The Pimps of Joytime were born into this borderless culture; it is as much a part of them as their skin, their voices, and the ten fingers strumming their guitars. So even though he did time on the left coast, Brian J returned to NYC in 2004 to leave his legend as The Pimps of Joytime. The three years between then and now have resulted in High Steppin (Wonderwheel Recordings), an exceptional blend of so many qualities of the city that it's challenging to know where to even begin.

From the posturing of their press photos, one immediately assumes funk. The style fits the sound. Shades of the hyped and sexy strums of funk do lay a serious foundation, along with a heavy dose of Latin percussion and keys. Horns appear, then dissipate under the heady fog of bass. Turntablism plays an important duty- the other half of the original Pimps line-up is Black Pearl, a DJ that Brian J met in the early days. The guitars can blaze in serious rock accolades, and whisper melancholy chords of the blues diaspora.

Maybe it's best summarized by Wonderwheel label head and DJ Nickodemus, one of the city's finest tastemakers. "When I first listened to Brian's demo, I heard the cross-cultural blend of the Bell Band, the catchy songwriting of the Brazilian Girls, the Afro funk groove of Antibalas, the smoothness of Si*Se and the Latin Rock of Radio Mundial. Most importantly, what I heard are songs, beautiful and honest songs that you learn the lyrics to, to sing over and over."