For an international audience reawakening to the influence of Chicago house during the 1990’s, Curtis A. Jones acted as quite a renaissance leader.

Curtis Alan Jones (born April 26, 1967, in Chicago, Illinois) 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 Lil Louis, Frankie Knuckles, Jamie Principle, Chip-E, Giorgio Moroder and Kraftwerk.

Jones grew up in a tradition of music.  His father was an occasional DJ who eventually became a budding musician.  Curtis’ passion for this genre of music came out of his innate love and understanding of Chicago’s deep-rooted house music scene that had grown throughout the mid-1980’s.

When childhood plans to become a doctor were shelved, Jones became firmly committed to a career as a chemical engineer.  He attended the University of Illinois, Champagne/Urbana where he received his undergraduate degree in chemical engineering.  During this period however, Jones’ love of music continued to clubs to see what the music scene was doing. As his passion for music grew  he started

cobbling together tracks on his “sixty-buck keyboard, a cheap four-track and a cheaper drum machine”.  This “do it yourself” method of production was never taken seriously.  While his love of music did not diminish, he thought of it as his passion and hobby and continued to focus on a career as a chemical engineer. 

With his undergraduate degree in hand, he headed to UC-Berkeley to pursue a Master’s program in his field.  In 1991, after his first year of graduate study and a successful internship he realized that he was not cut out for the corporate world.  His heart and head were deeply rooted in music and so he left the chemical engineering graduate program and moved back to Chicago to follow his passion…music. He immediately pursued his overwhelming drive to begin recording and DJing around the area.

1991 was a watershed year for Jones.   Determined to stay true to the original House sound Jones took the cut-up production style of the early house sound, absorbed and translated it into the Underground Goodies Vol.1EP and released it on Clubhouse Records. This year also

marked the launch of his own label; Cajual Records and the birth of the artist Cajmere (CAJ as in Curtis Alan Jones).  

In 1992 “Coffee Pot/It’s Time for the Percolator” was released by Cajmere on the Cajual label and it took the airwaves by storm and became a massive hit.  Jones quickly followed-up his success with the same-year release of “Brighter Days” with vocalist Dajae. Some 20 years later both of these tracks are still played at many venues and clubs worldwide as ‘House Music’ anthems. 

Under the Cajual label, Cajmere released one hit after another including; “Say You Will”, “You Got Me Up”, “Horny” and many more well recognized hits.

In 2009, he paired up with female vocalist and rapper Kid Sister for ‘Everybody Wants”. Beginning in 2012 he released a number of tracks with Chicago vocalist, Russoul that include; “Millie Vanillie”, “Tomorrow”, “Spinnin”, “Way Back When”, “Let’s Dance”.   Most recently, in 2012, Cajmere launched a new young talent Ari Lourdes, “Love is You”.

In 1993, Curtis A. Jones (aka Cajmere) introduced Relief Records and Green Velvet (his alter ego) as an outlet for something totally different from his Cajmere moniker and his non-vocal productions. The flamboyant, neon-haired Green Velvet sent shock-waves throughout the house and techno music scenes world over. This elaborately garbed, lyrically wild creature scored a direct hit, putting his hometown Chicago back on house music’s production map.  “I’ve always been quite shy and introverted in a way,” says Jones.  “So it was weird getting up on stage and doing the Velvet thing.”

With the launch of Green Velvet and Relief Records, Cajmere and Cajual Records continued to grow in Chicago and worldwide.  Initially Jones, as both Cajmere and Green Velvet, received more attention in Europe than he did in America; but over the years things have changed and the demand for this genius of House Music is truly global.

Change has been a constant theme throughout the successful career of Cajmere, but as he has crossed genres, changed monikers and explored themes from the comedic to the serious, the common thread running through his two-decades music career is the roots in, and dedication to, the Chicago House sound.

There is a clear message in each song he writes, each release he produces, and every performance he gives; it is all about love, joy and putting others first.  Anyone who has ever seen him at a live show or DJ a gig has no doubt how much he loves his fans. For more than a decade that same message is clear in all of his music; it is all about love.  No exploitation of women.  No foul language. No negativity.

Jones continues to sit at the helm of two of the most respected labels in electronic music; Cajual Records (celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2012) and Relief Records (celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2013).