Repetition is a big part of Dâm-Funk's appeal. In a more truncated form, the gelatinously minimal beats of the songs on his outstanding Toeachizown records might be less memorable. But at five-plus minute runtimes, what might appear as a simple drum and keyboard loop slowly ingratiates, until the listener is in the same headspace as Dâm-Funk-- where a sketch of an idea can reveal its depth and impact. Repetition across records, however, can be a tough sell. The songs on Dâm-Funk's new EP are all generally very good, but if you're familiar with the L.A. producer's excellent Toeachizown series from last year, you could have guessed that already: Three out of four of them appeared in one form or another there.
In the time since, Dâm-Funk's added guest vocals to the tracks, taking what was repititous dance music and pushing it into the realm of the pop song. The songs in question: the title track, the former instrumental "Hood Pass Intact", now featuring average rapping by MC Eiht and a smooth vocal performance by Dâm-Funk; "4 My Homies", yet another former instrumental-- in this case, "Killdat aka Killdatmuthafucka"-- now features George Clinton-esque vocals by Steve Arrington; and an instrumental re-edit of "Come on Outside" by Devinwho. All of them work with vocals, but even with those-- and a few minor cosmetic adjustments-- none of them improve on what was featured on Toeachizown. And while the EP possesses the album's warm nonchalance, shortening the length of two of these tracks removes some of their appeal.
The highlight is "How It Be Between You and Me", a five-and-a-half minute workout co-produced by JT Donaldson and Tim K. A "Sexual Healing"-style drum break emerges out of street chatter, bass squiggles murmur through wah-wah guitar, and Dâm-Funk might as well be Usher on this track, doing some of his best singing work when he pleads, "How will it be between you and me?/ I hope it will be true ecstasy/ OOH BAY-BAY!" Lothario is a good look for him, particularly because the song exhibits a grasp of how such a posture can be done without coming across as cliché. It's one of many looks Dâm-Funk is trying on right now, and even if a dense discography makes it difficult for some to orient themselves within the producer's world, it also makes it all the more rewarding for those of us already turned into his work.
