Damen Samuel
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | Established. Jan 01, 2006 | INDIE
Music
Press
To record his new LP, Odyssey, emotive tunesmith Damen Samuel relocated from his Melbourne base to another place he feels closely attached to, New York City. Samuel explains that, feeling somewhat creatively stunted in Melbourne, New York beckoned as a perfect recording setting. - Beat Magazine
Where Do We Go? (Single) (Indie)
- Damen’s strongest gift by far is his voice, which sits - strange but true - somewhere between Nick Drake and Anthony Hegarty. Appropriately, this single has some of the stylings of the folk rockers of old and some of the ideological fire as well.
Chris Cobcroft - Brisbane FM 102.1
Damen Samuel has a quality to his voice much similar to Antony Hegarty (Antony and the Johnsons). He has the ability to conjure warmth within his vocal ability which you are taken on a journey through the diverse choice of musical accompaniment. Look out for Damen Samuel and his Album 'A Gypsy's Lullaby'.
This Cd's arrangements are unique and beautiful. It includes the following artists Damen Samuel- acoustic guitar/electric guitar,vocals, Andrew Darling- on trumpet, Lady Jo- on harp,vocals, Lorraine Pentelow-vocals,Peter Lewy-cello, Richard Allison-bass,drums and organ.
This genre is best described as bordering on jazz/folk/contemporary and would be suited to a relaxed crowd. - Melody Shotade / Melody's eyes on music-
Its Australia week in NYC!
Posted by Kaos Blac on January 23, 2009 at 7:00pm
In honor of our down under friends I want to share with you all one of our members from down under,
Damen Samuel
Exhibiting chilling haunting vocals reminiscent of Antony of Antony and the Johnson's Damen Crafts a tapestry of musically mood wrenching mellow folk music. It’s a kaleidoscope of emotion that just get me deep down in my widdle bits, down in the dark recesses of my mind and soul. I’ts the music of his soul and it's leaking out to the world.
Also he has a new album, A Gypsy Lullaby, out so contact him to get a copy! - Kaos Blac / AfroPunk
With a unique voice Damen Samuel creates unhurried slabs of candle-lit melancholy with minimal accompaniment.
The singer/songwriter recently released his first long-player "A Gypsy"s Lullaby" , which recalls the more adventurous Folk experimenters of yesteryear as well as the more recent revivalists of the same sound.
DIG: Tim Buckley , stripped down Antony and the Johnsons , Nina Simone hits the coffeehouse circuit. - "CityBeat" , Cincinnati
Young, handsome and very talented Damen Samuel is a singer/songwriter of german origins who's work is full of romanticism & poetry. He's always on the move and he uses his travels as inspiration for his music.
Currently in Cagliari (Italy) to play at the Karel Music Expo, Damen Samuel is showing his artistic growth on his latest release "A Gypsy's Lullaby".
His name and his music are being noticed because of who he is, sensitive, able to create great "atmosphere" with a voice that warms the soul and proving to be an artist with talent and personality. - Sonia Cardia
"...Damen performs powerfully and expressively and his performance involves and convinces...." - Luca Garavini
“Through the songs on Odyssey, Samuel indeed takes listeners on a journey. It’s a path that winds through the fog of emotion and the spare moments of vulnerability, but it somehow remains hopeful, pressing onward.”
Striking. Different. Those are the two descriptors that immediately come to mind as soon as the vocals kick in to Damen Samuel’s new EP Odyssey. What begins innocuously enough as a mellow, laid-back folk vibe quickly takes on a unique sound when Samuel’s expressive voice takes hold.
Samuel draws heavily upon his German/Nigerian heritage as inspiration for his style; but what’s most interesting is the experimental, poetic nature of his lyrics. It’s melancholic but hopeful. There’s a world weariness but powerful lyrical presence that’s enhanced by classic folk and rock influences. And it can’t be stated enough just how clever and wisely Samuel uses his unique vocal style to his advantage. He writes to enhance it, and it’s a great lesson to other songwriters who may be stuffing down the traits that make them unique vs. what they think people want to hear.
