A Short Portrait: Dan Dombrowe

“Dombrowe is a soul-saver who saves beauty from oblivion.” – Christian Elster: Vinyl Stories

As part of our eYo project, we work with many Ambassadors who do good if not great things. But what does it mean to be a soul-saver?

Daniel Dombrowe has given his own soul to soul music. As an activist, DJ and producer, Dan not only brings the music genre forward, but also takes care of musicians. In some cases, Dan invested many years into finding lost soul singers who had disappeared from the scene or been pushed off it – by dubious record companies that drove signed artists into financial ruin with gagging contracts. In cooperation with a lawyer, the Robin Hood of Soul Music (as singer Oliver Cheatham once called Dan) collects outstanding revenues from record companies, allowing the cheated artists to finally get paid.

Dan’s newly won friends then often perform at the Baltic Soul Weekender. Social entrepreneur Dan founded this festival in 2007, and today it’s Europe’s biggest soul festival. Besides entertainment, the benefit festival fulfils the purpose of fundraising to support the artists. Previous artists include many famous names on the soul music scene, such as Sister Sledge and The Temptations. Dan can also proudly count rap pioneers like Kurtis Blow or members of the Sugarhill Gang among the musicians in his network. German musicians such as Jan Delay, Smudo and Fettes Brot are also at the forefront when it comes to supporting Dan’s life’s work and waive parts of their performance fees to help fund Dan’s project.

Dan also raises awareness for his project with his Dan Dombrowe sunglasses, which he designed together with Edel-Optics. This model is a one-off design and strictly limited to 100 pieces per colourway. Click on the link above to see which of the three colourways you like best. One thing is for sure: you don’t have to be a soul fan to feel the vibes of this style.