Daptone

Daptone grew out of the team behind Desco Records, the 1990s funk revival imprint, and has become a key home for contemporary soul, funk and afrobeat. Run by Gabriel Roth, also known as Bosco Mann, and Neal Sugarman, the label is closely tied to musicians and producers working from inside the music rather than treating it as revivalist museum work.

Its catalogue points to that approach: Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Charles Bradley, Lee Fields, Antibalas and The Budos Band all helped define the label’s reputation, while newer names including Jalen Ngonda and Thee Sacred Souls show how Daptone keeps its sound moving. What links those records is a feel for classic soul and funk forms that stays grounded in present-day players and songs.