About Soul Jones
You might be wondering who owns that goofy-looking mug in the illustration. Well, yes, that is indeed yours truly, Dan Dodds. And, all being well, as you scroll through the site, that's the exact pose I'm currently striking in the SJ Bullpen - typing away on an exclusive feature or writing a PR page for the next release on Soul Jones Records.
You see, for some twenty years now, both as a hobby and professionally, I've had my hand (and ears) in music, specialising in soul and funk. I've written for my favourite magazines: Echoes, Wax Poetics and Blues & Soul (my current gig). I've also had the opportunity to work with Ralph Tee and Expansion Records, Raphael Saadiq’s boutique label Pookie Entertainment - where I helped establish his online community - and at the cutting edge of indie black music with Eleonora Cutaia’s cult website, Underground Soul. It's been a blessing, all of it.
I'm grateful to have been able to cover the music I love, privileged to hear unreleased tracks by my favourite indie artists and I hope, via the platform of my new label, that I can help these artists bring their masterpieces to the world and your own personal stash. So, that's the mission.
Oh, and how did I come by the name Soul Jones? The concept originated in the late '90s during a stroll through Mote Park while listening to the Love Jones soundtrack on my Walkman. A "jones" refers to an addiction, and having spent all my hard-earned scratch on vinyl, tapes and CDs, with nothin’ left but a nickel and a nail in my pocket, it felt like soul had got me hooked (along with the beautiful funk).
Dig it.