Introduction: A true fundamental, DJ 2-Tone Jones speaks with his hands as in the tradition of hip-hops founding element, and through his bottomless crates, he has rocked parties from LA to NY down to the ATL and even out in Europe.
But 2-Tone is not your one-dimensional party DJ. His list of current gigs and artists with whom he has spun with is as diverse as the musical genres within his crates (and crates) of records, which is a sonic collage of dusty groove funk, soul, afro-beat, jazz, roots reggae/dancehall, mainstream rap/R&B, go-go (cant forget that), hip-hop, lounge/deep house, and 70s and 80s rock.
On the performance side, 2-Tone has shared the stage and spun alongside, the likes of Raheem DeVaughn, Brand Nubian, Raekwon, Large Professor, Oddisee, Algebra Blessett, Camp Lo, Tracey Lee, and Phil Ade.
He was also the DJ-in-residence for Shaman Work Recordings, an independent hip-hop music label, whose roster included CL Smooth, MF Doom, Wale Oyejide, John Robinson, Scienz of Life, and others.
Currently, 2-Tone can be found most nights of the week at a number of venues around the D.C. area and on the airwaves. On Monday nights, from 10-11pm, 2-Tone is a resident DJ, co-engineer, and co-host for a progressive hip-hop radio show, Ill Street Grooves, part of the decipher hip-hop strip on DCs, own WPFW 89.3 FM/Pacifica Radio.
He is also the main resident DJ at the famed W Hotel in Washington, DC, located directly across the street from the White House.
As his notoriety grows, 2-Tone is not one to just sit back and watch. Most recently, he teamed up with a long-time friend and tastemaker, Gerald Watson, to create Shaolin Jazz: The 37th Chamber, a mix project that involves jazz fused with verses and samples from the Wu-Tang Clan.
The project has received rave reviews from Okayplayer, NPR, and The Washington City Paper. Along with a handful of DCs most talented visual artists, Mr. Jones is a member of a cutting-edge art troupe/marketing group, known as AM Radio: Artwork Mbilashaka.
Their client list has included Adidas, Heineken, Toyota, Current TV and Timberland. 2-Tone also performs as a member of one of the most imitated (but of course never duplicated) live bands on the east coast, known as Sound of the City (SOTC). To date, the band has released 3 studio projects.
