Link to label - https://linktr.ee/defpresse

https://lnk.to/BastienKeb-TOAIESWB

“I wish our stories belonged to you and someone
else, I wish that person loved you the way you loved me.
I’m sorry you are lost, my love was never meant to cause
you pain.”

"Bastien Keb, the proto-trip-hop of Serge Gainsbourg and Jean-Claude Vannier, the rumbling scores of Bernard Herrmann and the cinematic swagger of Barry Adamson" - The Guardian

Animals is released July 12th. Animals is a much more guitar based song than is usual from Keb. A driving, acoustic lead singer/songwriter track. There's still plenty of textures/layers as is common with Bastien's music. https://lnk.to/BastienKeb-Animals

Bastien writes,
“Like most of my lyrics it’s internal, almost like a back and forth with yourself, I suppose that's what I like about the lyrics. It ebbs and flows between wanting to run away to the woods and hide to confessing your feelings for someone and taking a risk. Ultimately the track finishes with retreating to the woods again and hiding away".

The album features 15 tracks, showcasing Bastien’s truly cinematic sound while exploring new sonic territories. The album touches on the melancholic funk drifting between voiceovers of longing and hurt, through surreal, hallucinogenic folk ballads.  It’s the juxtaposition of these genres sewn together with ambient synth skits that really makes the album a musical journey. Playful and serious, as the album title suggests, Bastien manages to induce a wry smile with a tear in the eye. 

In Bastien’s words, “The album tells the story of a failed relationship, as the man narrators missing his other. Whilst he imagines her comforting him, before accepting the end of the relationship, and feeling that the love he feels, she never did.”

Sharing common ground with luminaries such as David Axlerod, Kate Bush, Roy
Orbison, Madlib and The Delfonics; Keb plays guitar, trumpet, bass, drums, piano, flute and
more Keb’s writing and recording approach is slightly unique. He explains a little about how his records sound the way they do...

“I have a lo-fi approach to recording, for me it’s about the moment, all my records are time capsules of a certain time in my life, so the sound of the recording is secondary. It’s all about heart, that’s all I’m interested in. If I get a melody I have to record it asap, if the mic isn’t plugged in I use the macbook mic, if I’m not by the computer I’ll record into my phone.
For me personally using/sampling other peoples music isn’t making your own music, using your own soul, showing your own heart, it's just my personal opinion. It’s not right for me.  No slur on those that do. If there are any samples on my records, it’s me sampling me. For me, this means the music is mine. It’s ‘of me’. That’s really important for me, because I feel that’s where the honesty is. If my music sounds ‘dusty’, that’s why”.

This approach provides us with a wonderfully inclusive record. The album feels almost ‘performed’ to us, live, on each listen. Coupled with Bastien’s capacity to write music which is almost visual, the album is quite enveloping. 

Bastien returns to Def Pressé with this new album after the brilliant, Holy Mountain. Released under the name Grandamme, with friend and collaborator Claudia Kane. 

All tracks written, performed and arranged by S. Jones
Harp performed by Tomo Xerri on tracks 1, 4, 6, 8, 12, 14
Violins performed by Alex Judd on tracks 4, 8, 14
Vocals performed by Claudia Kane on track 8
Voice on tracks 4, 8 and 14 performed by Anne-Sophie Dubois Gaché
Voice on tracks 1, 3, 6, 9, 10 performed by Kenneth Voita
Additional production on tracks 1 and 6 by Huckvale
Tracks 2, 5, 10, 11, 13 mixed by Earl Davis (Damu The Fudgemunk)
Mastered by Tim Southorn
Layout / Design by Giles Cahalane
Produced by S. Jones
Def Pressé 2023

Link to label - https://linktr.ee/defpresse

Bastien Keb - The Only Angel I Ever Saw Wore Black

Dizraeli - Curiouser And Curiouser

London-based label, Def Pressé are very pleased to announce their partnership with legendary Library Music label KPM.  Def Pressé and friends, including names like Stro Elliot (The Roots), J-Live, Jazzy Jeff, Bastien Keb, Chris Dave and many more to come have been given exclusive access to the KPM Library. These projects will take shape as two types of record.  Def Pressé Editions/KPM Crate Diggers are works built around samples from KPM releases amongst other Library Music catalogues.  Def Pressé Editions/KPM Originals are brand new pieces of music, free from samples.  Both of these series’ include some very special guest vocalists and musicians as well as the Producers/Arrangers themselves. All of this music will be released by Def Pressé and placed into the vaults at KPM Library Music.

