Damu the Fudgemunk

Last updated
Damu the Fudgemunk
Birth nameEarl Davis
Born (1984-06-08) June 8, 1984 (age 40)
Origin Washington, D.C., U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Instrumentalist
  • record producer
  • rapper
Instrument(s)Akai MPC 2000, drums, vibraphone
Years active2007—present
Labels
Website damuthefudgemunk.bandcamp.com

Earl Davis (born June 8, 1984), known professionally as Damu the Fudgemunk, is an American hip-hop producer, multi-instrumentalist, DJ, and rapper from Washington, D.C. [1] [2] [3] Damu is a member of the groups Y Society and Panacea, and he co-owns and operates Redefinition Records. [4] [5]

Contents

Career

Davis was raised by two musician parents, and he began making beats in his teens. [6] His official debut album was with Y Society, a duo project with rapper Insight; [7] the record, Travel at Your Own Pace, was released by Tres Records in 2007. [8] The album is reminiscent of true-school hip-hop with its liberal use of jazz, soul samples, and scratching. In 2008, Damu released two free albums primarily composed of instrumental music, titled Spare Time [9] and Overtime. He developed a fan base through his YouTube videos and live street performances around Washington, DC, and New York City, [10] using a portable electricity generator to power his sampler and speakers.

Damu co-owns and operates the vinyl/cassette-enthusiast label Redefinition Records, through which he also releases the bulk of his own music. [11]

In 2019, he collaborated with Raw Poetic and legendary jazz saxophonist Archie Shepp on the improvised album Ocean Bridges, [3] which he released on his label the following year. [12]

In January 2020, Damu visited the London KPM music library, [13] renowned for a collection that has been sampled by artists including MF Doom and Jay-Z. [14] Damu was invited as the first artist to be featured on the Def Pressé / KPM Crate Diggers series, an initiative to release records extensively featuring samples from the library; his work with material from the archives resulted in the album Conversation Peace. [1]

Discography

Collaboration releases

In collaboration with Raw Poetic

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Damu The Fudgemunk Announces New Album & Drops Lead Track". Closed Captioned. 23 June 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  2. ↑ "Damu The Fudgemunk "Rhythm Roulette" Interview: Drum Breaks". Big Noise Radio. 25 February 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 Weiner, Natalie (22 May 2020). "How jazz legend Archie Shepp, his nephew Raw Poetic and a cast of D.C. musicians teamed up for an experimental improvised album". The Washington Post. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  4. 1 2 Keirstead, Zachary (16 January 2018). "Damu the Fudgemonk and Raw Poetic have the master plan on 'The Reflecting Sea: Welcome to a New Philosophy'". EARMILK. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  5. ↑ Simpson, Paul. "Damu the Fudgemunk". allmusic. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Question in the Form of An Answer: An Interview with Damu the Fudgemunk". Passion of the Weiss. 13 February 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  7. ↑ "Y Society (Insight & Damu): Never Off / Pyramids to the Ghetto". Flea Market Funk. 8 September 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  8. ↑ "Y Society: Travel At Your Own Pace". Drowned in Sound. 10 August 2007. Archived from the original on 22 August 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  9. ↑ "Damu The Fudgemunk ·· Spare Time". Silence Nogood. 23 May 2011. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  10. ↑ "Damu playing live music in Washington Square Park, New York City". Live Street Performance. Archived from the original on 2021-12-20.
  11. ↑ Pedroche, Ben (8 December 2017). "Interview: Damu The Fudgemunk & Raw Poetic + Album Stream". Grown Up Rap. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  12. ↑ Minsker, Evan (13 May 2020). "Archie Shepp Shares New Song With Raw Poetic and Damu the Fudgemunk: Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  13. ↑ "All-Access to the KPM Music Library. First up: Damu The Fudgemunk". The Find Mag. 23 June 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  14. ↑ Neyland, Nick (11 April 2013). "Music For Dancefloors: The KPM Music Library". Pitchfork. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  15. ↑ Lacerna, Michael (18 January 2017). "Damu the Fudgemunk pushes the boundaries of hip hop with 2 hour concept album". RAPstation. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  16. ↑ "Y Society Travel at Your Own Pace Album Review". Hip-Hop Linguistics. Archived from the original on January 3, 2009.
  17. ↑ "Album Review: "Ears Hear Spears" – Insight The Truncator & Damu The Fudgemunk". Dead End Hip Hop. 15 May 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  18. ↑ Richards, Chris (30 May 2018). "After years on the D.C. rap scene, Flex Mathews is still twisting time". The Washington Post. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  19. ↑ "Damu the Fudgemunk Interview". Southsiders. 13 December 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
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