Damu the Fudgemunk

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]

Damu the Fudgemunk
Birth nameEarl Davis
Born (1984-06-08) June 8, 1984
OriginWashington, D.C., U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Instrumentalist
  • record producer
  • rapper
Instrument(s)Akai MPC 2000, drums, vibraphone
Years active2007—present
Labels
Websitedamuthefudgemunk.bandcamp.com

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
  • Travel at Your Own Pace (2007)[15]
  • Spare Time (2008)
  • Overtime (2008)
  • ReVISIONS Madvillain (Damu vs Joe Buck) (2009)
  • The Bright Side (2009)
  • Same Beat Project EP (2009)
  • Kilawatt: V1 (2009)
  • How It Should Sound (Promo EP) (2010)
  • How It Should Sound Volumes 1 & 2 (2010)
  • Supply for Demand (2010)
  • Brooklyn Flower (2010)
  • More Supplies (2010)
  • When Winter Comes / Truly Get Yours (2011)
  • OverThrone (Try a Little Skillfulness) / All Green (2011)
  • Faster Rhyme for Self (2011)
  • Kilawatt V1.5 featuring Raw Poetic (2012)
  • Spur Momento Trailer (2013)
  • Public Assembly (2014)
  • Public Assembly Vol.2 (2015)
  • How It Should Sound Vol. 3, 4, and 5 (2015)
  • HISS ABYSS (How It Should Sound) (2015)
  • Untitled Vols. 1 & 2 (2016)
  • Vignettes (2017)[16]
  • The Reflecting Sea (Welcome to a New Philosophy) (2017) with Raw Poetic[4]
  • Ears Hear Spears (Redefinition, 2017) with Insight[17]
  • Dreams & Vibrations (Redefinition, 2018) with Flex Mathews[18]
  • Ground & Water (2019) with Blu[19]
  • Ocean Bridges (Redefinition, 2020) with Archie Shepp and Raw Poetic (Ensemble: Pat Fritz, Aaron Gause, Luke Stewart, Jamal Moore, and Bashi Rose)[3]
  • Conversation Peace (Def Pressé, 2021)[1]

References
  1. "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. 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. 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. "Y Society Travel at Your Own Pace Album Review". Hip-Hop Linguistics. Archived from the original on January 3, 2009.
  16. Lacerna, Michael (18 January 2017). "Damu the Fudgemunk pushes the boundaries of hip hop with 2 hour concept album". RAPstation. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  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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