For more info on that please contact us.

To launch the KPM Crate Diggers series we have Damu the Fudgemunk with the leading single from his Def Pressé Editions debut, Conversation Peace.  Entitled Four Better or Worse (Pt. 1) and featuring a powerful guest appearance from the dazzling MC, Nitty Scott, the collaboration is the proper introduction for what's in store on the whole album.  This marks the first time the two artists have worked together, but evidence that if they do continue to work together in the future, there's great chemistry from the jump.   Four Better or Worse (Pt. 1), is the opening piece from a four part suite (Side B of the album) running around 20 minutes total.  Damu used the inspiration he collected absorbing much of the KPM library to craft this seamless exhibition of his ideas that occupies the entire second half of Conversation Peace.  Each segment features a different voice.  Part 1 is the most musically energetic of the suite and Nitty Scott's presence is the perfect attribute.  The Michigan born, east coast bred vocalist crafted a very charismatic and confident verse over the driving evolution of sounds tailored for Scott's artistry.  Written in the thick of 2020, the closing quote nods to the current social climate and optimistically encourages black excellence in wake of systemic racism.  "So gimme the front, gimme a blunt & a picket sign. Spent more than time below the Mason-Dixon line. Black lives lit it, UP! I hear critics, but never will a bigot prevent me from getting mine."  Nitty's engaging call to action segues into the poetic soundscape sourced from KPM's vinyl archive

Damu the Fudgemunk – Conversation Peace Release Schedule (Def Pressé Editions x KPM)
-	23rd June - Four Better or Worse 1. Ft.  Nitty Scott
-	21st July - Gods Speed. Ft. Blu
-	11th August - Enchanted Spirits. Ft. Insight WITH video
-	3rd September (Album release + Single 4 album focus track) - Power of the Mind Ft. Raw Poetic

Damu The Fudgemunk - Four Better Or Worse (Pt. 1) Ft. Nitty Scott

Hamilton ass stays claritin aspirined up, runnin away from truths, jumpin on stages breakin legs like John Wilkes Booth
Courageous in the head she's Herman Ruth, without the Vermouth, no Martini 
But battin em out the ballpark, so she see me askin her out at Walmart cold sashimi,
More toiletries than an aardvark, gettin clean's the hard part, me and my shoppin cart?

This is the last fix I'm givin you tricks, and you're tellin me to get smart?
I make this store billions and Amazon trillions, They be my new pavilion for housin reptilian civilians 
Spend over a million in a lifetime and don't feel like a millionaire at nighttime not a crime, I think it's fair, Dirty Draws, Only Fans, and Dancin Bear
Thinkin your way too square to be there you'll be there on the square, totally unaware,
Swiss fondue in ya hair with a logo sayin "nobody cares" (go.ho)

Ass smells like gruyere's with a mixture of sweet pears
Take a picture let's see if she shares, without silverware, 
Nuts fly in the air
Flyin Squirrels be these girls like the Jacksons I'll be there
(Look over your shoulders honey)

Birds of a feather
Think you gettin away but I got you on free range, so that the meat tastes better
All that cheddar 

(Trumpet)

She swallows kids in a clinic on they meds pushed through the senate, the walking dead
Grown folks talkin go to bed, rejoice, 
Now here go my invoice,
Giving you the track without stems, 
You can't mix and master lab rats workout in gyms.
You midget rat bastard you keep comin up short,
Even your homeroom teacher's giving me bad reports
Stay snitchin actin like you a magician cause you made your first bones, Hocus Pocus
The only reason why you won is because you played bogus (and you know this)

