Damu The Fudgemunk

Washington, DC-based artist and producer, Damu The Fudgemunk, releases “God Speed” (Feat. Blu), a new single from his forthcoming album, Conversation Peace. Following Damu’s most recent release, Ocean Bridges – last year’s collaborative album with Archie Shepp and Raw Poetic – Conversation Peace is the first installment in the KPM Crate Diggers series from London-based label Def Pressé, and was entirely recorded using samples from KPM’s iconic music and sound design library (famously sampled by the likes of Jay-Z, 2Pac, Drake, Common, Kid Cudi, Madlib, Prince Paul, MF DOOM, J Dilla, Gorillaz, and more).

Following Conversation Peace’s lead single “Four Better Or Worse (Pt. 1)” (Feat. Nitty Scott), “God Speed” is a memorable work, and the first collaboration from Damu and Blu since the two artists released Ground and Water together in 2019. Easily in the tradition of Blu’s reputation for thought provoking lyricism, “God Speed” is classic material, from Blu’s opening hook to Damu’s closing scenes of drum rolls and dramatic textures. A Blu fan in his own right, Damu knew the instrumental would be ideal for the rapper once he discovered the main sample after hours of exploring KPM’s vast library. “I knew Blu would know exactly what to do with this!” says Damu. The string composition provided a great sense of power and emotion that led the producer to the song’s namesake. In fact, when Damu presented the track to Blu, the only direction given was the two words, “God Speed.”

Conversation Peace began with a trip to KPM’s London HQ in late January of 2020. “As a record collector, I’m very familiar with the legacy of the KPM brand,” says Earl Davis (aka Damu the Fudgemunk). “Listening to the entire catalogue was a history lesson and the amount of great composers and compositions in the recordings was endless. From drums to sound FX to orchestras to small rhythm sections to ambient noises, I heard a wide variety of things and they were all so well produced and recorded. The history of KPM and the opportunity to collaborate with the prestigious lineage made the stakes very high for me and I knew I needed to deliver a quality product. It’s an honor to be the first artist to release a ‘KPM Crate Diggers’ title.”

“Damu the Fudgemunk came to our studio in London to carefully dig his way through the whole KPM 1000 series,” says Peter Clarke of EMI Production Music. “If anyone is in doubt about sampling being an artform, they just need to watch him work! It’s great to breathe new life into all these old recordings, too. And then place it straight back into library music for use in media. Exactly how it was originally intended.”