David Dallas reveals strange inspiration for new EP

David Dallas says Jamiroquai inspired his latest EP, Buffalo Man. Photo / Dean Purcell

Kiwi rapper David Dallas loves Jamiroquai so much he dedicated his new EP to the pop-disco kings.

David Dallas is known for his hard-hitting hip-hop beats and sublime rhyme skills.

But the New York-based Kiwi rapper has revealed a surprise inspiration for his latest release: British pop-disco kings Jamiroquai.

Dallas said his new EP Buffalo Man - the follow-up to 2011 album The Rose Tint - was inspired by front man Jay Kay and his band's music, after their 1996 singles Virtual Insanity and Cosmic Girl caught his attention.

"I just listened to rap and R&B. If it wasn't urban music, I wasn't having it," he said in a video on his website. "I kinda credit Jamiroquai as a band for opening me up to music, they're really the first band outside of rap and R&B that I actually liked."

The six tracks on Buffalo Man sample various Jamiroquai tracks, and Dallas calls Spend a Lifetime an "interpolation" of the band's track of the same name.

"Throughout your life certain artists will resonate with you more than others," Dallas said.

"Often you can look back and pinpoint the moment when the influence of a particular artist changed your musical taste or your opinion about something."

He admitted his fans wouldn't know he was a Jamiroquai fan but said the EP wasn't a gimmick and he'd put the same amount of effort into it as previous releases.

Download the Buffalo Man EP here.

- nzherald.co.nz