Damon Bell

Damon Bell arrives on DBA with a debut three-track EP that delves deep into the musical influences that shape his sound. Best known for his output on fellow Oaklander Aybee's Deepblak Recordings - where he holds the title ''Chief Connoisseur'' - Bell has won ardent admirers both with his string of EPs and with last year's debut LP 'Blues For The Libyan', in addition to releases on R&S sub-label Meda Fury. The trio of tracks that make up the Ankh Boogie EP find Bell returning to the dynamic African rhythms of his most floor-friendly work, with live instrumentation layered over an electronic pulse. Having had his start as a teenager obsessing over Afro-Cuban jazz and jazz fusion, his long-standing devotion to learning and adapting the music's polyrhythmic sensibilities in his own music, coupled with the voyages of sound Deepblak is known for, result in a unique collage of sounds that at various moments can recall the likes of Joe Claussell, DJ Qu and Ron Trent. Where the title track plays with sun-kissed melodies and percussive elements, the B1, Aural Afrek, goes into darker techno territory, while B2 cut Time For Change is an organ-led house workout.

• 1 Ankh Boogie EP
• 2 Aural Afrek
• 3 Time for Change