Dam Funk's hood pass remains so durable that he can wear a velvet fedora, smoke cloves, sip daiquiris and still be beloved everywhere from San Pedro to Chatsworth. Many cannot do such things, but then, most haven't collaborated with MC Eiht and Westside Connection. Nor do we properly understand how to wield a vocoder, the soundtrack to L.A. anthems since the days of Zapp and the Egyptian Lover. And indeed, Dam-Funk is the rightful heir to their throne -- a polymath able to play the keytar and the talkbox, and DJ obscure boogie jams with obscene and innate levels of funk.

Directed by Henry DeMaio, the video for "Hood Pass Intact" captures a day in the life of Damon Riddick. The conceit was simple. Follow him around with cameras as he goes through his daily routine, which involves coffee in diners, getting down at the Funkmosphere, buying vintage gear and passing out ice cream to local children.

And for those questioning why he'd wear a Pittsburgh Pirates cap in a video celebrating L.A. life, he's repping his native Pasadena.  Essentially, it proves that he's the funk Ferris Bueller. But don't expect to see him tooling around in a Ferrari 250 GT anytime soon. Dam's more of a vintage Chrysler Cordoba man -- which is to be expected from someone whose hood pass is inalienable.

-- Jeff Weiss

Download:
MP3: Dam Funk ft. MC Eiht -- "Hood Pass Intact"

Every day may not be a carnival for Dam-Funk, but his music could convince you otherwise. The Leimert Park-based master of modern funk has the ability to transform the myth of Los Angeles into sound. Suddenly, the clanking traffic of the rush hour commute opens up into the empty speedway of "10 West." Songs like "Sunset" and  "Galactic Fun" shine with the rare refulgence of fulfilled dreams.

Released on Proximal Records' impressively thorough "Narrative of a City" compilation, his latest track, "A Day at the Carnival," takes you down to the Santa Monica Pier at twilight: synths as bright as cotton candy, snares as staccato as a game of arcade air hockey, and kick drums as booming as a barker's voice.

The Stones Throw-signed funkster has been on an impressive roll since the release of last year's "Toeachizown," releasing tracks at a relentless clip via his equally entertaining and informative Twitter (he's right about Prefab Sprout) and indefatigably touring the globe.

Last Friday, he delivered a monstrous homecoming set at the Troubadour, alongside backing band Master Blazter, channeling the usual suspects (Prince, Slave, Aurra), but also the guests he brought on-stage, MC Eiht and Jody Watley.  For full details, Watley's rapturous recap on her blog is recommended.

"The atmosphere at The Troubadour," Watley writes, "reminded me of the first time I saw Prince at The Roxy at his Los Angeles debut concert. It was raw, sexy and funky. Just as it was with Prince, it was easy to recognize that you were witnessing something transformational. Dam-funk blends classic sounds of the 70's and 80's with his own gangsta swagger and signature modern electro sound, turning it into a new and intoxicating brew."

The evening revealed the full extent of Funk's versatility, rendering a deliriously funky interpretation of Eiht's "Straight Up Menace" (includes profanity) and backing Watley's "Looking For a New Love" and "Friends" with his own "(My Funk Goes) On & On," along with more from his rapidly growing discography.

In honor of the occasion and Monday night's fourth anniversary celebration of his Funkmosphere residency at Culver City's Carbon, here are a few of the prolific artist's most recent cuts, best heard in a booming system while traveling at high velocity.

-- Jeff Weiss

Download:

MP3:Dam-Funk - "A Day at the Carnival"

MP3: Dam-Funk - "Paradise"

MP3: Dam-Funk-"IHopeUKnowImWatchingJune

MP3: Dam-Funk-"How U Gonna' Choose a Busta (Over a Real Gangsta)?"

Stream: Dam-Funk - "Westside Pasadena" (Left-Click)

Photo: Dam-Funk. Credit: Matthew Scott

Dam-Funk is one of the most intriguing musical artists to come onto the L.A. scene in the last few years, a one-of-a-kind funkster with a vision and an obsession. That obsession is funk, yes, but it's the big-tent version of the subgenre, the kind that knows no race or ethnicity, that appreciates the rigid, Anglicized offshoot, synth-pop.

In the wild, wonderful video above, Dam-Funk, who's on the mighty Stones Throw imprint out of Eagle Rock, covers the Human League's "Things That Dreams Are Made Of," and does it in a fashion that's both loose and reverential. Better, it gives us a broader understanding of where Dam is coming from, stylistically. Best: It features Dam's plasticized Van Dyke beard, an homage to DEVO's energy domes, perhaps, but even weirder.

-- Randall Roberts