Damu the Fudgemunk is an esoteric genius that is the breath of fresh air that hip hop desperately needs. If you have not heard his new album “Vignettes”, stop reading this and go listen to it now. Seriously. Go, NOW! It is a thematically brilliant piece of work that is reminiscent of classic “Pete Rock” and “DJ Shadow”. In talking with Damu, I learned that he still uses his trusty old MPC200 sampler (first released in 1997) to do most of the heavy lifting of his musical journeys. “It is just what I am used to” he told me on the phone. “It’s like a violinist having their favorite violin. I just have not found a piece of technology that speaks to me in the same way”. He says, “Native Instruments reached out to me years ago and sent me a Maschine, on the house, when they launched it. I just gave it away to someone I met randomly at a store”.

When asked about the new record, Damu tells me “The music took on a life of its own. With all the things going on in my personal life, in the states and abroad, it just made its way into the music”. The more I talked with Damu the more I realized how deep the rabbit hole actually went. While other artists shop beats, tour, and self promote it became clear that he felt most comfortable locked in a room chopping up records to fuel his latest creative urges. “Hip hop can be a narrative about the music itself. The latest album was my saving grace given what was going on in my life”. When I asked for more detail, he simply said he had very close family in the hospital over the last year. “Faced with situations of life and death made me take a look at my place in the world and myself. I thought about friends and family and how we are all connected”. With that knowledge, it became very clear how introspective the new album really is.

I asked Damu about his work/life balance. He said he was not a very social person and prefers to be by himself. “I don’t like to be an attraction, or be the center of attention. I prefer to be in the house making and listening to music”. When asked about what he wanted his art to do, his first answer was “Inspire people”. “There are paintings or vocalists that inspire me and I want to do that to other people”. We discussed what he was most proud of. “I am definitely proud that I can run a record label and be a full time musician”.

Damu is by far one of the most promising and interesting talents in the hip hop game. He grinds day in and day out on his craft and it shows. Each record shows intense focus, attention to detail, and “Vignettes” is the pinnacle of these qualities. Personally, I can’t wait to hear what he does next. The world needs more artists that show so much respect and care for their work.

Published in Ghettoblaster Magazine.