The World is Finally Ready For Seven Davis Jr

At the time of his first official release for Los Angeles-based label IZWID in 2013, Seven Davis Jr. was a virtual unknown who had already endured the challenges of a much larger star. Drug addiction and depression were dual weights that shaped his first EP, The Lost Tapes Vol. 1, and they eventually became a significant enough problem for the abstract funk singer that nearly 15 years passed between recording and release.

By the time L.A. beat guru Kutmah discovered the Texas transplant's early studio work, Davis had been languishing in obscurity, stung by years of rejection and without a creative outlet despite his extensive ghostwriting experience. Must Have Records released Davis' One EP around the same time as The Lost Tapes and the addictive title track became a summer house smash. Suddenly, Davis' singular sounds went from "lost" to "must have" —literally.

Davis' voice has a crackle that years of gospel and jazz training couldn't sandpaper down, but it's an essential and idiosyncratic element of his cosmic house. The rough edges are a palpable reminder of a hard past, but he attributes a recent sonic softening to his permanent relocation to Los Angeles, where he settled after digging into underground hip-hop and drun b ass in Northern California. The sunny weather brings out "summer tunes," he says. "There are a lot of people in L.A. who are making funk music, so L.A. has brought out my funkier side."

His funkier side has gone over especially well in house circles of late, despite the fact that Davis' vocal-driven tunes make him an outlier on many dancefloors. Four Tet tapped Davis to remix "Buchla" from his 2013 LP Beautiful Rewind, and he's also recently released the P.A.R.T.Y. EP on Funkinevin's Apron Records, moving decisively towards linear house without sacrificing the wonky qualities that first earned him attention and make his peculiar arrangements so addictive.

There are plentiful doses of Jimmy Edgar's lascivious funk alongside a spiritual jack recalling old Dance Mania or Strictly Rhythm, but as both vocalist and producer, Davis seems to take most of his information from luminaries such as Prince and Sly Stone—he even recorded a cover of Prince's "Controversy."

"I think I relate to [Prince's] music the most," Davis says. "If he hits me up to take it down, I'd want to be mad at him, but I know he would just be being himself. Hopefully I'll get away with it."

Davis's conversational approach seems at odds with the cosmic air of his music. He answers questions slowly and without any mystic pomposity, which is somewhat surprising coming from a man who published a book of poetry titled Life In Deep Space.

"Most of the songs people have latched onto are based on what I thought future music would sound like," he says. "In 1999, I was trying to make music based on what I imagined music could or should be like in 2017. It was a creative experiment, more than anything."

He certainly has an unusual range, and says he was mesmerized by the Rat Pack before getting turned on to the likes of Portishead and The Fugees. The recent embrace by Funkinevin and numerous others feels like a natural return to house. "There's something freeing about the house community," he says. "People go to a club, dance, and let themselves go. Having drinks, letting loose - it's just a positive feeling. I feel like I've returned and realized how much I've missed it."

With commitments to jazz, gospel, funk, and now house, Davis recognizes he has numerous circles to satisfy as he moves forward. "I think I'm a part of the hip-hop community, the house community, the community of singers," Davis says. "I want to make sure I'm doing something positive for all of them." It's a refreshingly open attitude, and one that Davis wants to make sure he maintains as he continues to deal with unexpected success: "Someone else gets it? It does shock me. Finally, someone understands what I was doing? That's the feeling I get."

Seven Davis Jr.'s next record, the Friends EP drops this week on the label Classic Records. Check out the b-side, "Beautiful," in the player below.

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