Green Velvet
Curtis Alan Jones[2] (born April 26, 1968),[3] better known by his stage name Green Velvet, is an American singer, record producer, and DJ. DJ Mag described him as "a stalwart figure in both house and techno".[1] He is also known as Cajmere, Geo Vogt, Half Pint, Curan Stone, and Gino Vittori.[4]
Green Velvet | |
---|---|
Green Velvet performing at the 2012 Spring Awakening Music Festival | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Curtis Alan Jones |
Also known as |
|
Born | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | April 26, 1968
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
|
Years active | 1991–present |
Labels |
|
Associated acts |
|
Website | green-velvet |
Early life
Green Velvet was born Curtis Alan Jones[2] on April 26, 1968 in Chicago, Illinois.[3] He grew up listening to blues, jazz, funk, and rock.[5] In the mid 1980s, he was introduced to house music via the radio.[5] He started making music with a "sixty-buck keyboard, a cheap four-track and a cheap drum machine".[6] He graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign with a degree in chemical engineering.[3] After attending the University of California, Berkeley, he moved back to Chicago in 1991.[7]
Career
In 1991, Jones started releasing his music under the Cajmere moniker.[8] In 1992, he founded a record label, Cajual Records.[8] In that year, he released a collaborative single with Dajae, titled "Brighter Days".[9] It peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart.[1] In that year, he also released a single, "Coffee Pot (It's Time for the Percolator)" also known as "Percolator".[2] Rolling Stone included it on the "20 Best Chicago House Records" list in 2014.[10] Mixmag included it on the "20 Best US Rave Anthems of the '90s" list in 2019.[11] In 1993, he founded another record label, Relief Records.[8]
In 1995, he released a single, "Flash", under the Green Velvet moniker.[12] It peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.[13] Billboard included it on the "10 Essential '90s Rave Jams" list in 2019.[12] Mixmag included it on the "20 Best US Rave Anthems of the '90s" list in 2019.[11]
Green Velvet's debut studio album, Constant Chaos, was released in 1999.[14] In 2000, he released a compilation album, Green Velvet.[15] He released Whatever in 2001,[16] Walk in Love in 2005,[17] and Unshakable in 2013.[18][19]
In 2014, he teamed up with Claude VonStroke to form the side project Get Real.[20] The duo's debut single, "Mind Yo Bizness" / "Snuffaluffagus", was released in 2016.[21] The duo's second single, "Jolean", was released in 2019.[22]
In 2015, he released a collaborative album with Carl Craig, titled Unity.[23]
Personal life
In the mid 2000s, Green Velvet revealed on Myspace that he had become a born-again Christian,[24] after a serious overdose of a mixture of magic mushrooms, marijuana, and (allegedly) GHB.[25]
Discography
Studio albums
- Constant Chaos (1999) (as Green Velvet)
- Whatever (2001) (as Green Velvet)
- Walk in Love (2005) (as Green Velvet)
- Unshakable (2013) (as Green Velvet)
- Unity (2015) (as Green Velvet, with Carl Craig)
Compilation albums
- The Nineties (1993 A.D. Through 1999 A.D) (1999) (as Green Velvet)
- Green Velvet (2000) (as Green Velvet)
- Lost & Found (2009) (as Green Velvet)
- It's Time (2010) (as Cajmere)
- Too Underground for the Main Stage (2013) (as Cajmere)
DJ mixes
- The Future Sound of Chicago: Cajual Relief (1995) (as Cajmere, with DJ Sneak)
- Wheels of Steel Vol. 1 (1997) (as Cajmere)
- Techno Funk (2000) (as Cajmere)
- Sessions (2006) (as Cajmere vs Green Velvet)
Extended plays
- Underground Goodies Vol. I (1991) (as Cajmere)
- Underground Goodies Vol. II (1992) (as Cajmere)
- Underground Goodies Vol. III (1992) (as Cajmere)
- Underground Goodies Vol. IV (1992) (as Cajmere)
- Dreaming (1992) (as Cajmere, with Derrick Carter)
- Underground Goodies (1993) (as Cajmere)
- Let Me Be (1993) (as Underground Goodies)
- Velvet Tracks (1993) (as Green Velvet)
- Underground Goodies Vol V (1994) (as Cajmere)
- Underground Goodies Vol. VI (1994) (as Cajmere)
- Destination Unknown (1997) (as Green Velvet)
- Chicago (2010) (as Cajmere, with Gene Farris)
- New Gotham (2010) (as Cajmere, with Gene Farris)
- The Chicago Jazz (2011) (as Cajmere, with Gene Farris)
- Elevated Tracks (2011) (as Cajmere, with Gene Farris)
- Go Dancing (2011) (as Cajmere, with Gene Farris)
- Chicago Style (2011) (as Cajmere, with Gene Farris)
- Playground (2011) (as Cajmere, with Gene Farris)
- White Label (2012) (as Cajmere, with Gene Farris)
- Black Label (2012) (as Cajmere, with Gene Farris)
- Taste of Chi-Town (2012) (as Cajmere, with Gene Farris)
- Jungle Love (2014) (as Cajmere, with Gene Farris)
- It's All About Me (2014) (as Green Velvet, with Jay Lumen)
Singles
- "Keep Movin'" (1991) (as Cajmere, with Nané)
- "Brighter Days" (1992) (as Cajmere, with Dajae)
- "Chit Chat" (1992) (as Cajmere)
- "Percolator" (1992) (as Cajmere)
- "Feelin' Kinda High" (1994) (as Cajmere)
- "Flash" (1995) (as Green Velvet)
- "Get Up Off Me" (1995) (as Cajmere, with Dajae)
- "H*rny" (1995) (as Cajmere)
- "Only 4 U" (1996) (as Cajmere)