Pan Amsterdam - RETAIL

2. Pan Amsterdam (Prod Damu) - Rigatoni. Album Version

Follow us here - linktr.ee/defpresse

Raw Poetic, the duo of MC/lyricist Jason Moore and guitarist P-Fritz (aka Patrick Fritz), announce their new album, Away Back In, out August 25th on Def Pressé, and present its lead single, “Ease Side.” Following the “radically optimistic endeavors” (The FADER) and “spiritually attuned hip-hop” (Bandcamp) of Laminated Skies and the triple-album “magnum opus” (Jazziz) of Space Beyond The Solar System—both released in 2022—Away Back In is a transcendent musical fusion of hip-hop, jazz, and garage rock, underpinned by the adroit drum programming and production of frequent collaborator Damu the Fudgemunk. A fundamental creation by a group that enjoys a place outside of the spotlight but always in the consciousness of their listeners, Away Back In plays out as a conversation between old friends. Lead single “Ease Side” reignites and re-energizes the jazz elements of the duo’s recent work: P-Fritz’s smooth guitar riffs and bass lines lay the foundation for Raw Poetic to dissect the emotions of a worry-free relationship.

Of “Ease Side,” Moore says, “‘Ease Side’ for us is like a universal calling for everyone to pump the breaks a little. Life is tough, but sometimes it’s good to take a step back and appreciate the good parts of it.”

Link to Ease Side - lnk.to/RawPoetic-EaseSide

Hailing from the Northern Virginia / DC-metro area, Moore and Fritz have been collaborating on experimental hip-hop for the better part of two decades, first in the progressive hip-hop band Restoring Poetry in Music (RPM) and later in the acclaimed Rawkus-signed group, Panacea. Over the next several years, the two artists maintained a consistent friendship but it wasn’t until their collaborative album with Archie Shepp, 2021’s widely-praised Ocean Bridges, that they rediscovered their extraordinary chemistry and ability to fill a musical niche. By 2022, they had once again tapped into an invigorating creative workflow, yielding the aforementioned double release of Laminated Skies and Space Beyond the Solar System.

With no signs of slowing down, Away Back In emerges. Moore’s ability to melodically narrate everyday life in the kaleidoscope of the modern world is uniquely matched by Fritz's consistent ability to supply the musical landscapes for this storytelling. Lyrics are seamlessly sung and spoken, taking listeners on a dark and mellifluous journey. In "Bird's Eye," an exploration of the chaos throughout the end of time, the guitars overdrive, creating a haunting echo, a contrasting mood to the album’s opening track. “Sometime After Midnight” questions the definition of racism in America.

Despite the density of the album’s themes, hope springs eternal in songs like the playful “The Dank-ish,” along with the album’s titular track, “A Way Back In,” a celebration of the long, journeyed history and friendship of Moore and Fritz. “Human Kindness” closes Away Back In with an unlikely marriage of folk-style guitar and hip-hop, providing the listener with a stunning optimistic look on human nature.

Progressive and filled with soul, Away Back In is unlike any other.

Pre-Order Away Back In by Raw Poetic - lnk.to/RawPoetic-AwayBackIn

Away Back In Tracklist:
1. Ease Side
2. Numb
3. Bird’s Eye
4. Sometime After Midnight
5. The Dank-Ish
6. Rehab
7. The Speed Of Power
8. Pull Over
9. When The Mind Goes
10. A Way Back In
11. Human Kindness

Having sold out the Jazz Café in London, April 1st 2023. And an in-depth interview and an appearance on Gilles Peterson’s show (BBC 6 Music) Away Back In will be released with Def Pressé in August 2023.

01 Ease Side

Link to label - https://linktr.ee/defpresse

5 (A5) - Eyebrows

4 (A4) - Lost in the Sunflowers

3 (A3) - I Used To Wear My Scars

Animals: https://lnk.to/BastienKeb-Animals
Dotty: https://lnk.to/BastienKeb-Dotty
The Only Angel I Ever Saw Wore Black: https://lnk.to/BastienKeb-TOAIESWB

2 (A2) - Tikka

1 (A1) - Clouded

Def Pressé - https://linktr.ee/defpresse

Upcoming album, Away Back In - Aug 25th - https://lnk.to/RawPoetic-AwayBackIn

"With a new album on the way later this summer, Raw Poetic is again proving why they are one of the best rap groups working today.” — Paste

" Instead of gunning for a summer banger, the groovy jazz-rap track dares you to take a second to breathe. [...] By the end of the 'Ease Side,' your guard will be down, your shoulders will feel lighter, and you’ll be counting your blessings.” — Consequence

