Dâm-Funk – Invite the Light

Dâm-Funk – Invite the Light (Stones Throw Records; 2015)

Sprawling and brimming with glitzy, vibrant energy, Invite the Light is a sci-fi infused synth funk journey only the likes of which eccentric crate-digger Dâm-Funk could produce: gleefully bizarre, faithfully funky and laden with enough phat synths to make even George Clinton grin. Indeed, Dâm simply provides too much of a good thing; the album’s colossal 96-minute runtime undermines some of Invite the Light’s strongest elements by simply wading in them for too long. It’s made all the more disappointing given just how consistent and arresting most of these tracks are; the wonderfully visual “Surveillance Escape” blends kooky distorted radio chatter with an unapologetically funky groove before collapsing into the serene jazz-funk of “Floating on Air,” a song that recalls Flying Lotus’ jazzy recent works. It’s clear that Dâm knows his funk; he lives and breathes it, proudly wearing his influences on his sleeves while crafting something notably otherworldly. Perhaps he’s a bit too in love with the funk.

Trial Track: “Floating on Air”
7/10

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