Curtis Jones
Encyclopedia
Curtis Alan Jones is an American electronica
and house music
singer, songwriter and producer
. His style of house music has been compared and inspired by the likes of Kraftwerk
, Prince, Gary Numan
, and Nitzer Ebb
.
Jones is also known as Cajmere, Geo Vogt, Green Velvet, Half Pint, Curan Stone, and Gino Vittori.
to move back to Chicago, releasing his first song ("Coffee Pot" on ClubHouse Records) the same year. Up until this point, music had been a hobby fueled by cobbling together tracks on his "sixty-buck keyboard, a cheap four-track and a cheap drum machine" set-up while still an undergraduate at the University of Illinois. This DIY method of production was never taken seriously, and when childhood plans to become a doctor were shelved, Jones was firmly committed to a career as a chemical engineer. His father was an occasional DJ and eventually became a budding musician. As time went on, Jones discovered what was his innate love and understanding for house music, a sound that had grown throughout the mid-1980s out of Chicago's deep-rooted house music scene. As a child he was into sci-fi movies and time-travel TV shows like Doctor Who
and playing video games like Tetris
and Galaga
, and would spend hours pondering over the possibilities that this would open up. He played the saxophone at school and had a talent for trying to play with a keyboard but remained largely un-interested in what he saw as his father's passion. It was this cut-up and tacky production style of the early house sound that Jones absorbed and translated into the Underground Goodies EP, his first release as Cajmere (the CAJ as in Curtis A. Jones) put out in 1991 on his own recently started Cajual label. A year later he had his first massive hit as Cajmere with the house tune "Coffee Pot (It's Time for the Percolator)," which was also released on Cajual. He then teamed up with Chicago-based vocalist Dajae
for "Brighter Days," which entered #2 on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play, a high-impact and mellower house tune that was released on Emotive Records.
and Sly and the Family Stone, he created excellent mid-1990s hits such as "Preacher Man," on which a Moral Majority
-type of preacher spoke (the Reverend Clarence LaVaughn Franklin
- father of Aretha Franklin
and ally of Martin Luther King, Jr.
); "Answering Machine," a darkly funny house track consisting of taped messages from an answering machine, including a bad news message from a girlfriend and a noise complaint message from his landlord—all made with Jones's voice; and "Flash," which was a #1 US dance hit in 1995 and was included on many DJ
-mixed compilation albums. After DJing under both of his now infamous monikers, he released his first album, Constant Chaos
, with Beligian Music label Music Man in 1999, which showed Green Velvet's style of house progress into styles similar to Prince
and Kraftwerk
, his spoken-word monologues also took a bizarre turn. In Abduction he spoke about little green men turning up while washing dishes.
' short-lived F-111 imprint, where he released his second compilation album, the self-titled Green Velvet
, which contained the double-A-sided single “Flash” backed with “Answering Machine.” During this time he gave Velvet a new hairstyle—from spiked, green foam nodules to yellow mohawk. Next, in 2001, he unleashed his second album, the dark Whatever
, which was a step away from his Kraftwerk
-inspired sound (although Sleepwalking had a similar style) to a darker, more political Punk
-esque style. On the album he tackled such issues as racism (highlighted on the song When?), drug use (highlighted on Genedefekt and La La Land), alienation (highlighted on Sleepwalking), and being told what to wear and do by the system (highlighted on the heavily punk-inspired track Gat). The more punk-oriented songs on the album apparently came from hours spent listening to industrial
bands such as Nitzer Ebb
and Liaisons Dangerous, and lots of "underground American industrial stuff." He released the single La La Land in 2001, originally designed as a wake-up call for clubbers to the dangers of pill-taking it became one of his most popular tunes. This was followed by Genedefekt. His live act had now became more like a rock band also, with the Curtis playing a keytar
, and two other musicians (aptly named Nazuk and Spaceboy) backing him, playing heavily distorted synths. Initially Jones, as both Cajmere and Green Velvet, was receiving more attention in Europe than he did in the USA, playing a Radio One
live session on the Jo Whiley
show and playing a host of festivals.
, in 2005. This album had a more house music
-oriented style to it, but the odd Prince- and Punk-sounding tracks still remained, as Curtis actually got a live guitarist to play on "Come Back" and the closing track "Pin-Up Girl" had a similarity to New York-based Electroclash group Fischerspooner
. After Walk In Love, Green Velvet produced and remixed releases for fellow Relief Records artists and himself, and played a host of DJ session live shows in 2006.
In a shocking turn, after staying quiet in the music scene, Green Velvet revealed in 2006 he had become a born-again Christian after a serious overdose of a mixture of Magic Mushrooms, Marijuana and (allegedly) GHB
, and promised to turn his life around after this incident. His latest release, the single "Shake and Pop", is a departure from the recent darker electronica style, as he claims he has found a brighter future since converting. In 2007, he released the online-only track "Love Peace, Not War", a short ditty in response to the United States' war in Iraq.