Raw Poetic — the duo of MC/lyricist Jason Moore and guitarist P-Fritz (aka Patrick Fritz) — present new single, “Dank Ish,” from their forthcoming album, Away Back In, out August 25th on Def Pressé. Following 2022’s pair of releases, the “radically optimistic endeavors” (The FADER) of Laminated Skies and the triple-album “magnum opus” (Jazziz) of Space Beyond The Solar System, Away Back In is a transcendent musical fusion of hip-hop, jazz, and garage rock, underpinned by the adroit drum programming and production of frequent collaborator Damu the Fudgemunk. “Dank Ish,” which follows the inherent tranquillity of previously shared singles, “Ease In” and “Numb,  allows listeners to kick back with Raw Poetic without over thinking the woes of life. Of “Dank Ish,” Moore says “The dank ish” was initially just a play on a friends name, that turned into a mystical journey back to Africa after taking a sip of a drink. What was really in the drink, “who knows!”

Progressive and filled with soul, Away Back In masterfully showcases Moore’s ability to melodically narrate everyday life in the kaleidoscope of the modern world. Lyrics are seamlessly sung and spoken, guiding listeners on a dark and mellifluous journey aided by Fritz's consistently thoughtful musical landscapes. In "Bird's Eye," an exploration of the chaos throughout the end of time, the guitars overdrive, creating a haunting echo, a contrasting mood to the album’s opening track. “Sometime After Midnight” questions the definition of racism in America. 

Despite the density of the album’s themes, hope springs eternal in songs like lead single “Ease Side,” which reignites and re-energizes the jazz elements of the duo’s recent work: P-Fritz’s smooth guitar riffs and bass lines lay the foundation for Raw Poetic to dissect the emotions of a worry-free relationship. Elsewhere, the album’s titular track, “A Way Back In,” celebrates the long, journeyed history and friendship of Moore and Fritz, while “Human Kindness” closes out Away Back In with a stunning and optimistic look on human nature.

Raw Poetic - Dank Ish

Label Link - https://linktr.ee/defpresse

The Def Pressé label proudly announces 'ReARTiculations’ by Grammy winning duo Tensei;
 the latest in its Def Pressé Editions- KPM Crate Diggers series in which artists dig deep into
 the archives of the legendary KPM sound library.
 Tensei (meaning "Heaven Star" in Japanese) is formed of Chris Kramer and Midas Wells.
 Hailing from the musical mecca of Chicago, the duo have a vast wealth of influences and
 history to inform their production including: hip hop, house, soul, jazz, library, and
 electronic music among others; as a result, they create eclectic compositions that fuse many
 disparate styles. Although steeped in the tradition of classic hip-hop production, Tensei
 does not rely on records for samples. They play and compose most musical parts
 themselves with both real and digital instruments.
 ‘ReARTiculations’ takes Tensei back to the start of their musical journey. When given the
 opportunity to rework some songs for the KPM music library, Tensei wanted to embrace
 their sample based musical foundation while expanding on original composition. The result
 is transformed songs that sound like entirely new compositions. Playing most of the parts
 themselves, Tensei enlisted a few friends to help articulate the new direction, often
 reworking MIDI recordings originally created by Tensei and sung to the musicians by
 Kramer.
 The album includes ‘Midnight Ride’, which was inspired by old NFL film scores and other
 historical documentaries from the 60s-70s. A constantly changing piece, KPM was unable to
 recognize the sample upon the first submission of ‘Good Morning’, and world class pianist
 Greg Spero was enlisted on ‘Tranquility’ to create a work based on “What if FlyLo did a
 happy song?”.
 Tensei has released several offerings over the years, including album ‘Constellate’, ‘Walk It
 Out’ with Georgia Anne Muldrow, producing and composing ‘A. Billi Free’ by I Luma as well
 as official remixes for artists including Bilal and Tokimonsta//Anderson Paak. More
 recently, Tensei produced and composed on J Ivy’s double grammy album ‘The Poet Who
 Sat By TheDoor’.
 ‘ReARTiculations’ is set for release on via Def Pressé.
Tracklist:
 1. Midnight Ride
 2. Good Morning
 4. Birds Eye View
 5. Vortex
 6. Tranquility feat Greg Spero
 7. Legend
 8. Submarine
 9. Solstice feat Keith Mansfield
 10. Reunion
 https://tensei.bandcamp.com
 https://www.defpresse.com
 https://www.kpmmusic.com

