Denis Jones

Denis Jones

Denis Jones is a self-taught guitarist from Lancashire, England. He makes singer-songwriter music that combines blues-influenced vocals with folk, acoustic songwriting and experimental electronic elements. His sound uses loop pedal techniques, effects and an on-stage mixer to build layered arrangements from his voice and guitar.

Style and performance

His songs often develop gradually into dense, multi-layered pieces that can resemble orchestral compositions. Alongside guitar-based writing, his live performances place emphasis on looping, electronic textures and improvisation. Early in his career, his work is compared to John Martyn’s One World period, while later performances move further into live experimentation and heavier electronica. He is also associated with quirky lyric writing and a stage presence that changes from awkwardness to greater confidence as a set progresses.

Career and collaborations

Jones performs across the UK and supports artists including Kieran Hebden, Murcof, Coco Rosie, Amp Fiddler, Okkervil River and Jack Rose. He also works with artists from Lithuania, where he tours twice, and has a track included on FabricLive 35. He takes part in Nitin Sawhney’s Aftershock collaboration project and develops an audio-visual live show with Wasp Video, using live-mixed video projected onto surfaces in venues as well as on conventional screens.

Recordings

His debut album, Humdrum Virtue, first appears in a limited handmade edition with custom cover art, and those early copies become collectors’ items. He completes recording for a second album with Tom Knott of The Earlies at the controls. That album is known as Red + Yellow =, and a 12-inch EP with remixes by Graham Massey of 808 State and Paddy Steer of Homelife precedes it.