About
'..the name of the game is optimism. Upbeat and uplifting, it's hard not to compare Dave's style and feel to Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney... it's hard not to get excited... - 'The Farsighted' magazine.
Dave Vamfer standing image
Dave Vamfer image
Dave Vamfer standing image
"Vamfer's vocals have a
commanding presence" The Indie Source
Dave Vamfer is a singer-songwriter who is happy to use any musical style that works for his songs. Dave loves music and loves to write, arrange and record songs - he sometimes feels compelled to write songs. (He also writes short stories). Dave's aim is to make music that engages people, that is enjoyed, appreciated and timeless.
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Dave learned to play the guitar as a teenager and has been a keen amateur musician and songwriter ever since. Dave's musical journey started playing bass guitar in a rock band before leaving school (he occasionally lent the bass he had at that time to Steve Gee of Landmarq). Dave went on to become the lead singer and guitarist in the London based band 'Gallop' which had a line-up of guitar, bass, sax and drums. Since 'Gallop' broke-up Dave has continued as a solo artist, he has occasionally teamed with other musicians in a duo or trio for live performance.
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Dave was born in London where he lived until he moved to his present location in Folkestone, Kent, UK. Dave Vamfer is a 'stage name' devised by Dave because his real name 'David Reggie Phillips' is not unique enough to stand out in social media or the music business.
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​Dave's repertoire includes rock, EDM, pop, blues, samba, reggae, bluegrass, jazz, and folk. He sometimes combines styles, for instance 'Because We're Ending' is a melodic angst ballad against a Hip-hop beat.
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​It was not until Dave took early retirement that he found the time to set about making quality recordings of his music. This resulted in his first album 'Find The Sound', which was published in 2020. Dave has also released several singles and an EP. Dave now concentrates on recording and writing, he rarely plays live anymore. He is currently working on his second album.
Music Raison d'être
(why I make music)
Ask me for my musical 'raison d'être' and I could just say that I sometimes feel compelled to write music, so that's what I do. However, that doesn't really explain enough about why I make music. The short answer is that I enjoy music, music has given me lot of pleasure, it lifts my spirits and makes my World a better place. I want to make music that gives pleasure to me and to others.
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While this is a fairly good answer, I think that the reason that I make music merits a longer, fuller and deeper explanation. One that answers not only why I make music, but also why I make music in a wide range of musical genres, and what I'm ultimately aiming for.
​​​I make music because I love music. Music has, and continues to give me, pleasure in many forms including excitement, relaxation, escapism and solace. The music I love has come from very many different styles of music, and from many artists. Some
music has touched me very deeply, some music has simply given me a brief tiny lift in spirits. Most of the music I enjoy falls between these two extremes. Another reason I make music is for the joy of creating something.
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I tend to lean towards trying to make music that touches people and makes them think, but I know that there's also value in music that gives a little lift. I'm up for creating music across the full spectrum. What I do aim for is music where everything comes together perfectly. That is I believe that the lyrics, melody, genre and arrangement should all complement and enhance one another. I believe that this is the way to produce a great track.
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It's not as simple as putting a sad melody to a sad lyric and using a sad arrangement. That might work fine, but there are instances where a sad lyric can benefit from being lifted a little by a fairly bright melody and/or by a bright arrangement. It's about getting the whole thing to feel right, music is about emotion, about the way you're trying to get people to feel when they listen to it.
I want all musical elements, including genre, to blend as perfectly as I can make them. I see no sense in limiting my repertoire to just one or two genres. I use any genre that I think I'm capable of making good music with; the genre(s) that are the 'best fit' for the track I'm working on.
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I don't stick with only writing my own music. Taking something good that someone else has written can be creatively satisfying if I can do something worthwhile with it. By updating and/or changing someone else's song I might end up with a new version that people really like.
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What am I aiming for with my music? What is my ultimate goal? My goal is to create something in a completely new style that becomes a 'standard'. By standard I mean a song that most people know and like. By new style I mean a style that no-one has heard before.
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I've probably got very little chance of achieving my goal, but that's ok. Often gaols are important because of what's achieved while trying to reach them. Not reaching a goal needn't be a failure at all. Just maybe I'll create some tracks that some people really relate to and enjoy while I'm working towards my musical goal.
Dave
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