Daptone Records is a

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the mid ...

and

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

independent record label based in Brooklyn, New York. Best known as the home of

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings were an American funk and soul band signed to Daptone Records. They were part of a revival movement of mid-1960s to mid-1970s style funk and soul music. They released their debut album ''Dap Dippin in 2002, the firs ...

and Charles Bradley, the label boasts a roster which includes Menahan Street Band,

The Budos Band The Budos Band is an American instrumental band from Staten Island, New York, formed in 2005. AllMusic describes the group as a "doom rock Afro-soul big band with a '70s touch" that joins "musical universes from trippy psychedelia and Afro-funk t ...

The Sugarman 3 The Sugarman 3, sometimes titled The Sugarman Three, is a retro-funk band from New York City formed in 1996 by saxophonist Neal Sugarman, Hammond organ player Adam Scone, and drummer Rudy Albin. The band has released four studio albums—'' Sugar' ...

, and

Antibalas Antibalas (Spanish for "bulletproof") is an American, Brooklyn-based afrobeat band that is modeled after Fela Kuti's Africa 70 band and Eddie Palmieri's Harlem River Drive Orchestra. Although their music generally follows the musical architectur ...

, and runs the recording studio Daptone's House of Soul.

History

Daptone Records was formed in 2001 by Gabriel Roth (

Bosco Mann Gabriel Roth (born August 17, 1974), also known as Bosco Mann among other aliases, is an American record producer, musician, and co-founder of Daptone Records. He is best known as the bandleader, bass player, primary songwriter, and producer ...

) and Neal Sugarman. Daptone was born out of the closure of Desco Records, a label run by Roth with fellow musician

Philip Lehman Philip Lehman (November 9, 1861 – March 21, 1947) was an American investment banker. Biography Philip Lehman was born in New York City to Emanuel Lehman (1827–1907) and Pauline Sondheim (1843–1871). Emanuel was a co-founder of the now- ...

who both played in the band Soul Providers. Roth and Lehman ended their band and business relationship in 2000. Roth, who had played with

Sharon Jones Sharon Lafaye Jones (May 4, 1956 – November 18, 2016) was an American soul and funk singer. She was the lead singer of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, a soul and funk band based in Brooklyn, New York. Jones experienced breakthrough success ...

as part of the Soul Providers, subsequently founded a new label with Neal Sugarman, leader of

, as the home of their new group,

Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings were an American funk and soul band signed to Daptone Records. They were part of a revival movement of mid-1960s to mid-1970s style funk and soul music. They released their debut album ''Dap Dippin in 2002, the firs ...

. Their first release was 2002's '' Dap Dippin' with Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings''. In their first four years, Daptone would also put out Sharon Jones' sophomore album, '' Naturally'', as well as original releases by the Sugarman 3 and Dap-Kings-adjacent

. During this time, they also converted a two-family home in

Bushwick, Brooklyn Bushwick is a neighborhood in the northern part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bounded by the neighborhood of Ridgewood, Queens, to the northeast; Williamsburg to the northwest; East New York and the cemeteries of Highland P ...

into an analog

recording studio A recording studio is a specialized facility for sound recording, mixing, and audio production of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home project studio large eno ...

space. Producer

Mark Ronson Mark Daniel Ronson (born 4 September 1975) is a British-American DJ, songwriter, record producer, and record executive. He is best known for his collaborations with artists such as Duran Duran, Amy Winehouse, Adele, Lady Gaga, Lily Allen, Robbi ...

became a fan of the studio. He brought in

Amy Winehouse Amy Jade Winehouse (14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011) was an English singer and songwriter. She was known for her deep, expressive contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres, including soul, rhythm and blues and jazz. A memb ...

to record parts of her album ''

Back to Black ''Back to Black'' is the second and final studio album by English singer and songwriter Amy Winehouse, released on 27 October 2006 by Island Records. Winehouse predominantly based the album on her tumultuous relationship with then-ex-boyfrien ...

'' there with

The Dap-Kings Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings were an American funk and soul band signed to Daptone Records. They were part of a revival movement of mid-1960s to mid-1970s style funk and soul music. They released their debut album ''Dap Dippin in 2002, the firs ...

. The Dap-Kings would tour with Winehouse in 2007. In addition to Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Daptone has recorded and released the music of

, The Poets of Rhythm,

The Mystery Lights ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

The Daktaris The Daktaris, whose name means "doctors" in Swahili, were an Afrobeat revival group based in Brooklyn. The group no longer exists today, though some of its members have gone on to be part of Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra. The Daktaris were named ...

, The Mighty Imperials,

Lee Fields Elmer Lee Fields (born April 26, 1950 in Wilson, North Carolina) is an American soul singer, sometimes nicknamed "Little JB" for his physical and vocal resemblance with James Brown. He has worked with Kool and the Gang, Hip Huggers, O.V. Wrigh ...

, Charles Bradley,

Binky Griptite Franklin Stribling, professionally known as Binky Griptite, is an American guitarist, record producer, and radio DJ. He is best known as a founding member and guitarist of Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Soul Providers, and Antibalas, among other D ...

, The Sha La Das, and Naomi Davis. The Daptone Record label is inexorably tied to Sharon Jones. The label and members of her band were with her during the last weeks before her death. Since its founding, Daptone has released over one hundred 45" singles and fifty albums.

Imprints

As of 2021, Daptone operates four specialty

imprints Imprint or imprinting may refer to: Entertainment * ''Imprint'' (TV series), Canadian television series * "Imprint" (''Masters of Horror''), episode of TV show ''Masters of Horror'' * ''Imprint'' (film), a 2007 independent drama/thriller film ...