5. Tensei - Perseverance

Smartlink to Scumlord - https://soulspazm.ffm.to/scumlord

Smartlink to album - Luminous Rubble - https://soulspazm.ffm.to/luminousrubble

It’s a producer’s dream: Being given access to a vast library of material to construct something completely new and exciting out of all of it—and when Blockhead’s at the controls, the results are a listener’s paradise, too. The New York City-based hip-hop production legend’s latest album, Luminous Rubble, is also the fifth release in the London-based label Def Pressé’s KPM Crate Diggers series, which hands the keys to the KPM Library’s storied collection—home to over 70 years of music and sound designs made for television, film, and radio—to some of the best behind the boards. The results are like witnessing a kid unleashed in a candy shop, as Blockhead unleashes his boundless creative mind on the KPM Library’s limitless potential—pure inspiration and joy, for your listening pleasure.

“For me, as a producer who uses samples, there’s nothing better than free rein,” Simon recalls. “I was like, ‘Are there any rules?’ And he said, ‘Just make whatever you want.’ That was so exciting for me. I don’t get that on my own releases, but in this case every sample is cleared and it’s all good.”

As is the case with many sample excavators, Simon already had a deep history with what the KPM library had to offer him as well—to the point where, while digging through the crates in the making of Luminous Rubble, he even came across records he’d sampled from in the past.

“Their vault is the one I’m most familiar with,” he says with a laugh. “Back when I used to go record shopping a lot, I would pretty much buy any KPM record on sight. They were always a huge find at record stores. So to be able to tap into these records with no limitations was really nice.”

“The challenge for me was trying to boil down what I wanted to do,” Simon continues while discussing the genesis of Luminous Rubble, which came together over the course of 2022. “I thought about making an album of super-long songs, but it would’ve been a whole different undertaking. So I just went with what I knew, because it’s a foolproof approach to me.” Of course, Simon’s track record as Blockhead meant that the familiar path was tried and true—but as Luminous Rubble’s ten tracks prove, it’s foolish to assume that would mean any laurel-resting on his part.

“My music is always very quirky and melody-driven,” Simon states while talking about how he stretched his creative wings in the studio. “I took chances more than usual when it came to samples and how I used them for foundation.” Indeed, Luminous Rubble finds Simon using the KPM library’s vastness to craft new and engagingly twisted beat-driven shapes; “Dork Crystal” radiates a sinister ominousness, with streaks of strings rubbing against stabbing guitar chords, while a delightfully scuzzy horn line dances around a hi-hat shuffle in “Scumlord.” “There’s something dirty about the horn sample,” Simon explains while discussing the track’s title. “It reminds you of oil-slicked streets in an alley. I wanted to embrace that feeling.”

Glittering bells and a woozy gait to “Serious About My Fitness” makes the tune sound as if you’re sweating it out on the Stairmaster (in a good way), while there’s a distinct thousand-karat shine to “Oh You Fancy,” which nearly resembles a glitzed-out haunted house in its gilded spookiness. “It just sounds like royalty,” Simon exclaims, before going into greater detail about how the creative parameters of the Crate Diggers series proved its own inspiration.

“I’ve always appreciated working within limitations,” he says. “Having no boundaries can be overwhelming when it comes to the creative process. Working with these samples forced me to find middle ground in cases where I’d typically just walk away and look elsewhere.” After hearing Luminous Rubble, you’ll be happy he stuck around.

For more info and music please follow Def Pressé with... linktr.ee/defpresse

02 Blockhead - SCUMLORD

06. Kramer - Rabbit Hole Feat. Jennifer Stephenson, Yutaka Hirasaka, Alex Brinkman

9. Leif Maine & Jackson Mathod - Aurora

SmartLink: https://lnk.to/MoveSomething

Label link - https://linktr.ee/defpresse

The start of some splendid musical collaborations coming from Tulse Hill, South London...

