dam-funk – toeachizown Vol 1: LAtrik
September 24th, 2009 | by camden andrews | published in electronic, funk, instrumental, house | 6 comments
Click image to download full album
sounds like: parliament/funkadelic, sa-ra, kraftwerk
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What’s so good?
While funk may not be a viable form of music today, it’s impossible to ignore its influence. Its syncopated rhythms, groovy edge, and its willingness to get a little weird has leaked into jazz, electro, pop, and even rock music. Derrick May, one of the innovators of techno, once said that his blend of music sounded like “George Clinton meeting Kraftwerk in an elevator.”
Dam-Funk creates a similar blend, mixing Kraftwerk’s robotic electro-pop with undeniably funk-influenced bass lines and wonky beats, while throwing in his own element of narcotic spacey-ness. The result is a sedative mid-tempo electronic album with a groove that is more likely to make your head bob than to put you to sleep. And while most funk-influenced music seems to carry its energy and edge, Toeachizown brings back its groovy earthiness.
Dam-Funk may have replaced the blaring horn sections and scratchy guitars with turntables, but his funk roots are easily the most important element of his style. The CD’s final track, “Searchin’ 4 Funk’s Future,” swims in uncertainty as Dam sings the songs title, which penetrates through the rest of his heavily effected vocals as one of the only comprehensible lines in the whole album. As funk music continues to splinter, Dam seriously reflects on its direction and future. Like any type of music, it must inevitably evolve, but into what? As the album ends with his vocals and a dubious synth, he also seems to ask whether he is willing and ready to carry its torch. But if this album is any indication as to where he can take it, he should be more than capable.
EDIT: Someone brought to my attention that the album I reviewed was in fact the first volume of a 5 LP set. The first 3 were released digitally, and the last two get released later this fall.
elsewhere on the web:
bang the box download | http://bangthebox.net/
pitchfork review | http://www.pitchfork.com/
prefix mag review | http://www.prefixmag.com/
myspace | http://www.myspace.com/damfunk
download:
dam-funk – toeachizown
September 24th, 2009 at 1:25 pm (#)
Really liked it, thanks.
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September 25th, 2009 at 10:27 am (#)
i’ve been checking for dam-funk for a while. you left out one of the most important things, that this album isn’t truly out yet. it’s a 5LP set and the first 3 vols have been released digitally, but we’re still waiting on the last 2 and the whole 5LP set.
toeachizown vol. 1: LAtrik
toeachizown vol. 2: fly
toeachizown vol. 3: hood
http://www.stonesthrow.com/damfunk
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September 25th, 2009 at 2:39 pm (#)
good to know, thanks
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October 12th, 2009 at 1:33 am (#)
dam funk is great, saw him live opening for animal collective, but how can you say that funk may not be a viable form of music today? It is perhaps some of the most lively and technically impressive forms of music out there – check out soulive and maybe you will change your mind
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October 12th, 2009 at 5:05 am (#)
I actually literally got introduced to them (soulive) today. i definitely want to check them out further. but by ‘viable’ i guess I mean less prevalent or influential, at least compared to in its heyday. it’s certainly changed and developed, and still arguably as good, but it’s also been bastardized by things like ‘funk metal.’ again, not to say that it’s bad by any means, i still love funk. it just represents a much smaller niche in the music community today.
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October 12th, 2009 at 8:58 pm (#)
[...] like: animal collective, Dam-funk [...]