June 23, 2021For Immediate Release

Def Pressé and KPM/EMI Announce All-Access to the Iconic KPM Archives;As Previously Sampled by Jay-Z, 2Pac, Drake, Common, Kid Cudi, Madlib, Prince

Paul, MF DOOM, J Dilla, Gorillaz, & More

Two New Series Allowing Select Producers, Including Jazzy Jeff, Stro Elliot, ChrisDave, J-Live, and More, to Both Sample the KPM Library And Add New Music Into

the KPM Library

First Release, Conversation Peace by Damu The Fudgemunk, out September 3rdListen To Lead Single, “Four Better Or Worse (Pt. 1)” Feat. Nitty Scott

(Courtesy Sony Music)

London-based label Def Pressé is thrilled to announce its exclusive partnership withKPM/EMI to officially open KPM’s iconic music and sound design library for the first time ever.A production music label dating back to 1956, the KPM library contains over 30,000 originalrecordings of non-commercial music made for licensed use in television, film, radio, or anyother media outlet. Ranging from cinematic symphonic themes to bizarre sound effects,elaborate environmental landscapes of computer-synth orchestras to film scores, these

licensed recordings, commissioned without the pressure of generating commercial hits, havelong been a treasure trove for producers digging for samples. This adventurous undertaking,initiated by Def Pressé in affiliation with EMI Production Music’s hip-hop outfit The RealFi�h, will see a handful of carefully selected composers and sound-excavationists creatingall-new records alongside an array of featured singers, rappers, and instrumentalists, to bereleased by Def Pressé in two forthcoming series: KPM Crate Diggers and KPM Originals.

The KPM Crate Diggers series will consist of new albums by select producers made entirely ofsamples from the KPM archives, as well as other renowned library music labels includingColoursound, Selected Sound, Themes International, Conroy Recorded Music Library, andFrancis, Day & Hunter, all of which Def Pressé artists also have exclusive access to. Thesereleases will be entered into the KPM archives for future use as “library music,” making theseproducers “KPM Artists” in their own right. The KPM Crate Diggers series will kick off withDamu The Fudgemunk, and see forthcoming releases from Jazzy Jeff, Stro Elliot (of TheRoots), J-Live, Chris Dave and many others to be announced in the coming months.

The KPM Originals series will see new albums composed of entirely new, sample-freecompositions, released by Def Pressé and added into the KPM catalogue, also for future use as“library music.” Artists confirmed to participate in the KPM Originals series include BastienKeb, Corey King, and Chris Dave, with more to be announced in the coming months.

Kicking off the KPM Crate Diggers series is Conversation Peace (out September 3rd), a newalbum from Damu The Fudgemunk, the Washington, DC-based musician and producerknown for his many collaborations with Raw Poetic, Archie Shepp, Blu, and others, inaddition to his own acclaimed solo work. "The music that would become Conversation Peacebegan with a trip to KPM’s London HQ in late January of 2020,” says Earl Davis (aka Damu theFudgemunk). “I had just finished wrapping up post production on my album Ocean Bridges withArchie Shepp and Raw Poetic. As a record collector, I’m very familiar with the legacy of the KPMbrand. Listening to the entire catalogue was a history lesson and the amount of greatcomposers and compositions in the recordings was endless. As a producer looking for textures,inspiration and grooves, the abundance of those things made it extremely difficult to narrowdown what I wanted to use. From drums to sound FX to orchestras to small rhythm sections toambient noises, I heard a wide variety of things and they were all so well produced andrecorded. The history of KPM and the opportunity to collaborate with the prestigious lineagemade the stakes very high for me and I knew I needed to deliver a quality product. It’s an honorto be the first artist to release a KPM Crate Diggers title."

“Damu the Fudgemunk came to our studio in London to carefully dig his way through the wholeKPM 1000 series,” says Peter Clarke of EMI Production Music. “If anyone is in doubt aboutsampling being an artform, they just need to watch him work! It’s great to breathe new life intoall these old recordings, too. And then place it straight back into library music for use in media.Exactly how it was originally intended.”

Listen to “Four Better Or Worse (Pt. 1)” Feat. Nitty Scott by Damu The Fudgemunk

Pre-order Conversation Peace by Damu The Fudgemunk

(Damu The Fudgemunk by Peter Clarke)

Developed in the mid-’60s, the now-iconic KPM 1000 series launched the golden years forKPM, with the birth of the “Greensleeves” albums (named a�er their consistently plain-greenrecord covers). Currently, the classic KPM archives boast over 30,000 original recordings byacclaimed library composers such as Keith Mansfield, John Cameron, The Mohawksfounder Alan Hawkshaw, The Shadows drummer Brian Bennett, David Bowie and TheBeatles’ collaborator, Alan Parker, and Exotica pioneer Les Baxter. KPM has extensivelyrecorded at studios such as London’s Angel and Abbey Road (The Beatles recorded most oftheir albums here during the KPM 1000 recording era).

A massive amount of work has gone into taking care of these aged reel-to-reels, vinyl records,and DATs. They have been painstakingly digitized and made available to Def Pressé and theselected artists working on these projects.

“For years, all of these old archive tracks have sat dormant on the LPs—undigitized and onlydiscoverable by those that had copies or had enough money to get them via Discogs or Ebay,”says Paul Sandell, Senior Content and Distribution Manager at EMI Production Music.“There's a huge amount of pride here at EMI PM about KPM, and the other archive libraries. Notonly is this music an important document of television music from the time, but it has a far widercultural impact - whether from the theme music to a cult TV show, the sleazy funk of an eroticexploitation flick or as music sampled by the likes of Jay-Z, Drake, Florence and The Machine,and many more.”

“KPM has always been there with us for as long as I collected records,” says Def Pressé founderMatt Moat. “While digging for records, it would always be a straight pick-up, no need to listen.Their records were collectibles and coveted as such. It was always a dream to somehow beconnected with this library in a fuller way. The moment I met Pete and we discussed what EMIProduction Music had been doing with the catalogue, I had to dream up a way Def Pressé andour friends could take this stuff, flip it, and end up as ‘Library Musicians’ ourselves. To be able tocontribute to the KPM Library means the world to all of us."

“The relationship between hip-hop and library music has always been strong,” adds Sandell.“But this project really unifies the process between the library and the creative input of theproducers. It's a high five between the two to say 'look what’s possible'.”

Download cover art & hi-res images of Damu the Fudgemunk

Download hi-res archival images of KPM

(Cover Art for Conversation Peace by Damu The Fudgemunk)

Def Pressé Online:Website | Bandcamp | Instagram

EMI Production Music Online:Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

Damu The Fudgemunk Online:Bandcamp | Instagram | Facebook

For more information, contact:Sam McAllister | Pitch Perfect PR - sam@pitchperfectpr.com, 773-942-6573

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