RVA Radio: Seven Davis Jr. via FACT Mag

by | Jul 11, 2014 | PODCASTS

Big ups to FACT Mag and their super solid podcast series. Though admittedly it’s often a bit more abstract and experimental, sometimes they land a more traditional hipster/EDM dj and it really works out for the best.

Enter Seven Davis Jr., a LA-based hip-hop ghostwriter, session vocalist, script writer and poet.

Here’s a bit about Davis via an interview he did with FACT Mag last month:

Born into the gospel world, the young Samuel Davis was initially groomed for mainstream musical success. He likens the experience to being constantly told that the earth was flat – in other words, he just saw things differently. It was a trait which didn’t serve him well. As his teenage years wore on, his natural inquisitiveness led him into the nether regions of the underground. When he began to show label executives the music he’d been making, they thought he’d gone mad.

From there Davis faded into the background, ghostwriting for hip-hop acts (he won’t say which), working as a session vocalist and writing scripts and poetry. It’s only in the past year or so, a little older and a little wiser, that the tides have turned in his favour. An early break came from Kutmah, who heard music Davis had made in the late ’90s – sleazy bedroom funk reminiscent of Dam-Funk and Sa-Ra – and convinced him to release it as The Lost Tapes Vol. 1. Soon after came ‘One’, a gorgeous disco-house number which became something of an anthem last year, and the recent, ruggeder P.A.R.T.Y. EP, which might be even better.

Either way, this mix sways between soul and old school EDM but stays dancey though out. It’s usually going to kick off your Friday night in the right way.

Tracklist:
Whirlpool Productions – From Disco to Disco
A Number Of Names – Sharevari
Close & Second Storey feat Kid A – No Love Lost (SDJR Remix)
Adam Feingold – Jahkra (Apron 12)
Harvey Sutherland – Q3 (12 Mix)
Four Tet – Buchla (SDJR Remix)
Eliphino – Lay Me Down (The Love Below 003)
Philou Louzolo – Ron Dynamite
Seven Davis Jr – Beautiful (Classic Records)
Jamie Jones & Gadi Mizrahi – Nasty Things
Prince – Head
Time – Can’t You Feel It
Central Line – Walking Into Sunshine
Kai Alce – World Causes
Joe Smooth – Promise Land

Brad Kutner

Brad Kutner

Brad Kutner is the former editor of GayRVA and RVAMag from 2013 - 2017. He’s now the Richmond Bureau Chief for Radio IQ, a state-wide NPR outlet based in Roanoke. You can reach him at BradKutnerNPR@gmail.com




more in community

There’s a Murder Coming to Richmond, and You’re Stuck on the Train

Virginia Repertory Theatre is kicking off its new season the way any sensible theatre should: with a train, a murder, and a detective who’s just trying to make sense of it all. Murder on the Orient Express is Agatha Christie’s great reminder that people are both awful...

Confederate Nostalgia, Black Voices: The Paradox of Polk Miller

Over a century ago, engineers from the Edison Company hauled their bulky recording equipment from New Jersey to Richmond, Virginia. In 1909, they captured one of the first interracial recording sessions in American history: Polk Miller, a white Confederate veteran...

The Felon Who Built Scott’s Addition

Before the beer taps and condos, before the buzzwords about ‘revitalization,’ Scott’s Addition’s future passed through the hands of a single man: Justin Glynn French. A convicted felon whose empire collapsed in scandal, he set the stage, even if unintentionally, for...

It’s Still Our City | Ep. 13 Stooping RVA

"The joy of finding a perfectly reusable gem on a sidewalk, in an alley, or on a porch stoop is one of the perks of living in such close proximity in the city of Richmond. The FOMO of not making it on your bike in time for a taxidermy dolphin or a surprisingly decent...

Topics: