A mainstay in the global tech house scene, English DJ and producer Cloonee heated things up at Space Miami earlier this month with eight hours of groovy rhythms and Latin flavor. With The iconic venue packed to the rafters, he rocked a set that spanned tunes from Ben Stirling, Daniel Orpi, Sera de Villalta, a Bad Bunny edit, and more.









Cloonee's career rose to new heights after gaining his first Beatport Tech House #1 with "Be Good To Me'" in 2019. Having dropped a series of thumping releases through established imprints such as Solardo's Sola, elrow, Sonny Fodera's Solotoko, La Pera, and Lee Foss's Repopulate Mars, he finished 2019 as Beatport's 8th best-selling tech house artist.




He followed up the success of that year with the release of "Like What" on his imprint CLNE, which again climbed to #1 on Beatport's Tech House Chart. Later in 2020, the legendary Chris Lake signed Cloonee to Black Book Records and introduced him on the label with the hit single, "What Ya Want."




Days after a sold-out show at Quantum Brooklyn this November, Cloonee will take the helm on The Roof of Superior Ingredients. He's also set to play at Firefly Music Festival 2022 in Delaware, and Pacha in Ibiza.











































































































Cloonee Rocks A Flawless Sunrise Set at Space Miami

ARC Music Festival organizers have announced a multitude of afterparties highlighting both its diverse set of headliners and the strong Chicago talent on the lineup. Highlights include Eric Prydz, Derrick Carter, Carl Craig, and Vintage Culture, to name a few.


Chicago is a city ripe with incredible music venues, and ARC is taking over the best of them on Labor Day weekend after the lights go off at the festival.



Radius, a massive purpose-built warehouse-style venue, will host Boris Bejcha, Get Real, Eric Prydz, and Adam Beyer. While its next-door neighbor Cermack Hall sees ANNA, Derick Carter, Ricardo Villalobos, and Gorgon City taking the decks.


On the North Side, Concord Music Hall will host Cloonee and Miane on Friday and a rare Ben Böhmer DJ Set on Sunday.


The legendary Spy Bar, open since 1995, welcomes Skream and Eats Everything on Friday, Seth Troxler and Carl Craig at Spybar, and Gioli and Assia performing a DJ Set on Sunday to close the festival weekend out.


ARC Music Festival held its inaugural event in 2021 and quickly expanded from two to three days in 2022. The festival exclusively books underground electronic music, focusing on the brightest names in house and techno with an emphasis on interactive art exhibits, honoring the roots of Chicago and strong brand partners like Elrow.


Combining top-level underground talent with local legends, ARC lets old-school techno cross paths with new-school tech house. The ARC team is committed to creating an event memorializing all that is good about Chicago.


Read below for the full afterparty lineup.






Friday 9/2/22

Boris Brejcha at Radius

ANNA at Cermak Hall

Cloonee & Miane at Concord

Nora En Pure at Prysm

Skream & Eats Everything at Spybar




Saturday 9/3/22

Green Velvet & Claude VonStroke at Radius

Derick Carter and Ricardo Villalobos at Cermak Hall

Joseph Capriati at Prysm

Seth Troxler and Carl Craig at Spybar

Honey Dijon at Smartbar

Mike Dunn and Mark Farina at Primary




Sunday 9/4/22

Eric Prydz and Adam Beyer at Radius

Gorgon City at Cermak Hall

Ben Böhmer DJ Set at Concord

Vintage Culture at Prysm

Gioli and Assia DJ Set at Spybar

Acid Pauli at Primary

DJ Three BTB Oona Dahl at No9



ARC Music Festival Announces ARC After Dark Lineups

Tech house producer Cloonee has been making his mark in more ways than one in the electronic music community. As a result, he’s on track to become one of house music’s biggest names. Beyond his sub-thumping productions, his DJ sets are expertly curated and prove that he’s got a keen ear for unexpected records that can get a crowd hyped. So, it makes sense that he’d parlay that expert ear into launching his record label, Hellbent Records, earlier this year.




Hellbent Records was launched for Cloonee to shine a light on up-and-coming artists in the scene who may not be getting the exposure they deserve, as well as to release some of his highly-requested unreleased work. Cloonee has expressed his love for discovering new music in the past, and this will elevate that passion to a whole new level. Ever the crate digger, he is always on the hunt for new artists. Starting an imprint seemed like a logical step forward.




