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12"
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LDN 052EP
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Damu follows up his previous Keysound release, Unity (LDN 027CD, 2011), with four intense, sour sound constructions. "This EP started as war dubs for Keysound nights," explains Damu. "I really like the competitive vibe of the scene in London and I worked on the EP across Manchester, Sheffield and Croydon from 2013-14... Since my debut album my wiring has changed completely; it's the sonics of individual sounds that gets me hyped now and I think this EP reflects a bit more of a mathematical approach." Damu has driven himself not toward grim per se, but something like grime, and beyond.
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CD
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LDN 027CD
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This is the debut album by one of the most distinctive artists to emerge from the UK in recent years, Damu. Dense sheets of color and ripples of warm emotion cascade through Damu's musical vision. It's an ambitious album, and at an hour in length, it's not necessarily an easy listen, but those who endeavor will find themselves swept away by the fantasy world that Unity inhabits. The steel drum march of "L.O.V.E.," the midnight serenade of "After Indigo," Trim collaboration "Ridin' The Hype," and breathtaking closing track "Don't Cry In My Bed" are only some of the sights you'll see along the way. Alongside his recent split release with HDGLT, Damu has only had two physical solo releases to date, but already he's honed an instantly recognizable sound of his own. His releases have been supported by artists such as Starkey, Sinden, Brodinski, Sbtrkt, Girl Unit, and notably The Streets' Mike Skinner, who selected Damu as one of his "New Faces of UK Dance Music" in his Guardian takeover in February 2011. He's part of the UK's underground dance music scene by association, but Unity finds Damu thinking much bigger than that, with touches of Air France's beach-pop, the gloss of major label R'n'B, and subtle nods to the demented psychedelic visions of Wiley and Aphex Twin. It also betrays his classical background, demonstrating knowledge of chord progressions and structural sleight-of-hand that many of his peers would kill for.
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12"
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LDN 024EP
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Damu is the newest signing to bass station Keysound Recordings. Whereas much that surrounds him is ordinary and unremarkable, Damu's quadrant is a glittering explosion of hypercolor and kinetic movement, emotive energy and playful pulsations. "Ridin'" sounds like hypergrime grounded by crunk 808 sub-drops. "Be Free" and "Crystal Gaea" unleash a warm, UK funky-inspired glow. "Karolina's Magic J" is perhaps one of the oddest beasts in the realm, a trippy, woozy journey into synth-led psychedelia.
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