Jones has remix
ed artists such as Madonna
, Orgy
and Basement Jaxx
.
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
and house music
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
singer, songwriter and producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
. His style of house music has been compared and inspired by the likes of Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk is an influential electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008...
, Prince, Gary Numan
Gary Numan
Gary Numan is an English singer, composer, and musician, most widely known for his chart-topping 1979 hits "Are 'Friends' Electric?" and "Cars". His signature sound consisted of heavy synthesizer hooks fed through guitar effects pedals.Numan is considered a pioneer of commercial electronic music...
, and Nitzer Ebb
Nitzer Ebb
Nitzer Ebb is a British EBM group formed in 1982 by Essex school friends Vaughan "Bon" Harris , Douglas McCarthy , and David Gooday .-Band name:...
.
Jones is also known as Cajmere, Geo Vogt, Green Velvet, Half Pint, Curan Stone, and Gino Vittori.
Early years
Before becoming a professional musician, Jones studied chemical engineering at the University of Illinois. In 1991, he left a Master's program at UC-BerkeleyUniversity of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
to move back to Chicago, releasing his first song ("Coffee Pot" on ClubHouse Records) the same year. Up until this point, music had been a hobby fueled by cobbling together tracks on his "sixty-buck keyboard, a cheap four-track and a cheap drum machine" set-up while still an undergraduate at the University of Illinois. This DIY method of production was never taken seriously, and when childhood plans to become a doctor were shelved, Jones was firmly committed to a career as a chemical engineer. His father was an occasional DJ and eventually became a budding musician. As time went on, Jones discovered what was his innate love and understanding for house music, a sound that had grown throughout the mid-1980s out of Chicago's deep-rooted house music scene. As a child he was into sci-fi movies and time-travel TV shows like Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
and playing video games like Tetris
Tetris
Tetris is a puzzle video game originally designed and programmed by Alexey Pajitnov in the Soviet Union. It was released on June 6, 1984, while he was working for the Dorodnicyn Computing Centre of the Academy of Science of the USSR in Moscow, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic...
and Galaga
Galaga
is a fixed shooter arcade game developed and published by Namco in Japan and published by Midway in North America in 1981. It is the sequel to Galaxian, released in 1979. The gameplay of Galaga puts the player in control of a space ship which is situated on the bottom of the screen...
, and would spend hours pondering over the possibilities that this would open up. He played the saxophone at school and had a talent for trying to play with a keyboard but remained largely un-interested in what he saw as his father's passion. It was this cut-up and tacky production style of the early house sound that Jones absorbed and translated into the Underground Goodies EP, his first release as Cajmere (the CAJ as in Curtis A. Jones) put out in 1991 on his own recently started Cajual label. A year later he had his first massive hit as Cajmere with the house tune "Coffee Pot (It's Time for the Percolator)," which was also released on Cajual. He then teamed up with Chicago-based vocalist Dajae
Dajae
Dajae is the stage name of Karen Gordon, a female R&B and dance music singer born in Chicago, Illinois. She sang in various soul bands for over a decade prior to joining house producer Cajmere. The duo released several hit singles, including "Brighter Days",which peaked at number two for two...
for "Brighter Days," which entered #2 on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play, a high-impact and mellower house tune that was released on Emotive Records.
Green Velvet transformation
Interested in making something totally different from his Cajmere moniker and other stuff, Curtis created Relief as an offshoot to his Cajual records in 1993. The first Relief release was also his first Green Velvet production, 1993's "Velvet Tracks," which came from a name given to him by a girlfriend's dad, emerged as the flamboyant, neon-haired electro punk, although in interviews he denied being linked to the Punk lifestyle and fashion, as he was more inspired by the likes of David BowieDavid Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
and Sly and the Family Stone, he created excellent mid-1990s hits such as "Preacher Man," on which a Moral Majority
Moral Majority
The Moral Majority was a political organization of the United States which had an agenda of evangelical Christian-oriented political lobbying...
-type of preacher spoke (the Reverend Clarence LaVaughn Franklin
C. L. Franklin
Clarence LaVaughn Franklin , was an American Baptist minister, a civil rights activist, and father of the legendary soul and gospel singer Aretha Franklin.-Background:...
- father of Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
and ally of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
); "Answering Machine," a darkly funny house track consisting of taped messages from an answering machine, including a bad news message from a girlfriend and a noise complaint message from his landlord—all made with Jones's voice; and "Flash," which was a #1 US dance hit in 1995 and was included on many DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
-mixed compilation albums. After DJing under both of his now infamous monikers, he released his first album, Constant Chaos
Constant Chaos
-Track listing:All tracks by Green Velvet# "Thoughts" – 5:02# "Coïtus" – 8:45# "Abduction" – 5:04# "Save the World" – 4:43# "Electrocution" – 5:42# "Happy" – 4:51# "Strange" – 7:13# "Technology's Out of Control" – 7:22# "Water Molecule" – 7:02...
