By A-S Coulson

YourEDM interview Claptone

By A-S Coulson

YourEDM interview Claptone

YourEDM sit down with CLAPTONE for an exclusive Q&A about the development of his sound, upcoming remixes and remaining anonymous.

As an artist that’s been at the forefront of the global house music scene for over a decade, how would you say your sound has evolved since the early days of your career?

Well, how early do you want me to go as I’ve been making music for centuries… I would say that my sound has evolved with the time, but mainly on the style of the release, for example, you have the albums, which are more vocal lead, right through to my floor fillers, built for the club. The sound has evolved, influenced by those around me, from the deeper house of early Claptone releases, to the more accessible leaning hits such as ‘Drop the Pressure’ or ‘Calabria’ stretching to peak time House tracks like ‘Euphoria’ or the house madness of brass driven ’The Big Easy’. At the same time all this is also remaining distinctively Claptone.

You’ve performed all over the globe from South Africa, to Ibiza, Australia and the US. Can you walk us through how you prepare for performances?

Often due to jet lag, with a strong cup of coffee. Right from the early days of Claptone, I’ve had a very similar routine because it’s impossible to fully prepare a set and if you do, 9 out of 10 times, the set won’t go the way you want it to. I have a rough playlist at any one time but you never really know what will go down with a crowd until you start playing, so after a couple of songs you better understand the vibe of the crowd, and that helps you build your set for the audience in front of you. All my sets are 100% mixed live, and mostly track selection chosen in the moment, after all there’s no fun in the same set night after night for me, so I like to keep it fresh.

Your persona as Claptone can be quite comedic at times, despite the ominous appearance of the mask and gloves. Has your comedic approach been a conscious decision, or did it happen naturally?

Me, comedic? No…never! You have to remember that I’ve been around since the black death when there was little to laugh about… in recent times I found wearing my mask and gloves to be particularly useful for other pandemics too! But we all need to laugh and have fun and enjoy music and out of this has borne my personality…if you find it comedic, I’m glad I can fulfil this too!

How have you managed to keep your anonymity for so many years? Have there been moments when your identity almost got revealed?

For sure, at times it’s hard especially, the funny looks I get when I go through passport control at airports, sometimes they require me to adjust the mask. Over the years there have been many rumours as to my identity from Idris Elba to Calvin Harris to Purple Disco Machine and in truth I could be any of those people behind the mask. I think people enjoy the mystery behind the mask, in the same way, children love the mystery of Santa so, luckily there haven’t been any occasions where I’ve been rumbled. In truth my identity with the mask is Claptone if I ever removed it, that identity would not be Claptone… so really there’s nothing to rumble!

Can you explain the creative process behind your latest hit remix of nimino’s track ‘I Only Smoke When I Drink’ ? Do you have any prerequisites when selecting a track to remix?

Sure, I get many requests to remix tracks and my main prerequisite is I have to feel like a Claptone remix could enhance or add to the dance floor quality of an already great original. I have to be able to play the track in my DJ sets and for the audience to get excited – that’s when you know you’re onto a winner. In this case I was so excited about Nimino’s track and instantly had an idea of how I could translate this groove onto my floors, so I reached out to do this remix. I was and still am in love with the top line and synths which really connected with me, and I knew I could bring a Claptone drive to the baseline to give the track something extra special in a remix.

You’ve done plenty of collaborations over the years, from JAW to Seal to Nathan Nicholson. Has there been a particular collaboration that’s changed the way you approach producing at all?

I think all of my collaborators over the years have helped the evolution of Claptone‘s sound and production. Nathan Nicholson, I have worked with on every album, including one I’m working on for next year, so I would say we evolved the most together. Even though you learn from every vocalist or musician or producer you work with and I like that. I wouldn’t say there has been a drastic change to my approach through more of a slow progression.

You’ve played multiple B2B’s this Summer with the likes of Roger Sanchez, Flight Facilities and Purple Disco Machine. How do you go about selecting who would be a good fit for a B2B?

Well, the guests we invite to my party, The Masquerade, are all house or Disco DJs at their core and therefore, marry well with the sound of Claptone. For example, playing with Roger brings a House-ier set with some of his incredible DJ tricks weaved in, compared to the more disco sound of Flight Facilities or Purple Disco Machine that brings some extra groove. It’s always fun to go b2b with people we admire and enjoy in the industry and create something that is a bit more special at our events.

You’ve achieved so much in your career, do you have a personal or professional goal that you’re still striving towards?

Sleep. Well, topping the Billboard charts wouldn’t be too bad…

Is there anything on your current playlist that would completely surprise us?

Yes, my upcoming remix for Sophie Ellis Baxtor’s ‘Freedom Of The Night’ and my upcoming rework of Chicane’s ‘Saltwater’

What can we expect from your upcoming releases or projects?

Expect 2025 to be a big year for Claptone music. It will be the 10th year anniversary of my first album Charmer, alongside some remixes and last not least: My fourth album… if that isn’t enough, we can’t wait to return to Ibiza for a residency in the summer and many more special b2bs to come. I feel 2025 is going to be a really special one.

Read the full interview HERE.

 

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