Few artists making music today have a vision as clear and concise as Dam-Funk, the Los Angeles-based G whose electro-boogie sound has become all the rage via his connection with the always intruiging Stones Throw label. URB sat down with Funk to talk R&B, synthesizers, and his connection to Milli Vanilli.
Interview by Dan Gentile
A lot of people are familiar with your recent work, but don’t know much about your work in the ’90s. How did you get into that scene?
In the ’90s, after I was making music in high school as a teen, I had started working with different producers as a session musician playing keyboards. One of those people was Leon Sylvers III. He was a producer of a lot of the groups on Solar Records, who put out Shalamah, Dynasty, Lakeside, that kind of thing. And the Whispers. So when I hooked up with him he sharpeneed up my chops as far as keyboard playing. I’m a drummer first, a lot of people don’t know that. But I started making keyboard music because a lot of my influences as a kid – Prince. P funk, Slave, One Way, Mtume, so I started learning how to make my own tracks.
So you were playing on funk and R&B sessions?
Yeah, exactly. But then also it quickly went in to the West Coast rap scene. That’s when I started working with groups like MC Eight and the West Side Connection. So after awhile, it was paying cool money and I had a day job, but yet still I had my own vision of what I wanted to release to the public. Being an urban cat like myself, I wanted to get into some different types of sounds from the urban experience. Not just the West Coast rapper or east coast, or whatever, not just hip hop. Funk was my heart, and that’s where I am now.
What are some of the funk singles you played on?
It was mostly stuff like, through Leon’s company. Little known fact, I worked on the Milli Vanilli comeback record that never came out. Rest in peace to Fab. But, thing was is that some of that stuff never came out, I was just sharpening my chops.
Where you singing on that one?
No, I was keyboards.
That was a joke.
It was a joke. Good joke. But, we always laugh about that, me and Peanut Butter Wolf, because what’s weird is that the connection is, I’m on Stones Throw Records. Dilla used a studio or some type of equipment that Milli Vanilli had. So here I am on Stones Throw. It was just funny. But, beyond that, I ended up quickly going into the rap scene. Not too many R&B things because I really don’t like R&B to be honest with you. I know that sounds crazy, it’s not that I don’t like it, but I got bored with R&B. I was more into rap, hip-hop, and really like house, and um, metal. You know what I’m saying? And even new wave. So I have a lot of influences brewing in my head but funk is the one thats in my heart and in my blood.
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yo dam is a real cool dude. extremely humble. dig what he said at the end about the social median networks- he used to respond to all my myspace messages and what not. its great to see artists blow and still be down to earth so to speak. power to dam, his family, friends, and whoever he picks to work with, like fruit.
give thanks
will be waiting for some more of them Roland Juno bangers.