, with Beligian Music label Music Man in 1999, which showed Green Velvet's style of house progress into styles similar to Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
and Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk is an influential electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008...
, his spoken-word monologues also took a bizarre turn. In Abduction he spoke about little green men turning up while washing dishes.
The Whatever era
By the time Constant Chaos was released, Jones had temporarily halted activity on his labels for almost a year. Still DJing as Cajmere he'd narrowed the Green Velvet persona down to live performances only, taking time out to re-group and work out what to do next. During 2000, Jones was briefly signed to Warner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
' short-lived F-111 imprint, where he released his second compilation album, the self-titled Green Velvet
Green Velvet (album)
Green Velvet, from 2000, is a compilation album and US debut of the house-music artist of the same name. More or less a rehash of The Nineties , which was released in Belgium, it did contain several other tracks that that album did not. It was also the only album of his to be released by a major...
, which contained the double-A-sided single “Flash” backed with “Answering Machine.” During this time he gave Velvet a new hairstyle—from spiked, green foam nodules to yellow mohawk. Next, in 2001, he unleashed his second album, the dark Whatever
Whatever (Green Velvet album)
Whatever is the second album by Green Velvet. On this album, GV experiments with a darker industrial style, and has lyrics based on racism, drug use, and why his style is more than a phase...
, which was a step away from his Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk is an influential electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008...
-inspired sound (although Sleepwalking had a similar style) to a darker, more political Punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
-esque style. On the album he tackled such issues as racism (highlighted on the song When?), drug use (highlighted on Genedefekt and La La Land), alienation (highlighted on Sleepwalking), and being told what to wear and do by the system (highlighted on the heavily punk-inspired track Gat). The more punk-oriented songs on the album apparently came from hours spent listening to industrial
Industrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
bands such as Nitzer Ebb
Nitzer Ebb
Nitzer Ebb is a British EBM group formed in 1982 by Essex school friends Vaughan "Bon" Harris , Douglas McCarthy , and David Gooday .-Band name:...
and Liaisons Dangerous, and lots of "underground American industrial stuff." He released the single La La Land in 2001, originally designed as a wake-up call for clubbers to the dangers of pill-taking it became one of his most popular tunes. This was followed by Genedefekt. His live act had now became more like a rock band also, with the Curtis playing a keytar
Keytar
A keytar is a relatively lightweight keyboard that is supported by a strap around the neck and shoulders, similar to the way a guitar is supported by a strap. Keytars allow players a greater range of movement compared to conventional keyboards, which are placed on stands...
, and two other musicians (aptly named Nazuk and Spaceboy) backing him, playing heavily distorted synths. Initially Jones, as both Cajmere and Green Velvet, was receiving more attention in Europe than he did in the USA, playing a Radio One
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
live session on the Jo Whiley
Jo Whiley
Johanne "Jo" Whiley is a British radio disc jockey and television presenter. She was the host of the long running weekday Jo Whiley Show on Radio 1.-Early life and education:...
show and playing a host of festivals.
Recent projects
After appearing under a host of different names for his various remixing and side projects, Green Velvet released his third album, Walk In LoveWalk In Love
Walk in Love is a Green Velvet album was released in 2005 but has attracted little interest to date. Two of the tracks, "Come Back" and "Pin-Up Girl," were made under GV's Prince-inspired alter ego Curan Stone, and "Come Back" features live guitar playing instead of programmed synthesizers...
, in 2005. This album had a more house music
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
-oriented style to it, but the odd Prince- and Punk-sounding tracks still remained, as Curtis actually got a live guitarist to play on "Come Back" and the closing track "Pin-Up Girl" had a similarity to New York-based Electroclash group Fischerspooner
Fischerspooner
Fischerspooner is an electroclash duo and performance troupe formed in 1998 in New York. The name is a portmanteau of the founders' last names, Warren Fischer and Casey Spooner...
. After Walk In Love, Green Velvet produced and remixed releases for fellow Relief Records artists and himself, and played a host of DJ session live shows in 2006.
In a shocking turn, after staying quiet in the music scene, Green Velvet revealed in 2006 he had become a born-again Christian after a serious overdose of a mixture of Magic Mushrooms, Marijuana and (allegedly) GHB
Gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid
γ-Hydroxybutyric acid , also known as 4-hydroxybutanoic acid and sodium oxybate when used for medicinal purposes, is a naturally occurring substance found in the central nervous system, wine, beef, small citrus fruits, and almost all animals in small amounts. It is also categorized as an illegal...