- "The Stalker" (1996) (as Green Velvet)
- "Answering Machine" (1997) (as Green Velvet)
- "Lookin' for a Man" (1997) (as Cajmere)
- "Feelin'" (1998) (as Cajmere)
- "Nasty" (2001) (as Cajmere)
- "La La Land" (2001) (as Green Velvet)
- "Genedefekt" (2002) (as Green Velvet)
- "Coitus" (2002) (as Green Velvet)
- "Sometimes I Do" (2003) (as Cajmere, with Walter Phillips)
- "Midnight" (2004) (as Cajmere, with Walter Phillips)
- "I Need U" (2004) (as Cajmere, with Dajae)
- "Nude" (2004) (as Cajmere)
- "Come" (2004) (as Cajmere)
- "Powered" (2004) (as Cajmere)
- "House-Werk" (2004) (as Cajmere)
- "Say U Will" (2005) (as Cajmere, with Dajae)
- "The Bathroom" (2005) (as Green Velvet)
- "Temptation" (2005) (as Green Velvet)
- "No S*x" (2005) (as Green Velvet)
- "Cuz of You" (2005) (as Green Velvet)
- "Shake & Pop" (2006) (as Green Velvet)
- "Bigger than Prince" (2013) (as Green Velvet)
- "Suga" (2015) (as Green Velvet, with Technasia)
- "Mind Yo Bizness" / "Snuffaluffagus" (2016) (as Green Velvet, with Claude VonStroke)
- "Keep Pushin' (Harder)" (2017) (as Green Velvet, with Riva Starr)
- "Jolean" (2019) (as Green Velvet, with Claude VonStroke)
- "Fuzion" (2019) (as Green Velvet, with Layton Giordani)[26]
References
- Deahl, Dani (June 28, 2017). "Best DJ: Green Velvet". DJ Mag. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
- Richards, Chris (July 30, 2015). "Green Velvet's sound is still percolating". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
- Bush, John. "Green Velvet - Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
- Black, Jason (November 4, 2013). "Chicago's "ageless, unapologetic raver" Green Velvet remains defiant and Unshakable". Beatport. Archived from the original on September 25, 2015.
- Matos, Michaelangelo (August 3, 2012). "Q&A: Cajmere On His Roots, The Differences Between House And Rave Audiences, And Tweaking "Percolator"". The Village Voice. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
- Barokh, Amanda (September 26, 2012). "Listen: Cajmere - 'Chit Chat'". The Quietus. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
- Bush, John. "Cajmere - Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
- Bradshaw, Melissa (November 7, 2012). "Caffeine Funk: An Interview With Cajmere". The Quietus. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
- Arnold, Jacob; Cupcake, Lorena; Garvey, Meaghan; Matos, Michaelangelo; Mizek, Steve (August 2018). "House Music: A Condensed History of Chicago House". Chicago. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
- Castillo, Arielle; Dayal, Geeta; Harris, Keith (April 2, 2014). "20 Best Chicago House Records: Cajmere – "Coffee Pot (It's Time For the Percolator)" (1992)". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
- Holbrook, Cameron (July 29, 2019). "The 20 best US rave anthems of the '90s". Mixmag. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
- Ohanesian, Liz (July 11, 2019). "Camera's Ready, Prepare to Flash: 10 Essential '90s Rave Jams". Billboard. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
- "Dance Club Songs: The week of June 24, 2000". Billboard. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
- Reynolds, Simon (April 25, 2000). "Hardcore Jollies". The Village Voice. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
- Heaton, Dave (April 24, 2000). "Green Velvet: self-titled". PopMatters. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
- "Interview With Green Velvet". Irish Daily Star. Archived from the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
- Torrens, Nick (June 8, 2005). "Xbox teams up with Green Velvet". Resident Advisor. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
- Medved, Matt (November 6, 2013). "Green Velvet – Unshakable [Album Review]". Dancing Astronaut. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
- Feigel, Kamryn (December 31, 2013). "Review: Green Velvet - Unshakable". SLUG Magazine. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
- Renck, Lizzie (December 2, 2014). "Claude VonStroke and Green Velvet form new side project, 'Get Real'". Dancing Astronaut. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
- Sundius, Michael (January 27, 2016). "Claude VonStroke and Green Velvet release their first music as Get Real". Dancing Astronaut. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
- Yi, Benjamin (November 22, 2019). "Claude VonStroke, Green Velvet duo, Get Real dole out second release ever, 'Jolean'". Dancing Astronaut. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
- Ryce, Andrew (March 25, 2015). "Carl Craig and Green Velvet release surprise collaborative LP". Resident Advisor. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
- Dugan, Stacey (February 6, 2007). "Green Velvet: The Percolator". XLR8R. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
- Sime, Chris (November 8, 2006). "Green Velvet: Mission from God". Junkee. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
- "Fuzion - Single by Green Velvet & Layton Giordani". iTunes. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Curtis Jones. |
- Official website
- Curtis Alan Jones discography at Discogs