. * Ever-Soul, an imprint that reissues rare soul singles from the 1960s and 1970s. * Dunham, a label run by

Thomas Brenneck Thomas "Tommy" Brenneck is an American guitarist, record producer, and engineer. He became known as the leader of the Menahan Street Band and a member of The Budos Band, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, and El Michels Affair. He is the founder of D ...

and

Homer Steinweiss Homer Steinweiss is an American drummer, songwriter, and producer known as a prominent drummer in the New York soul revival scene. He is a founding member and drummer of groups including Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Lee Fields & The Expressio ...

, best known for their releases of Charles Bradley and Menahan Street Band. * Penrose, a South California offshoot of Daptone began by

in 2020. * Wick, a subsidiary founded in the late 2010s with a roster of rock-leaning artists.

Recording studios

Daptone built their studio, called Daptone's House of Soul, in a converted two-family home in the

Bushwick Bushwick is a neighborhood in the northern part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bounded by the neighborhood of Ridgewood, Queens, to the northeast; Williamsburg to the northwest; East New York and the cemeteries of Highland Pa ...

neighborhood of Brooklyn. It was very run down when they first rented it, and the neighborhood was not great. Daptone Records has its offices in the top floor, the studio is on the ground floor. The label built the studio from scratch, and made the decision to not have computers, but to rely completely on the more old-fashioned

analog recording Analog recording is a technique used for the recording of analog signals which, among many possibilities, allows analog audio for later playback. Analog audio recording began with mechanical systems such as the phonautograph and phonograph. L ...

methods to make music. There are tape machines and a CD recorder, but no

Pro Tools Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed and released by Avid Technology (formerly Digidesign) for Microsoft Windows and macOS. It is used for music creation and production, sound for picture (sound design, audio post-producti ...

or digital reverbs. The studio is where they have recorded most of their releases. Their distinctive sound is a product of the studio acoustics, recording only on analog tape (no

digital Digital usually refers to something using discrete digits, often binary digits. Technology and computing Hardware *Digital electronics, electronic circuits which operate using digital signals **Digital camera, which captures and stores digital i ...

), and mixing done by Roth. The recording studio and engineering personnel have been sought out by record producers such as

. In February 2009, Daptone's House of Soul was broken into and thieves made off with the better part of its equipment.

Artists

* Adam Scone *

* Benjamin & the Right Direction * Bob & Gene * Charles Bradley *Cochemea *

* Menahan Street Band * Naomi Shelton & The Gospel Queens * Orquesta Akokán * Saun and Starr AKA "The Dap-ettes" *

* The Como Mamas * The Frightnrs * The James Hunter Six * The Mighty Imperials *

* The Olympians * The Sha La Das

Wick imprint artists

* The Ar-Kaics *The Jay-Vons * The Mystery Lights * Michael Rault

Discography

Notable awards

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

* 2021:

, ''Fu Chronicles'' – Best Global Music Album (nominated) * 2019: Orquesta Akokán, ''Orquesta Akokán'' –

Best Tropical Latin Album The Grammy Award for Best Tropical Latin Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for releasing albums in the tropical latin music ...

(nominated) * 2014:

, '' Give The People What They Want'' –

Best R&B Album The Grammy Award for Best R&B Album is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works on albums in the R&B music genre. Honors ...

(nominated) A2IM Libera Awards * 2021:

, Fu Chronicles – Best World Record *2021: Label of the Year (Small) *2019: Orquesta Akokán, ''Orquesta Akokán'' – Best Latin Album (nominated) * 2019: Charles Bradley, '' Black Velvet'' – Best R&B Album (won) * 2019: Charles Bradley, ''Black Velvet Deluxe'' – Creative Packaging (nominated) * 2019: Label of the Year (Small) (won) * 2018:

, '' Soul of a Woman'' – Best R&B Album (won) * 2018: Label of the Year (Small) (won) * 2017: Charles Bradley, ''

Changes Changes may refer to: Books * ''Changes'', the 12th novel in Jim Butcher's ''The Dresden Files'' Series * ''Changes'', a novel by Danielle Steel * ''Changes'', a trilogy of novels on which the BBC TV series was based, written by Peter Dickinson ...

'' – Best Blues/Jazz/R&B Album (won) * 2017: Charles Bradley – Best Live Act (nominated) * 2017: Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings (Neal Sugarman) – Best Sync Usage (won) * 2017: Label of the Year (Small) (won) * 2017: Charles Bradley, ''Changes'' – Marketing Genius (nominated) * 2016: Label of the Year (Small) (won) * 2015: Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings – Hardest Working Artist (won) * 2015: Naomi Shelton & The Gospel Queens, ''Cold World'' – Best Heritage Album (nominated) * 2015: Label of the Year (Small) (nominated) * 2014: Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, "Retreat" – Video of the Year (nominated) * 2014: Charles Bradley – Hardest Working Artist (won) * 2014: Charles Bradley – Best Live Act (nominated) * 2014: Label of the Year (Small) (won) * 2013:

, “Dirty Money” – Video of the Year (nominated) * 2013: Label of the Year (Small) (nominated) * 2012: Charles Bradley – Road Warrior of the Year (won) * 2012: Label of the Year (Small) (won)

References

External links

* *
Dunham Records

EVER-SOUL Records
{{Authority control American independent record labels Soul music record labels 2001 establishments in New York City Record labels established in 2001 Companies based in Brooklyn