Under a pub in South London a studio was built during the pandemic.  This place has been a hub ever since.  With a lot of people going through it, and being in it, a lot of recent and very successful albums have been recorded in this place.

The musicians behind the scenes, collaborating on those projects, have begun working with Def Pressé and will be releasing music under their own names.  There will be the same spirit of collaboration and the same fusion of genres, all based around highly skilled Jazz musicians, playing Jazz music... we’ll hear Grunge, Techno, Hip Hop, Blues, Lo-Fi, with a Jazz foundation.

Move Something marks the first single from an upcoming album. This track thuds a steady, uplifting vibe right from the ‘on crotchet’ bass drum up. With Jackson’s layered sax on top, Leif’s squelch guitar sitting on his bassline with just enough slide to produce relaxed yet foundational rhythm. 

Turt’s vocal on this rounds it all off into chilled, summer evening feeling.  As the sun is now starting to come and beer gardens, day time shows and parks begin to get busy, we thought this would be a good time to release Move Something.

Move Something is the opening track to a much deeper collections of tunes.  More on that soon... 

A bit about the three artists involved in this song...

Leif Maine:
South London-born producer and multi-instrumentalist Leif Maine creates a sound that straddles grunge, jazz and hip-hop. As well as performing as a guitarist with Trouble In The Nighttime (also the name of a monthly night at Peckham Levels, where musicians visiting London on tour are invited down to the session for improv shows) and Space Ghetto, he worked as a producer and composer with Jessica Wilde, Wu-Lu, Lex Amor and many others, before beginning work on solo projects in 2022.

Jackson Mathod:
After years as a session and touring musician, playing with various artists on the jazz and pop scene, notably Stormzy, Celeste and Jordan Rakei, Jackson has begun releasing music himself. The music has been connecting with audiences in the UK and beyond, Spotify and Apple showing love from the get go which led to radio plays in the UK via key figures like Jamie Cullum, Gilles Peterson, Robert Elms, Jamz Supernova and more. 
Last year, Jackson released another collaborative EP titled, ‘Edbl & friends - Jackson Mathod’.  This EP was created with producer and multi-instrumentalist Edbl, and rapidly gained over 2 million streams and counting.

Turt:
Turt is one half of Summer Sons, a jazz rap group from South London. Consisting of two brothers.  Turt on vocal and Slim, his brother as producer.
They have toured with Children of Zues, played shows with Melodiesinfonie and Flofilz and been part of the bubbling... The Silhouettes Project.

4. Leif Maine & Jackson Mathod. Feat. Turt - Move Something

2. Leif Maine & Jackson Mathod - Far From Home

SmartLink: https://lnk.to/Decided

Label: Def Pressé - https://linktr.ee/defpresse

The second Double A to release before the album is with us.
Decided began life as a session with Yaw, Makaya and Kramer.  It was a Jazz song to be begin with.  Much lighter drums and Yaw’s melodic vocal marked the bridge and chorus to what was, essentially an instrumental track.  Later Awon was in the studio and heard the track.  He said he wanted to rap on it, and here we are.  An emotional track about a bond made in love.
Magical Journey featuring Angel Bat Dawid and Sam Thousand is a funky, disco, jazz instrumental with some great tension to it.  The song began as fairly stripped back House beat provided by Makaya.  Angel came through and played the clarinet line.  Sam and Kramer took those two elements and made the arrangement, adding horns and bass.

Taken from the upcoming album, Life is a Collage

Life is a Collage is somewhat of a compilation. A journey through a period of 3 years of meetings, friendships and collaborations.

Kramer and Friends... Collage, is an album made for and by many people.

All drums on this project are written and performed by Makaya McCraven.  The record features artists like Yutaka Hirasaka (Toyko), Arema Arega (Cuba), Angel Bat Dawid, Awon, Yaw.  It really is a collection of friends playing atop Mayaka’s wonderful rhythm and elegant Jazz production by Grammy Award Winning Kramer of Tensei (Kramer and Midas Wells). 

‘This all started when Midas, Makaya and myself were hanging out in our hometown, Chicago.  It’s a good few years ago now.  We were all jamming on ideas we had lying around.  Pieces of that and this.  I recorded the whole few days we spent together in the studio, and we ended up with even more bits of this and that’, says Kramer.