, and promised to turn his life around after this incident. His latest release, the single "Shake and Pop", is a departure from the recent darker electronica style, as he claims he has found a brighter future since converting. In 2007, he released the online-only track "Love Peace, Not War", a short ditty in response to the United States' war in Iraq.
Jones has remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
ed artists such as Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
, Orgy
Orgy (band)
Orgy is an American synth rock band formed in 1996, from Los Angeles, California. Orgy described their music as "death pop".-History:Orgy was formed in 1996 by vocalist Jay Gordon and guitarist Ryan Shuck. Bassist Paige Haley, guitarist Amir Derakh, and drummer Bobby Hewitt soon completed the line-up...
and Basement Jaxx
Basement Jaxx
Basement Jaxx are a British electronic dance music duo from London, England consisting of Felix Buxton born 1971 and Simon Ratcliffe born 1 December 1969. They first rose to popularity in the late 1990s...
.
Compilations
- The Nineties (1993 A.D. Through 1999 A.D)The Nineties (1993 A.D. Through 1999 A.D)The Nineties is a compilation album by house-music musician Green Velvet. it features all of hits from 1993 to 1999, including the number-one hit “Flash”; the “Answering Machine”; and the dark, disturbing song about...
- Green VelvetGreen Velvet (album)Green Velvet, from 2000, is a compilation album and US debut of the house-music artist of the same name. More or less a rehash of The Nineties , which was released in Belgium, it did contain several other tracks that that album did not. It was also the only album of his to be released by a major...
(2000) - Ministry of Sound Sessions (2007)
Album releases as Green Velvet
- Constant ChaosConstant Chaos-Track listing:All tracks by Green Velvet# "Thoughts" – 5:02# "Coïtus" – 8:45# "Abduction" – 5:04# "Save the World" – 4:43# "Electrocution" – 5:42# "Happy" – 4:51# "Strange" – 7:13# "Technology's Out of Control" – 7:22# "Water Molecule" – 7:02...
(1999) - WhateverWhatever (Green Velvet album)Whatever is the second album by Green Velvet. On this album, GV experiments with a darker industrial style, and has lyrics based on racism, drug use, and why his style is more than a phase...
(2001) - Walk in Love (2005)
- Lost and Found (2009)
12" singles and EPS
Release title / Record label / year- Underground Goodies Vol. I (Clubhouse Records, 1991) *2 versions
- Cajmere Featuring Nané - Keep Movin' 12" (Clubhouse Records, 1991)
- Under Ground Goodies Vol. II 12" (Clubhouse Records, 1992)
- Chit Chat (The Remixes) / Coffee Pot (Cajual Records, 1992) *2 versions
- Cajmere Featuring Dajae* - Brighter Days (Cajual Records, 1992) *15 versions
- Underground Goodies Vol. 4 (Cajual Records, 1992) *6 versions
- Cajmere Featuring Derrick Carter - Dreaming EP (Clubhouse Records, 1992) *3 versions
- Underground Goodies Vol. 3 12" (Out, 1992)
- Let Me Be 12" (Af-Ryth-Mix Sounds, Clubhouse Records, Clubhouse Entertainment, 1993)
- Underground Goodies EP (Cajual Records, 1994)
- Feelin' Kinda High (Cajual Records, 1994) *2 versions
- Underground Goodies Vol. VI (Cajual Records 1994 *2 versions
- Underground Goodies Vol V 12" Cajual Records 1995
- Horny (Remixes) Cajual Records 1995 *3 versions
- Get Up Off Me (12") Cajual Records 1996
- Only 4 U Rhythm Republic 1996 *3 versions
- Only 4 U / It's Time For The (Percolator) (CD, Maxi-single, Live, 1997)
- Lookin' For A Man (12") (Live, 1998)
- Feelin' (12") (Live, 2001)
- Nasty (12") (Cajual Records, 2002)
- Cajmere Presents Walter Phillips - Sometimes I Do 12" (Cajual Records, 2004)
- Cajmere Featuring Dajae* - I Need U 12" (GEM, 2004)
- Nude 12" (GEM, 2004)
- Powered 12" (GEM, 2004)
- House-Werk 12" (Relief Records, 2004)
- Cajmere featuring Walter Phillips - Midnight (Remixes) 12" (Cajual Records, 2004)
- Come 12" (Cajual Records, 2004)
- Say U Will (Cajual Records, 2005) *9 versions
- I Need U (Remixes) 12" (Cajual Records, 2005)
- Percolator - Special Edition (Dirtybird/Cajual, 2010) *2 versions
- Cajmere & Gene Farris - New Gotham EP - digital EP (Cajual Records, 2010)
See also
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart