Since touching down in the nation’s capitol in 2001 via Atlanta, GA,
DJ 2-Tone Jones has slowly and steadily been carving out his own niche in the D.C. area hip-hop scene. A true fundamentals DJ, 2-Tone speaks with his hands as in the tradition of a Pete Rock or E-Swift, and through his bottomless crates has rocked parties from LA to NY on down to the A-Town and even out in Europe. But 2-Tone is not your one dimensional party and bullsh*t 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 (can’t forget that), Hip-Hop, Lounge/Deep House and 70’s & 80’s Rock.
On the performance side 2-Tone has spun with, and alongside, the likes of Biz Markie, Kool Herc, Melle Mel, Floetry, J Period, Goapele, Mista Sinista, Raheem DeVaughn, Mr. Lif, Ras Kass, Grand Wizard Theodore, Sugarhill Gang, Sy Smith, and even Dick Gregory just to name a few. He was also the DJ-in-residence for Shaman Work Recordings, an independent Hip-Hop music label whose roster included CL Smooth, 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 11pm to midnight 2-Tone is the resident DJ, engineer, and co-host for a progressive hip-hop radio show, Ill Street Grooves, part of the Decipher hip-hop strip on DC’s own WPFW 89.3 FM/Pacifica Radio. Once a month at Mayorga Lounge in Columbia Heights, 2-Tone and crew host Artz$Craftz, an intimate arts exhibition where artists exhibit and create work while the music spins. Also, every Thursday night at the Historic Bohemian Caverns 2-Tone performs as a member of Sound of the City (SOTC).
As his notoriety grows, 2-Tone is not one to just sit back and watch. Along with a handful of D.C.’s most talented visual artists, Mr. Jones is a member of a cutting-edge art troupe/marketing group known as AM Radio: Artwork Mbilashaka. During the day he serves as Assistant Director of the Urban Arts Academy for Words.Beats.Life, Inc.; a hip-hop, non-profit organization that uses hip-hop culture as a means to transform individuals and their communities. Some of his responsibilities as Assistant Director include teaching kids how to DJ and play chess. So be on the listen-out for 2-Tone Jones thru a speaker near you.
Dancer, Organizer, Creative Spirit: Emily Arden is the founder and director of Complementary Noise. What began as a wish, a hope, a thought to use her varied talents to begin to promote urban artists (including herself) in the DC area turned into a reality with assistance from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. After being awarded a Hip Hop Community Arts Initiative Grant in the summer of 2007, Emily made the decision to bring Comp Noise to fruition. Nine months later... Emily is so proud to be bringing Move-Ments to Washington, DC. The collection of artists and talent is extraordinary. It is so exciting to see her work coming together in such exciting and creative ways.