Over the next few years Kramer carried on collecting contributions.  Adding to this pile of ‘pieces of this and that’.

During the pandemic, Kramer and Midas began to stitch this patchwork quilt together.  The process was put on hold when the pair wrote several pieces of music for J. Ivy’s Grammy Award Winning album, The Light Inside.

‘We’ve called this record Collage, for obvious reasons. If this record was made visual it would look like a collage of all beautiful faces involved in its creation. It’s a real celebration of friends and colleagues.  It’s been so much fun, and I really hope that comes across in the music.  We deliberately stayed away from the broodier stuff.  This record is about energy, music and rhythm, but above all... it’s about people.  All kinds of people, who happen to love music.’ - Kramer

Def Pressé will be releasing a series of Double A’s, starting with Miso Fins and Tree of Life, May 2nd.

Kramer and Friends... Life is a Collage

Release Schedule

May 2 – Double A
Miso Fins feat. Yutaka Hirasaka, Regis Molina, Tensei 
Tree of life feat. Destiny Muhommad
May 30 – Double A
Decided feat. Awon and Yaw
Magical Journey feat. Angel Bat Dawid, Sam Thousand, Tensei
June 27 – Double A
Rabbit Hole feat. Jennifer Stephenson, Yutaka Hirasaka, Alex Brinkman
Snake Eyes feat. Press1, 80bug, Tensei
July 26 – The album, Life is a Collage

2. Kramer - Magical Journey Feat. Angel Bat Dawid, Sam Thousand, Tensei

First single from upcoming album, Peace of Action (Nov 22nd)

Album pre-order - https://lnk.to/HeirBorn

Peace of Action is the latest release from artist Earl “Damu the Fudgemunk” 
Davis, and also, the newest installment of Def Pressé’s series of projects made in partnership with KPM (and associated music libraries).

With several titles in the series with notable names like Blockhead and Stro Elliot since its inception in 2021, Def Pressé Editions x KPM returned the artist that launched the line: Washington D.C.’s Damu the Fudgemunk marked the beginning of the Def Pressé Editions x KPM Crate Diggers legacy with his critically acclaimed (as featured on NPR) Conversation Peace in late summer of 2021. 

Three years later all original parties have teamed up to present album 2, Peace of Action...

“It’s a pleasure to present Peace of Action. So much excitement went 
into the initial venture to collaborate with KPM and become part of 
their history. When I listen to the final album, I hear all the 
excitement and passion I had for the music. Discovering things in 
their archive helped me discover and rediscover things about myself 
that I usually restrict in previous work. It was fun to break some rules 
and still maintain some limitations especially after 20 plus years of 
creating music. Being very pleased with the artistic and commercial 
success of my first Def Pressé x KPM album in 2021, I’m proud to 
expand the storyline with this particular energy and themes in 2024.”
Earl Davis (Damu the Fudgemunk

Damu The Fudgemunk - Heir Born

Peace of Action is not only the latest release from artist Earl “Damu the Fudgemunk” Davis, but the newest installment under KPM’s Crate Digger Series with label Def Pressé Editions. With several titles in the series with notable names like Blockhead and Stro Elliot since its inception in 2021, KPM returned the artist that launched the line.  Washington D.C.’s Damu the Fudgemunk marked the beginning of the KPM Crate Diggers legacy with his critically acclaimed (as featured on NPR) Conversation Peace in late summer of 2021.  3 years later all original parties have teamed up to present album 2, Peace of Action.  Damu alluded to a part 2 in the liner notes of Conversation Peace and has kept his word.  Like it’s predecessor, Peace of Action features 9 all new tracks, however this album contains no guests or vocals and is fully instrumental.  With dozens of titles under his belt over the past 2 decades highlighting his musicality and a reputation built on beats, it may be of a surprise to many that this will be the Fudgemunk’s first official instrumental project in over 7 years.  Yes, 7 years is quite some time, but don’t confuse the decision to prioritize making music with vocals to any inactivity on his part.  Check the catalog and you’ll see productions for MC’s like Raw Poetic and Blu account for lost time.  During the particular hiatus, there was a ton of room for new ideas and fresh experimentation which can be heard all over this Damu LP.  The signature is present where longtime listeners will easily pick out the fingerprints of his work.  On the other hand, the creative process that included traveling to London and digging through KPM’s archive in real time spawned the freedom to break away from what many may define as a “calling card” and musically show a different dimension in an alternate universe.  Artists at their core historically have created their best work under adventurous circumstances and that will be very evident in the listening experience of Damu the Fudgemunk’s “Peace of Action”.  Expect the unexpected.  The vast diversity of KPM’s library provided limitless range for the ears and mind of a seasoned veteran like Damu who considers storytelling a vital component of art.  On part one, Conversation Peace, it was a short film centered around engaging dialogue with a supporting score and now part two, A Peace of Action, is silent film built around movements of the music where the director took great excitement in revealing a different side of the main character.  Each song represents a scene that paints a unique world of its own.  Even though the artist prefers to have the audience listen in full, a conscious decision was made to arrange music that didn’t have to rely on its counterparts to gain context.  In a market driven by singles and singular impressions, any entry point into this body of work provides access for immersion.