The atmospherically pleasing and instrumental “Misty” opens the album. Clocking in under a minute, it only takes that long to set the correct tone and mood for what’s to come. An amuse-bouche, if you will. Lead track “Where Do We Go” then slips in with a passionately applied vocal performance that charms as you wrap your ears around the breadth of Samuel’s sound. “The Whisper” picks right up where that leaves off, employing more of a classic singer-songwriter sound with an easy vibe while injecting a moody but impassioned folk lyric.
Again, more of Samuel’s mellow vibe and fiery lyrics lift up the wonderful “Noah’s Ark” and “The Gates”. But it’s the wisely chosen “My Way to You” that leaves the lasting impression. It is striking in its simplicity and measured melancholy. And highlights the singular tone of Samuel’s vocal talents. Clocking in at a whopping 7:15, you barely register the time gone by because of the masterful way Samuel paces this track musically and lyrically. Everything has room to breathe and maneuver in just the right time. Minimal accompaniment adds fuel to the slow burn on this track, and the payoff really begins to kick in around the 4:30 mark.
Through the songs on Odyssey, Samuel indeed takes listeners on a journey. It’s a path that winds through the fog of emotion and the spare moments of vulnerability, but it somehow remains hopeful, pressing onward. Similar to artists like Ben Harper or Tim Buckley, the more stripped-down it gets, the more you truly feel what Samuel’s soul is saying. This record will sneak up on you if you just press play and let it go; this is not the type of album you fast forward through and listen for a hook and a chorus. No, this is the work of an artist who pushes himself and experiments with the boundaries of folk music with his performance style. Odyssey is an adventurous album from an exciting artist to watch. - Heidi Drockelman - Indie-Music
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
"... Damen performs powerfully and expressively and his performance involves and convinces..." Rolling Stone Magazine, Italy
Damen Samuel is a singer/songwriter and a travelling troubadour who is spreading his mellow, powerful tunes with a guitar and a velvety voice. His music style can best be described as a unique blend of Soul, Folk, Rock and Jazz influences and he often draws comparisons to artists such as Nick Drake, Antony and the Johnsons and Ben Harper.
Damen
recorded his upcoming EP Odyssey at The Buddy
Project Studio (Sufjan Stevens –“Illinois”) in NYC with
producer Kieran Kelly (Angus & Julia Stone’s – “Down the
way”). Also involved in the making of Odyssey
was Matt Johnson (Jeff Buckley’s band) on drums and electric
guitar as well as Rob Calder (Kanye West) on bass and piano.
The first single of Odyssey, which is titled “Where do we go”, has been added to the playlist of more than 50 stations around the U.S. and Europe and the single has also been receiving airplay from dozens of stations across Australia.
His EP Odyssey will officially be released on the 19th of September, with distribution via MGM. Damen is also going to introduce Odyssey to live audiences on an international tour with dates in Australia, the U.S., Germany and Italy.
Some of the tour highlights will include a performance at this years, Karel Music Expo in Cagliari (Sardinia), as well as a performances at the 2014 CMJ-Music Marathon in NYC between October 21-25th.
Damen has taken full advantage of living in a world with fewer borders than the one he was born into, he was raised in former East Germany, at the height of the cold war by his German mother. His father was a student from Nigeria. Damen moved to NYC in his early 20s to pursue his creative vision and concentrate on his song writing. With his biracial background he felt right at home in the midst of the rich Afro/American history of New York City and he quickly became part of the local music scene of Brooklyn and the Lower East-side. Some of the songs he wrote during that period can be found on his EP Storyteller, which he recorded in 2005 with Grammy winning classical/jazz producer Silas Brown.
Damen's first full-length album A Gypsy’s Lullaby was recorded in Melbourne (Australia) and released in 2009. In 2009-2010 Damen also went on an extensive tour performing live shows and festivals across Australia, the U.S. and Europe.
Nowadays Damen lives in Australia and he regularly travels between Melbourne, the U.S. and Europe, working on various projects and introducing his music to a broad international audience.
Band Members
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