David Ramos releases new LP today; shares new MP3 and video!

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"The sheer earnest power that is present in his pain that just drips off of 'Hollow Days' is what makes as gripping and endearing as it is as he raps that there are 'no happy holidays / there’s only hollow days left.' It also makes you want to give the first person you see a hug, but that’s besides the point. His talent, and the emotional release that he demonstrates on this album and song make it definitely worth checking out." -Striker Bill

From MGMT to Das Racist to Francis and the Lights, Wesleyan University has in the past half-decade come to be regarded as the primordial soup through which a cornucopia of avant-garde sound came to be. Though nurturing the musical ambitions already forged through Anonymous Inc. and Toca certainly factored in to David (Dah-Veed) Ramos’ collegiate locale, his prime motivator upon entering the school was its proximity to his grandmother’s house in New Haven. Amidst hitting the books, being named one of the top ten progressive drummers by Modern Drummer magazine, and playing shows with burgeoning Wesleyan acts in addition to recording and performing with established veterans such as Aceyalone, Busdriver and folk musician Little Wings, many evenings and all weekends were spent 30 minutes from the Middletown campus, where the grandmother who provided so much comfort and guidance in the absence of his addict father resided.

David Ramos - "Forgotten Dance"

David Ramos - "Digital Memory" (via URB)

In 2008, David would form the label Fake Four, Inc. (Astronautalis, Busdriver) alongside his brother Ceschi and set up operations in New Haven. That same year saw the release of David’s This Up Here, which began the snowballing critical praise landing the label in a pantheon of indie rap elite alongside Rhymesayers and Def Jux. The success, however, was bittersweet for David. As his grandmother grew ill, David placed musical aspirations on hiatus, moved in to her home to provide care and did not leave the state of Connecticut for three years.

In September of 2010, his beloved grandmother passed away.

Check out these live single-take videos for "Hollow Days" and the new single "Forgotten Dance" here!

On his latest release Sento La Tua Mancanza, David Ramos is at war with impermanence. Falling somewhere between concept album and unrepressed journal entry, the album is David’s love letter to another dimension. It is a tale of completely falling apart and forgetting how to live in one’s absence. It is the cartographer slowly charting his course out of hell and a hazy sketch of the images passing by.

David’s straightforward lyrical approach on the record is accented by the production of German beatsmith Oskar Ohlson and Toca bandmate Tommy V. with instrumental accompaniment from Anonymous Inc. cohorts Ceschi and Max Heath. Ceschi also provides gorgeous backing vocals along with Lizzie Lee. As tongue-twisting raps seamlessly coexist with folksy harmonies, many tracks meander towards a playful, warm orchestration reminiscent of Yann Tiersen and recent WHY?, providing a hint of levity on a heavy album. David speaks of searching for an old birthday card containing his grandmother’s handwriting and clinging to the dwindling scent from her dresses left hanging in the closet. No topic is held too close to the chest in his cathartic sonic explorations. It takes a great deal of bravery to release the innermost layers of one’s being into the world, however painful and harrowing their hue, and it is something David Ramos does beautifully through the 14 tracks of Sento La Tua Mancanza.

Artist -  David Ramos

Album - Sento La Tua Mancanza
Release Date - May 29, 2012

Label - Fake Four

Tracklist:

01. Village Inn Diner
02. Brick Path
03. Digital Memory
04. First Photo
05. Find Heaven
06. Hollow Days
07. His Wishes
08. Tommy Flew
09. Let The Dust
10. Forgotten Dance
11. Together
12. Still There

13. Here We Sit
14. Before We Go To Sleep

  

"The brothers Ramos have a true knack for capturing the essence of transcendent love in all its myriad forms and, conversely, the pains of being separated from it. David Ramos’ beautiful arrangement for “Together,” though certainly existing within its own trajectory of mourning, calls to mind lyrics from his brother Ceschi’s classic “All Of Us.” - URB

"David Ramos’ This Up Here is a self-produced fuck-fest of sounds; synths, keyboards, guitars, drum loops, melodic harmonies, and choppy-cadenced rhymes meld together. He flexes his multi-instrumental muscle, dropping gems like “Kings and Queens” and “Satellite,” which bask in psychedelic indie-pop glory. “Looked At” is a wacky soundclash with eerie synths that abruptly shift to an upbeat marching-band pop tune and back again–with a Project Blowed-like flow sprinkled on top (he has provided beats for Aceyalone and Busdriver, after all). But the rapping isn’t always pleasing, like on his life and love diatribes “Breathe” and “Don’t Exist.” Yet somehow he makes it all work, crafting an eclectic record where experimental indie rap and fuzzy lullabies play together." - XLR8R

"In the past few years, David Ramos has quietly shown his versatility. He's been named (right after Thomas Pridgen) one of Modern Drummer's top 10 progressive drummers, made beats for bigwigs like Busdriver, and played with his brother for almost 15 years in the prolific Anonymous Inc. A rare solo endeavor, This Up Here, Fake Four's first release, is a fine showcase for the artist's talents as producer and composer" - Tiny Mix Tapes