9. Damu The Fudgemunk -Isaacs Divine Image Of Joy

7. Damu The Fudgemunk -Dot Matrix

4. Damu The Fudgemunk - Le Grand

3. Damu The Fudgemunk - Stone Carving

2. Damu The Fudgemunk - Sparks

2. Dizraeli - Curiouser And Curiouser

1. Dizraeli - Curiouser & Curiouser INSTRUMENTAL

Leif Maine -Juku Juku

Smartlink: https://lnk.to/HitsHitsHits-Single
The first single from upcoming album, Salsa Verde: https://lnk.to/SalsaVerde
The latest instalment in the Def Pressé Editions x KPM series.  Def Pressé having entered into a deal with KPM whereby the KPM and associated libraries can be used, exclusively, by Def Pressé. Sampled, replayed and reimagined, this vast catalogue has provided music for TV and Cinema for decades.  Sampled, often illegally, by practically every Hip Hop producer ever, the library is available to select Def Pressé artists to utilise in order to create new pieces of music.  This music is then fed back into the KPM/Sony AVI library for use in TV and Cinema, and the Def Pressé artist is then a KPM Artist in their own right.  Completing the circle and hopefully providing music to inspire the new generation of beat makers, sample based producers.
This single marks the first offering of an upcoming album named, Salsa Verde.
Jehst and Caruana have worked together for years now, recently remixing material for Tom's label, Tea Sea Records for the first in a series called Mug Shots. He also featured on Caruana's Strange Planet album from 2022. In this track Jehst fires oﬀ vivid wordplay and flows eﬀortlessly over ominous bass clarinets, trumpets, timpani and rolling drums. The track is topped oﬀ nicely with a nod to Nice and Smooth.

04. Tom Caruana - Hits Hits Hits feat. Jehst

11. Tom Caruana - Influential feat. Supastition & Boog Brown

05. Tom Caruana - Perfect Match feat. Large Professor, Tiye Phoenix & Nick Maxwell

Damu the Fudgemunk, Leif Maine and Jackson Mathod - Transmorpher

FloFilz, Leif Maine and Jackson Mathod - Transmutator

Dizraeli - Marvellous (Part 2)

Def Pressé Presents...
Damu the Fudgemunk – Conversation Peace
KPM Crate Diggers

23rd June (Single 1 and preorder launch) - For Better or Worse 1. Ft. Nitty Scott - Private Stream: User-826863280 – Damu-the-fudgemunk-four-better-or-worse-pt-1-ft-nitty-scott

21st July (Single 2) - Gods Speed. Ft. Blu - Private Stream: User-826863280 – Damu-the-fudgemunk-god-speed-ft-blu

11th August (Single 3 + US Get on Down release) - Enchanted Spirits. Ft. Insight WITH video - Private Stream: User-826863280 – Damu-the-fudgemunk-enchanted-spirits-ft-insight

3rd September (Album release + Single 4 album focus track) - Power of the Mind Ft. Raw Poetic

1. A1 - Damu The Fudgemunk - Power Of The Mind Ft. Raw Poetic

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