Hellbent Records is home to “good music for bad people,” according to Cloonee. The first track released on the label was “Tripasia,” in collaboration with rising Brazilian producer Brisotti. Cloonee teased this track numerous times in his festival and club sets, making it a fan favorite, so it was a perfect way to kick off the label’s launch. And considering Brosotti’s relatively small but impressive catalog (he’s got releases on Nervous and Solid Grooves), getting the co-sign with a collaboration with a producer who carries at much weight as Cloonee does, is a significant boost. This kind of creative cross-pollination is precisely what the label is all about.




Brisotti isn’t the only Brazilian producer with a Hellbent track. Rio de Janeiro-based bewav has releases on the label as well – “Baila Co.” and “All On Me.” Hellbent also recently saw the release of the upbeat house flip of the classic Fergie song “Glamorous.” Titled “G.L.A.M.,” by up-and-coming producer Trace —who hails from Uzbekistan—it carries the same low-end weight and crispy clean drums indicative of the Cloonee sound.




Finding these international gems proves that Cloonee is genuinely doing the work to support young rising talent and create a home and platform for the future stars of house music. And DJs and dancefloors agree, even in it's infant stages Hellbent has scored big wins. Both the Welcome to Hell and Baila Co EPs ended up at number one in Beatport's overall releases chart.




Cloonee has made it clear that if listeners are looking for “chart appeal,” this is not the label for them. Hellbent is a passion project for the producer. He intends to strictly sign records he would play in his own sets or want to hear in the club.



How Hellbent is Incubating the Next Generation of Tech House Producers

While Cloonee has already made quite the name for himself in the electronic music scene, there’s still a good amount that fans and listeners don’t know about him. He’s traveled far and wide and performed his music for thousands, but what’s behind the tech house mastermind? Here are five things you didn’t know about the up-and-comer.



1. He runs his own imprint, Hellbent Records.

Before the launch of Hellbent, Cloonee had already been working on a series of self-releases under CLNE. Hellbent is a more all-encompassing extension of CLNE. It will house a ton of his highly-requested unreleased IDs and music from more underground, lesser-known artists around the world. He’s already signed tunes from some of the most notable rising stars in the scene, including a slinky rework of Brazillian classic Mas Que Nada called “Maracatu” by Duarte & ENNE and “Housemusic,” a thumping minimal tech number from fellow Black Book Records signee NightFunk featuring Jess Kidd.



2. All of the artwork for his self-releases are his ideas.

In an interview with Mr. Afterparty, Cloonee shares that all the artwork for CLNE singles are conceptualized by him and his flatmate, who is a graphic designer. They sit together and brainstorm ideas. Cloonee boasts that his flatmate is the best at bringing his ideas to life.


3. He loves to go fishing.



Maybe a bit random but one of Cloonee’s favorite hobbies is fishing. He specifically likes fly fishing (for trout), and according to him, the UK isn’t the best for fly fishing, so he would go to Ireland to fish as often as he could. This activity is near and dear to his heart because it was something he would always do with his grandad growing up, which brings us to the following fun fact.


4. His grandfather inspired his stage name.

As an extension of the above story, Cloonee has shared that the person he looks up to most in his life is his grandfather. The name “Cloonee” is inspired by Cloone Lake, the lake in Ireland where his grandfather always took him fishing. He grew up frequenting that lake, and his grandfather is someone who inspired him in many ways, so his stage name is a tribute to him.


5. Discovering new music is one of his major hobbies.

In an interview with Fabric London, Cloonee shares that his favorite way to discover new music is through SoundCloud. He spends hours diving down the rabbit hole of music from smaller, undiscovered artists. He’s found a ton of great tracks by going to a more prominent artist's SoundCloud profile and clicking their “following” list and then going through them and checking out those artists liked songs.






5 Fun Facts About Cloonee

UK producer and DJ Cloonee is on a fast track to icon status due to his undeniable ability to get people moving on the dance floor. Cloonee has released an avalanche of bangers over the past few years, all injected with slinky sub basslines, infectious vocal samples, and a serious ear for spicy percussion. And while his growing catalog drips with sexy dance floor-filling singles, we picked five tracks that catapulted him into the tech house spotlight (in no particular order).




1. Cloonee - The Ciggie (2018)




"The Ciggie" was released in December 2018 and is one of Cloonee's first chart-toppers. While his track "Separated," released in 2016, had done quite well, it didn't even come close to the success of "The Ciggie." Released on the stalwart tastemaker Solid Grooves, not only is his highest streaming tune, it gives an early taste of his penchant for wonky sub bass and crispy drums.










