In Rotation: DAMEDAME*

If you flipped over the credits on Jorja Smith's sophomore album Falling or Flying and wondered who co-wrote and produced 11 of those 14 tracks, you were looking at the Birmingham duo DAMEDAME*. Made up of singer Barbara and producer Shiloh, this partnership has spent the last half-decade operating as the secret architecture behind some of the most compelling records coming out of the UK. They’ve put in work alongside heavyweights like Tems, Wizkid, and Jim Legxacy. Now, they are stepping out to claim their own space, and the transition is seamless. I'll just say it: the UK R&B scene has been lapping the States for a minute now, and DAMEDAME* is the smoking gun proving why. When you listen to their recent single "FREEDOM," which brings their long-time friend Jorja Smith along for the ride, you hear exactly what sets them apart. Shiloh lets a firm bassline tick over off-beat while dynamic string arrangements and violins swell around the vocals. It gives me flashbacks to the way Jazzie B and Soul II Soul used to fuse heavy grooves with orchestral elegance back in the day. The difference here is the jagged, modern electronica edge they weave into the mix. Usually, when producers step out from behind the boards to become the marquee artist, they overstuff the beat to compensate for a lack of vocal presence. DAMEDAME* dodges that trap entirely. On their newest drop, "FIRE BURNIN' THRU THE RAIN," Barbara’s vocal performance cuts right through the rich instrumentation. The melodies anchor the track while the production shifts beneath her. It takes serious discipline to build a track this layered without letting it turn to mud. They just know how to make undeniably good sh*t. The numbers are starting to reflect the talent. "FIRE BURNIN' THRU THE RAIN" is currently sitting on Spotify’s RADAR US and YAMS playlists, while "FREEDOM" is holding weight on SoundCloud Jamz's Best UK R&B chart. The industry algorithms are finally catching up to what the Birmingham scene already knew. Hear it below.