Josh Powers

Most DJ compilations are rush CD-R jobs that your thirteen-year-old brother could have burned in the garage with a Playstation 2, destined for short lives as fancy beer coasters. Lawrence mixologist Josh Powers pressed all of 500 copies for the first, and likely only, edition of Sceneboostersoundsystem, Volume 1. But Powers succeeds where others have failed by taking time to craft something worth listening to. Nothing is hurried. Each beat, each sample, each skitter, scrape and whistle finds its rightful place. Powers melds a little jazz, a little funk, a little R&B and a lotta hip-hop into one smooth package that maintains a steady pace but never stagnates. Less is more, and Powers resists the urge to bludgeon listeners with overbearing turntable theatrics. DJs can further paint themselves into a corner with guest vocals, but appearances from local MCs Approach, Taha and Johnny Quest, as well as a guest turn on the decks from Joc Max, only bolster Scenebooster. It’s a slow-burning head-bobber that may not appeal if you’re in the mood for a Ludacris soliloquy on bouncing mammary glands, but if you have patience, it’s a trip worth taking.