2. Cloonee & Wade - Mi Amor (2021)




"Mi Amor" is a crowd favorite and will undoubtedly get an entire room moving within seconds. Released on CLNE, Cloonee's series of self-releases it's a collaboration with Spanish producer Wade. The track masterfully samples a Spanish horn which Cloonee says was an unintended addition to the song, which is perfectly on brand for this pair. The two threw ideas back and forth for nearly a year before they were happy with it. In an interview with Mr. Afterparty, the duo talks about how they have more music together that probably won't ever see the light of day. They expand on the fact that it wasn't necessarily the track that took a long time to make but more so creating something together they could actually release.




3. Cloonee - Sun Goes Down (2021)




"Sun Goes Down" is another undeniable club banger released by Cloonee in January of 2021. Sampling the classic "Sound of Violence" by French duo Cassius, released initially in 2002, it was an instant hit when Cloonee teased it before its release. After two years in his collection and countless messages from fans badgering him about the release, it came out strong under Big Beat Records.




4. Cloonee - Get Stupid (2020)




"Get Stupid" is a super funky and playful track released by CLNE in August 2020. The 90's boom bap hip hop vocals give it a decidedly vintage feel while maintaining a sound that's become a hallmark of Cloonee.







5. Chris Lake, Cloonee - Nightmares (2022)




Although this track is super fresh and was just released this year, the official collaboration with house music legend Chris Lake will cement Cloonee's spot as a tech house superstar for years to come. The track was released under Chris Lake's Black Book Records in May 2022 – Friday, the 13th, to be exact, which is fitting for the song's spooky vibes. This collaboration is quite the accomplishment for Cloonee, a long-standing fan of Chris Lake.



5 Tracks that Made Cloonee a Tech House Super Star

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.



How Cloonee Started Working With Chris Lake

It's about time again for our monthly takeover of Diplo's Revolution. Yes, that's right, OCHO 3 is coming on January 22, 2022, to Sirius XM. We're serving up eight hours of non-stop exclusive sets by eight extraordinary artists from across the globe.

This month's diverse lineup features eight artists from across the spectrum of house sub-genres. Andrea Oliva, Cloonee, J. Worra, Layla Benitez, Meduza, Paco Osuna, Shermanology, and Wax Motif all come from different corners of the worldwide house music community. And while their sounds may vary, each one encompasses the words of Chuck Roberts from the 1988 anthem "Can You Feel It" by Fingers Inc., "house music is a universal language."



Tune in to Gray Area OCHO on January 22, 2022









Andrea Oliva

Born in Switzerland, Oliva taught himself to DJ at the tender age of 13. The young DJ found a job in a record shop and quickly established himself as a skilled selector, building a carefully curated library of promos and white labels. It wasn't long before he was booked in Switzerland's best clubs and throwing his legendary sold-out Banditz parties. He's since become a staple of the Ibiza scene cemented by residencies with elrow at Amnesia, Music On at Amnesia, and ANTS at Ushuaïa. His lauded production skills have seen him on remix duties like Luciano and releasing club weapons on Defected, Moon Harbour, Relief, Hot Creations, and 7Wallace.







Cloonee

One of the tech-house scene's most potent stars, Cloonee, has seen an unprecedented rise since the release of his 2017 Estes EP on Elrow. What's followed in an unstoppable tear of genre-defining releases on labels like Sonny Fodera's Solotoko, Desert Hearts, Big Beat, Michael Bibi's Solid Grooves, Mark Knight's Toolroom, and Chris Lake's Black Book Records. With an unsurpassed sense of rhythm and soul-shattering basslines, his releases regularly break the Beatport charts making him one of the site's top-selling tech-house artists of 2021. His back-to-back set with Andrea Oliva at elrow Rowsattacks! in December blew us away; we can't wait to see what tricks he has in his bag for OCHO.







J. Worra

Even before being named the 2019 Breakthrough Music Producer of the Year by DJ Mag, J. Worra's technical abilities, trademark swag, and imitable ability to create body grinding beats were well known. Her performance in December at Rowsattacks! in New York was a showstopping moment, proving once again why she's rocked major festivals like EDC and Coachella as well as every major club in the US. She discovered house music in Chicago and, while she may LA-based, brings a hint of that classic vibe to everything she does. Her dynamic catalog includes releases on labels like Higher Ground, Realm, Sweat It Out, and Sink or Swim. And her remixes for GRiZ, Gorgon City, and deadmau5 have elevated their work to new heights.



