This piece was originally published at Consequence Of Sound in September 2015.
It’s not all that surprising to find Dam-Funk, aka Damon Riddick, wearing sunglasses indoors in the bustling lobby of Brooklyn’s Wythe Hotel. A Google image search reveals his propensity for shades, often fashionable ones, in public. Whether he does this for sartorial purposes, a sensitivity to light, or some psychological reason, probing the man known as Dam-Funk on matters of eyewear seems far too trivial given the importance of his message.
“We all are inherently born good,” Dam says as I look at my reflection in his obsidian lenses. “Sometimes you’ve got to tap into that memory to know that it’s OK to try and live your life in a better way.” He’s a man on a mission, in the spiritual sense of the word, a true believer in the power of music to change and, yes, even save lives. He speaks about funk with a mixture of evangelical zeal, passionate poetics, and low-key charm. The way Dam describes Invite the Light, the first proper Dam-Funk album in nearly six years, implies restorative, almost zen characteristics. “We go through dark periods,” he says. “The key of this record is to know that you can experience life and try to keep a positive agenda — but sometimes you might have to fight.”