzy fun: after a relatively generic opening track (Reel Soul's "Take Me to a Better Place [Fanatix Remix]"), things pick up quickly with the beautifully sung "Soul Symphony" by Chuck Love and Fourfeet and Doctor M's energetic "Park Jam." Kana and Laygwan Sharkie contribute an African-flavored and beatbox-infused number titled "Raw Artistic Soul," and after two back-to-back mixes (neither one especially interesting) of Dazzle Drums' "Out of the Cage," listeners are treated to a gorgeous gospel number by Halo and a jazz-house guitar workout titled "Desire [Frankie Feliciano Mix]." Disc two mixes things up by throwing in some breakbeat funk, a welcome break from the relentless thumpa thumpa of everything else. Papp's own "I Travel" takes things out in laid-back, dubby style. Not bad at all. ~ Rick Anderson, All Music Guide