Tune in to Gray Area OCHO on January 22, 2022









Layla Benitez

It's clear from watching her perform that Layla Benitez has a potent understanding of how music moves people. Her visceral connection to dance music extends beyond the dance floor. It's in her soul. Her father, Jellybean Benitez, is an acclaimed DJ and culture-defining producer who was a pillar of New York's nightlife community throughout the 80s and 90s. Yet Layla's abilities are more than a legacy. Her distinctive blend of afro house, deep house, and world beats create peak dance floor moments for fans from Ibiza to Miami, New York to London, and Mykonos to Los Angeles.










Meduza

House music's recent domination of commercial radio is bookmarked by young producers who understand what underground dance music fans have known for decades. That house music is a feeling. Leading the charge is GRAMMY-nominated Italian trio, Meduza. Their debut single "Piece of Your Heart," with Goodboys, was a worldwide phenomenon topping charts throughout Europe, US, and Asia. The boys have gone on to dominate the charts with radio-friendly beats that have touched millions, streamed in the billions, yet pay homage to house music's underground roots. They masterfully walk the tightrope between the often protective, tight-knit house music community and the mainstream with grace and style, effortlessly bouncing from remixing for the likes of Ed Sheeran to releasing on legendary imprints like Defected.










Paco Osuna

For over two decades, Paco Osuna has steadily built a reputation as one of dance music's most respected and revered selectors and producers. The Mindshake Records founder has been a fixture of the Ibiza scene since the late 90s and held down residencies Richie Hawtins ENTER, Sven Vath's Cocoon series at Amnesia, as well as an endless array of prestigious events all over the world from Electric Zoo to Space Miami, Time Warp to EDC, and Watergate Berlin to WOMB Tokyo. In the studio, his imitable rhythmic timing, sophisticated sound palate, and imaginative spirit have made him a sought-after award-winning producer with releases on Mood, Plus8, Minus, Defected, Moon Harbour, and Get Physical.










Shermanology

Brother sister duo Andy and Dorothy Sherman's ability to inject tech-house with the soul and spirit of their Caribbean heritage has made them a uniquely genre-defying pair. Dorothy's distinct and stirring vocals transport the dance floor to the days of diva house. And Andy's production and DJ experience have traversed genre barriers from UK garage to bass house. Together their sound is boundless, impressing the underground and the mainstream alike. Their 2020 release "Boyz N Da Club" was an unstoppable club slumper. Yet they continue to prove their diversity working with artists like Will Clarke on the emotive "Searching" and scoring over a million plays on "Bon Bini," performed entirely in Papiamentu, their native language. 













Wax Motif

Known as a leader in G house and UK Bass, Wax Motif has more recently established a wider range of sounds. His recent release "Koalack" on his Divided Souls imprint shows a softer, more reflective side. And while Waxy continues to move dance floors with his trademark dirt nasty bass house, his emerging diversity proves his talents in the studio. He's also recently stepped out as a leader in blockchain and community building as one of the first dance music artists to create his cryptocurrency, $WAXM. The industry-leading move gave fans access to exclusive music, one-on-one Zoom sessions, and even the chance to collaborate with the producer who has released on labels like Confession, Night Bass, and Musical Freedom.



Tune in to Gray Area OCHO on January 22, 2022



Get Ready for Another Bumping OCHO on Diplo's Revolution

Cloonee has quickly become one of the best-selling tech-house artists in the scene today. Based out of the UK, Cloonee has taken his “no nonsense” tech house to some of the world’s biggest club and festival stages. Now with his own record label CLNE and a continuing string of best-selling singles, there seems to be no stopping this production powerhouse.

 came out with Elrow Music in 2017. The three tracks helped introduce the world to his jovial, shuffle-inducing sound. In 2019, he snagged his first Beatport #1 single with the track 

 featuring vocals from Lindy Layton. Since then, he’s topped the Beatport charts several more times.

In 2020, Cloonee began to join forces with one of house music’s biggest names, Chris Lake. Cloonee got signed to Lake’s illusive Black Book Records, and came out swinging with the hypnotizing track “What Ya Want” in 2020. He also amassed a few million streams with his remix of Lakes’ best-selling hit, “Turn Off The Lights.” Finally, in 2022, the two officially joined forces in their track “Nightmares.” Some of Cloonee’s biggest hits, like “Ciggie'' and “Mi Amor'' have gained support from some of tech-houses biggest tastemakers, introducing his sound to an even wider audience.

On stage, Cloonee has held residencies at The Tuesday Club and Tank, Sheffield for multiple years. On those stages, he’s supported artists like Eats Everything, Mark Knight and Solardo to name a few. 2022 saw performances at festival giants like Electric Forest and EDC Las Vegas. He was also able to play one of Ibiza’s newest state of the art clubs, Hi Ibiza, as well as some of the UK's most prestigious clubs.