Private Damu

My mind is full of things I would do if I were super rich. You know: army of robot servants, invisible airplanes, decent health care... those sort of silly, impossible flights of fancy. But there's one idea that always sticks out as being slightly less impossible. You know how lots of dope MCs like Craig G, Young Zee, etc, will post on their myspaces or twitter accounts about how they're available for collabos for a fee? So how awesome would it be, just as a fan, to hire your favorite artist and commission your own new favorite song? Like, whatever your tastes are... if you're a frat kid, you could go to the next kegger and say, "I'm tried of 'Jump Around.' Let's put on my exclusive 'Jump Around part 2' that House of Pain created just for me!"

Well, I don't know if Spice is rich or if he just decided life is too short, but he's gone and done it.

Now, do you guys know who Damu the Fudgemunk is? If not, you should, and it'll be my honor to introduce him to you. He's a producer who's been putting out a ton of instrumental records on his own label, Redefinition, to heaps of acclaim. And unlike all these other dudes who keep getting attention and "buzz" online, dude actually deserves it. I actually held off checking out Damu's first couple releases, because it just raised all my "contemporary, overhyped mediocrity" red flags. But no, for once, believe the hype:

“Very refreshing to hear a young cat with that much soul. Exactly what’s been missing from the game … soul.” - Marley Marl

It's 100% sample-based production. It's really rich and layered... which means, essentially, a bunch of combined samples, as opposed to a basic loop with frills. Like if DJ Shadow kept progressing after Entroducing, instead of drifting off into dubstep or whatever the heck he does now (he still wins at random rap mixCDs, though), and had substantially more R&B in his collection.

So what we've got here is a 7" single by Damu, commissioned by Spice to celebrate the birth of his daughter. Spice had the concept ("a reworking of the Ramsey Lewis and Minnie Ripperton versions of the Charles Stepney classic, Les Fleurs") and even some of the samples picked out. He gave it to Damu, who handed him back the excellent "Brooklyn Flower" (plus a hot B-side called "Yes We Can"). And Spice printed up this up in a limited run, never to be released commercially.

...Which means, no, you can't really buy it anywhere. The songs have been (officially) leaked online, so you can listen to the music for free... they're on Youtube and have been posted on the best blogs already. But vinyl heads, yes, there is an actual record. It's a private run of 500 copies, number-stamped (mine's #133), in a cool picture cover on white[white] vinyl. So, happy digging, guys!