| Daptone Records | |
| Founder: | Bosco Mann Neal Sugarman |
| Distributor: | The Orchard Redeye Worldwide |
| Genre: | Funk, soul |
| Country: | U.S. |
| Location: | Brooklyn, New York |
Daptone Records is a funk and soul independent record label based in Brooklyn, New York.[1] Best known as the home of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings and Charles Bradley, the label boasts a roster which includes Menahan Street Band, The Budos Band, The Sugarman 3, and Antibalas, and runs the recording studio Daptone's House of Soul.[2]
Daptone Records was formed in 2001 by Gabriel Roth (Bosco Mann) and Neal Sugarman. Daptone was born out of the closure of Desco Records, a label run by Roth with fellow musician Philip Lehman who both played in the band Soul Providers.[3] Roth and Lehman ended their band and business relationship in 2000. Roth, who had played with Sharon Jones as part of the Soul Providers, subsequently founded a new label with Neal Sugarman, leader of The Sugarman 3, as the home of their new group, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings.
Their first release was 2002's Dap Dippin' with Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings.[4] 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 The Budos Band.
During this time, they also converted a two-family home in Bushwick, Brooklyn into an analog recording studio space. The first album recorded there was Antibalas's "Who Is this America?" in July 2003. Producer Mark Ronson became a fan of the studio. He brought in Amy Winehouse to record parts of her album Back to Black there with The Dap-Kings and Antibalas members Nick Movshon and Victor Axelrod. 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 Antibalas, The Sugarman 3, The Budos Band, The Poets of Rhythm, The Mystery Lights, The Daktaris, The Mighty Imperials, Lee Fields, Charles Bradley, Binky Griptite, 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.[5]
Since its founding, Daptone has released over one hundred 45" singles and fifty albums.[6]
As of 2021, Daptone operates four specialty imprints.
Daptone built their studio, called Daptone's House of Soul, in a converted two-family home in the Bushwick 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 methods to make music. There are tape machines and a CD recorder, but no Pro Tools or digital reverbs.[11]
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), and mixing done by Roth. The recording studio and engineering personnel have been sought out by record producers such as Mark Ronson.[12]
In February 2009, Daptone's House of Soul was broken into and thieves made off with the better part of its equipment.[13] [14]
| Artist | Title | Catalog Number | Release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings | Dap Dippin' with Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings | DAP-001 | 2002 | |
| Sugarman Three & Co. | Pure Cane Sugar | DAP-002 | 2002 | |
| The Mighty Imperials | Thunder Chicken | DAP-003 | 2004 (reissue) | |
| Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings | Naturally | DAP-004 | 2005 | |
| The Budos Band | The Budos Band | DAP-005 | 2005 | |
| The Sugarman 3 | Sugar's Boogaloo | DAP-006 | 2007 (reissue) | |
| The Poets of Rhythm | Practice What You Preach | DAP-007 | 2006 (reissue) | |
| The Sugarman 3 | Soul Donkey | DAP-008 | 2007 (reissue) | |
| The Daktaris | Soul Explosion | DAP-009 | 2006 (reissue) | |
| Bob and Gene | If This World Were Mine... | DAP-010 | 2007 (reissue) | |
| The Budos Band | The Budos Band II | DAP-011 | 2007 | |
| Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings | 100 Days, 100 Nights | DAP-012 | 2007 | |
| Various Artists | DAP-014 | 2008 | ||
| Menahan Street Band | Make the Road by Walking | DAP-015 | 2008 | |
| Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens | What Have You Done, My Brother | DAP-016 | 2009 | |
| Pax Nicholas & The Nettey Family | Na Teef Know de Road of Teef | DAP-017 | 2009 (reissue) | |
| Various Artists | Daptone Gold (label sampler) | DAP-018 | 2009 | |
| Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings | I Learned the Hard Way | DAP-019 | 2010 | |
| The Budos Band | The Budos Band III | DAP-020 | 2010 | |
| Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings | I Learned the Hard Way (11x45s box set) | DAP-021 | 2010 | |
| Charles Bradley | No Time for Dreaming | DAP-022 | 2011 | |
| El Rego Et Ses Commandos | El Rego (compilation) | DAP-023 | 2011 | |
| Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings | Soul Time! (compilation) | DAP-024 | 2011 | |
| Menahan Street Band | No Time For Dreaming (The Instrumentals) | DAP-025 | 2012 | |
| The Sugarman 3 | What The World Needs Now | DAP-026 | 2012 | |
| The Como Mamas | Get An Understanding | DAP-027 | 2013 | |
| Antibalas | Antibalas | DAP-028 | 2012 | |
| Menahan Street Band | The Crossing | DAP-029 | 2012 | |
| The Poets Of Rhythm | Anthology 1992-2003 | DAP-030 | 2013 | |
| Charles Bradley | Victim of Love | DAP-031 | 2013 | |
| Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings | Give The People What They Want | DAP-032 | 2014 | |
| Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens | Cold World | DAP-033 | 2014 | |
| The Budos Band | Burnt Offering | DAP-034 | 2014 | |
| Saun & Starr | Look Closer | DAP-035 | 2015 | |
| Various Artists | Daptone Gold, Vol. II (label sampler) | DAP-036 | 2015 | |
| Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings | It's A Holiday Soul Party | DAP-037 | 2015 | |
| The Dap-Kings | A Closer Look at The Dap-Kings: The Instrumentals Behind Saun & Starr's "Look Closer" | DAP-038 | 2018 | |
| Walker Family Singers | Panola County Spirit | DAP-039 | 2016 | |
| The James Hunter Six | Hold On! | DAP-040 | 2016 | |
| Charles Bradley | Changes | DAP-041 | 2016 | |
| The Frightnrs | Nothing More To Say | DAP-042 | 2016 | |
| Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings | Miss Sharon Jones! (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | DAP-043 | 2016 | |
| The Olympians | The Olympians | DAP-044 | 2016 | |
| The Como Mamas | Move Upstairs | DAP-045 | 2017 | |
| Antibalas | Where the gods are in peace | DAP-046 | 2017 | |
| Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings | Soul Of A Woman | DAP-050 | 2017 | |
| The James Hunter Six | Whatever it takes | DAP-051 | 2017 | |
| Various Artists | Daptone Super Soul Revue Live at the Apollo | DAP-069 | 2021 |