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Roy Ayers
Virgin Ubiquity Remixed
BBE Music/Rapster Records
Not quite a traditional tribute album, where musicians bow in respectful homage and offer their renditions of a particular artist’s work, Virgin Ubiquity Remixed is a welcome permutation of the paradigm. The ten tracks here are innovative interpretations of the legendary soul/funk vibraphonist Roy Ayers’ work, and while the artists involved are all clearly prostrate to the work of the man often referred to as the Godfather of Acid Jazz, what’s so refreshing about this album is that it shows just how far reaching and influential his music is. Offering various remixes of Ayers’s oft-sampled songs, inventive studio geniuses like Mr. V Sole and Sir Pier transform the percussive classics of the former Fela Kuti sideman into modern blasts of techno soul, creatively concocted drum n’ bass and fanciful funk. From the swirling soul of Kenny Dope’s mix of “Holiday” to the syncopated grooves of DJ Marky and XRS’s remix of “Mystic Voyage,” Virgin Ubiquity Remixed is a propulsive and soulful blend of unique beats and pulsating melodies. Elsewhere, Basement Jaxx’s Summer Classic Remix of “I Am Your Mind Part II” is pure sunshine soul; Aloe Blacc’s Latin Remix of “Liquid Love” has a delicious horn-based backbeat; and Osunlade Yoruba’s Soul Remix of “Tarzan” is an instant funky classic.
—Alex Green
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