DAVIE

It's Christmas 2019 and Defected's label boss and head of A&R Simon Dunmore heads to the cinema, catching the below advert featuring Matthew McConaughey for the first time before the film. The record that soundtracks the ad is ‘Testify’, and the artist (who appears in it momentarily) is DAVIE. Simon was apparently stopped in his tracks and determined to know more. After a fair amount of digging and enquiries, Simon was in touch with DAVIE, an unsigned and otherwise unknown artist. ‘Testify’ was signed to Defected and now has a 19 June release date.

DAVIE debuted the track in the Glitterbox Virtual Festival on Friday 15 May, in a live link-up with his band from NYC.

Simon Dunmore: “Few things in life are better than discovering new music. Bottom line is that this is what has always driven me. Discovering, sharing and amplifying great songs and great artists… This guy is the real deal. Trust me!”

A great introduction to the Brooklyn artist, this release possibly demonstrates an ability to strike the balance between classic and contemporary sounds. Steeped in music from a young age, he followed the path many soul greats did before him, joining the choir in a local church where his father was a pastor.

Describing ‘Testify’ as “a dance song, not a gospel song”, the record remains inspired by his upbringing up in the church, radiating all the energy and atmosphere of worship in full flow. On the A-Side rich instrumentation provides the backdrop for his vocals, along with a dose of funk, hopefully this label debut a future classic.