finetune artist: DJ Cam

b. Laurent Daumail, Paris, France. Daumail is a respected artist who has done much to raise the profile of the French hip-hop scene, and is a one-man embodiment of beathead and turntablist culture, pushing artistic boundaries of hip-hop as far as he can. Daumail grew up with the influence of a jazz aficionado father and a mother who was a fan of classical music. These influences, along with Daumail's extensive knowledge of 70s US funk, can be heard in his eclectic, beat-driven sound, which has drawn comparisons to the established sound of the UK's Mo' Wax Records. Daumail developed a passion for rap as a teenager in the early 90s, and he immersed himself in hip-hop culture, forming the Les Erotic Warriors crew with his high school friends and naming himself "Cam' " meaning "already". He also became a prolific graffiti artist and became a fan of US artists such as Eric B And Rakim and Public Enemy. It was the jazz-inflected breaks of DJ Premier and Gang Starr that proved to be his most powerful source of inspiration. His 1995 debut, Underground Vibes (on his own label, Street Jazz, later renamed Inflamable) was praised by the critics but it was his groundbreaking set, Underground Live Act that was acclaimed as one of the most important live mix albums ever made. The set melds Miles Davis' trumpet sounds with slamming breakbeats and improvised reconstructions of his own studio tracks. The French revolution in dance music that occurred in the second half of the 90s boosted Cam's profile and career, his name being associated with other credible French acts such as Air, Motorbass, La Funk Mob and Mighty Bop. Substances from 1996 was something of a departure, experimenting as it did with house, jungle and ambient styles.

Listen to DJ Cam at Finetune.

Mad Blunted Jazz
Dieu Reconnaitra Les Siens
I Love Hip Hop
Gangsta Shit
Free Your Turntable and Your Scratch Will Follow