Behind the mask

Claptone stepped out of the shadows around 2012, hidden behind a golden mask, and the hypnotic ‘No Eyes’ made the name. ‘Cream’, ‘Wrong’ and ‘Heartbeat’ followed, then ‘Before I Lose My Mind’, ‘Under The Moon’ and ‘The Drums (Din Daa Daa)’.

The sound blends house, deep house and tech house with a songwriter’s ear, across four studio albums: Charmer (2015), Fantast (2018), Closer (2021) and Wanderer (2026). Collaborators range from icons such as Seal and Barry Manilow to artists such as James Vincent McMorrow, Nathan Nicholson and Peter Bjorn and John.

The remixes travel just as far: Gregory Porter’s ‘Liquid Spirit’, Mark Ronson’s ‘Don’t Leave Me Lonely’, Mylo’s ‘Drop The Pressure’, Elton John and Dua Lipa’s ‘Cold Heart’, and Michael Kiwanuka’s ‘You Ain’t The Problem’, which found a place on Barack Obama’s 2021 summer playlist.

Then there are the nights. The Masquerade turns a club into a Venetian masked ball, and has taken over Ibiza at Pacha and now Amnesia. With more than 275 shows a year, Claptone plays the world’s biggest stages, and the label Golden Recordings celebrates house music’s golden era with singles such as ‘The Big Easy’ and ‘Euphoria’.