Influenced - Damon Albarn (Blur & Gorillaz) Part 1

Damon Albarn (Blur & Gorillaz) Part 1

10/06/21 • 49 min

Frontman of two of the most successful alternative music projects of all time, Damon Albarn has been a musical powerhouse for over thirty years at this point. With his work as a young man in Blur catapulting Britpop to the top of the musical world, to forming the most successful "virtual band" of all time with the genre-defying Gorillaz. Refusing to be defined by one sound or idea, Damon has constantly taken his music incredibly seriously, constantly moving from one sound to another, seemingly capable of making hits with anyone, (De La Soul, Elastica and Danger Mouse to name a few!). In this first episode on Damon we explore his early days as a school aged musician all the way to the beginnings of Gorillaz in the early 2000's.
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Previous Episode

Steely Dan

Named after a devious device from William Burroughs' Naked Lunch, Steely Dan was always full of unique take's on just about everything from their music, lyrics and the way they approached production. Formed by core members Walter Becker and Donald Fagan, the band was a great antithesis to the bombastic state of Rock throughout the seventies. Opting often to use professional session musicians instead of the usual rock band lineup, the band was able to craft extremely intricate and well produced albums throughout the entire decade of the seventies, even if it meant they were a rare live band. The way the band used the studio and cutting edge production techniques made them an oddity in their day, but it means the albums sound like they haven't aged a day! In this Episode, we explore where Steely Dan got the interest in crafting music the way they did, and how their countless albums have shaped the musical landscape ever since they started the band fifty years ago.
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Next Episode

Damon Albarn (Gorillaz & Blur) Part 2

On the season finale of season 1 of Influenced, we continue our discussion on Damon Albarn. We pick up right where part 1 left off as Gorillaz continue to pick up steam in the wake of Blur's early 2000's hiatus. We discuss the newfound political energies that began to fuel Gorillaz creative output into the decade of the 2010's. We dive into the rather experimental music that Damon began exploring solo under his own name alongside peers like Brian Eno as well as his reunion and rekindling of Blur. The lasting legacy Damon's creativity has had an impressive impact on the music industry as to this day he is a sought after producer and collaborator across the musical spectrum working with an artistic roster as diverse as the Cure's Robert Smith, contemporary artists like Vince Staples, CHAI, and JPEGMAFIA, and even musical legends from decades past like Elton John, Lou Reed and Peter Hook. In this episode we finish our discussion on Damon and his long lasting career and wide arc of influence over the music industry.
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