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his music is pretty much all texture...
the difference btwn Dam and somebody like Roger or even Kashif is songwriting and arranging chops...even DJ Quik does this type of thing better...
Even though Roger's songs/grooves we're long and repetitive, he knew how to structure the song to make all of those 7 or so minutes interesting...and somewhere in there he would throw in a very sweet middle 8/bridge...but even when Roger was out of funk mode, he was very good at traditional songcraft...
Dam does grooves...not songs...he's a musician, and if he teamed with a songwriter and serious record producer(NOT beatmaker or programmer)to shape his sonic concepts, he could put out some ill ass records...
there's a difference between coming up with a groove and writing a song....just like there's a difference between making a "beat" and producing a song....its the reason why when you watch a movie, one person may be credited with the story but someone else will be credited with the screenplay aka script...
Dam's production technique is very informed by beatmaking...the parts of his songs are laid on top of each other but dont necessarily interact to paint an aural picture....and the structure is extremely loose...
this is the reason why the general public likes pop music, because it is manufactured specifically to keep the listener's attention throughout....other music like jazz or dance music are for listeners who are more appreciative of music an an art form and have a longer attn span...just the same way you have "popcorn movies" and you have other types of films like art house films or documentaries...
Dam seemingly has all the tools--classic sounds and the ability to play but the reason some people are left cold is because underneath all that classic 80's West Coast sound, deep basslines, and snappy "wet" drums there isn't much of a song there...at least that's what I hear and what I hear from other people...
While Im thrilled to see Steve (Slave and Steve Arrington is special to me--still hurt abt Mark Adams) doing something new and getting attention for it, he's the wrong fit for Dam's sound. Steve never did electric funk...all the Slave hits were done with traditional instruments (bass, drums, Rhodes, guitar, horns...Steve didnt even get synthy until Positive Power???/Dancin In The Key Of Life, and even then it wasnt the West Coast sound.....Steve's sound is very midwestern
As a producer, your job is to find out what will work best with an artist...what fashion suits them, so to speak....
while this song isnt bad...Im willing to reserve judgment until the entire album drops....
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