Christmas is a time of joy and nostalgia so what better way to mark it than with a double shot of retro-inspired house music? Delighting you with this festive musical cocktail is American DJ and producer Ples Jones with his EP ‘Soul Introduction’ out now on pointblank Music and available on Spotify, Juno and iTunes.
In his debut release for pointblank, Jones offers listeners two uplifting tracks that declare his love for the genre. ‘Feel Alive’ features the strong vocals of Freedah Soul over a piano house track that’s been updated with Jones’ unique sound design. The strings are there, the hand claps are there, and the track invites you to dance away your troubles with a smile. In ‘Deep Bleu’ Jones pulls us in with a vacillating bass line before creating an underwater cave of wonders with watery reverb and rising bubbles of ascending synth arpeggios.
Pittsburgh-born Jones, who has worked with The Basement Boys and vocalist Crystal Waters and has released on Urban Dubz and Kidology, began his path into music at school. He said: “I played saxophone in school, and in my senior year learned to play the keyboard and use the on-board sampler to do my own remixes of R’n’B songs.” Jones, who has since earned a standing ovation from over 2,000 Miami Winter Music Conference attendees for his DJing skills, went on to made his mark as a producer too. He said: “Back in 2013, StoneBridge had already released the single Be Kind with Crystal Waters. I asked if he could send me over the acapella to see what i could do with it. He agreed, and I viewed it as my chance to prove my remixing skills.
“I spent a few days on it, sent it over nervously and waited for his feedback. He immediately fell in love with it, and passed it on to Crystal for approval, and it was a go from there. It was released as a separate single remix of Be Kind apart from the pack. It was a great feeling.”
Describing what DAW, hardware and plugins he used to make this EP, Jones said: “These songs were made back in 2013, and all made in Reason. I have used it since its inception, and it’s my workhorse; it allows my creative flow to be at its best.
“After the “Be Kind” remix, I bought Logic Pro X and an Akai MPC249 Midi controller keyboard, which I love for its MPC type pads for drums and knobs for control. I use Waves plugins for mastering (the best) D-16 group, Rob Papen punch and sub bass, Abbey Road 127 and 135, Auturia ARP 2600 and mini v, Isotope Stutter edit.”
Using the motto “Keep it simple, keep it funky,” Jones plans to make more music, citing his current influences as, Demuir, Sebb Junior, Roy Davis Jr., Soul Minority, and Miguel Migs (with whom he would love to collaborate). A strong believer in the power of music to bring people together, Jones is positive about the future of a currently politically divided America. He said: “As musicians we use the power of music to heal the painful wounds of this election. Hopefully music will help unite America into supporting the choices it has made.”
Getting your music signed, released, and earning money from it through our own in-house label pointblank Music is just one of the many reasons to study with us, and it’s another way we help to connect our students directly to the industry. Throughout the duration of the course and after completion, students that sign their tracks to pointblank Music enjoy 100% digital distribution coverage including Beatport, Juno Download, Amazon, iTunes and Spotify and extensive promotion through pointblank’s social media, marketing and database networks. pointblank Music releases music exclusively from our students, and showcases all of the best talent that we’re constantly developing and nurturing.
We’ll also send your tracks to the world’s top DJs via our promo system Labelworxs. DJs that have supported pointblank Music releases include Terry Francis (Fabric), Paco Osuna (Minus), Slam and Magda. If you would like your music to be considered for the label, please submit your track to our A&R team via this submission form. If you’re thinking of studying with us why not take a tour of our London studio complex? Head to the contacts page to book a space now.
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