Green Velvet

by John Bush
Green Velvet, initially created by house don Cajmere (aka Curtis Jones) as an outlet for his non-vocal productions and frequent DJing gigs, grew to become even more popular than the man himself, thanks to club singles like Preacher Man, Answering Machine and The Stalker. Each were infectious, undeniably fun records with simple vocal taglines and a wonderful sense of humor. Jones, who had nurtured the Chicago house renaissance of the 1990s with his Cajual Records, gained immense success in 1993 with the Cajmere single Brighter Days (vocals by Dajae). Later that year, he formed the sub-label Relief mostly for instrumental tracks by himself and others.
Besides releases from DJ Sneak, Gemini and Paul Johnson, Green Velvet figured on many of the early Relief singles, including its first, Preacher Man as well as Flash (also released on the British Open label), The Stalker and 1997s hilarious Answering Machine. Jones began to do supplement his Green Velvet DJing schedule with quasi-live gigs as well, and released his first LP in 1999. His self-titled release on F-111 one year later compiled a dozen of his earlier club hits, and the proper sophomore production album (Whatever) appeared in 2001 on his own Relief label.