How Cloonee Started Working With Chris Lake
Cloonee has been slowly making his way to tech house superstar status over the last few years. He’s become a regular on the global festival circuit, and his music is instantly recognizable by dancers and DJs worldwide. Not to mention, the UK-based DJ and producer runs two labels, CLNE, exclusively for his records, and Hellbent, where he’s helping incubate a new generation of tech house beatsmiths.
With Cloonee’s steady movement to the top of the charts, it doesn’t seem like he plans on slowing down any time soon. Amongst his releases in 2022, fans witnessed his most significant collaboration to date – “Nightmares” with Chris Lake. The track dropped on May 13th, 2022, a fittingly spooky Friday, the 13th. The hairraising track brings some seriously ghastly vibes. Of course, a collaboration with Chris Lake is a huge deal for any artist, and Cloonee has been a long-time fan of the house music icon.
The release of “Nightmares” marks Cloonee’s first official collaboration with Chris Lake. However, it came on the heels of the producer’s remix of Chris Lake’s iconic song “Turn Off The Lights.” He also made his debut on Lake’s Black Book Records with “What Ya Want” in May 2020.
How did this duo come to be? Although he couldn’t get in front of a live audience throughout the pandemic, Cloonee could get into the studio and work on tons of music. He was also working toward building a relationship with Lake. “Chris is probably one of the few that has always had his inbox open, and he’s even sent me a few of his records which was weird,” Cloonee shared in an interview with Festicket.
“He’s just so respected in the industry and has been such a pillar for God knows how long,” he continues. “To have someone like him wanting to work with me is crazy. We’re in talks to hopefully do some shows together in the States.”
Cloonee and Lake met virtually and chatted online, but their first in-person meeting wasn’t until the 4th of July, 2021, in San Diego. Cloonee was opening for Chris Lake at Petco Park, and the duo went on to play another sold-out show at the Brooklyn Mirage shortly after.
“I was kind of nervous to meet him. But he loved all of my music, so there was a mutual respect there for each other… He’s got such a kind heart,” Cloonee told Dancing Astronaut.
While Cloonee’s bass-heavy, worldly take on tech house speaks for itself, having the cosign from one of dance music’s most respected figures doesn’t hurt. And when you consider his quick ascension to the main stage, it’s only a matter of time before Cloonee can pay it forward for another artist.
