AN enigma of the electronic world, Claptone has continued spreading his brand of mystery and magic in Ibiza this summer with his spellbinding party, The Masquerade touching down every Saturday night at the iconic Pacha club on the island.
Fresh off the back of his third solo album, Closer, Claptone has also delivered one of the tunes of the summer with his take on Rune’s 2000 classic Calabria enthralling dance floors not just on the White Isle but around the world.
We caught up with Claptone and asked him to talk us through a selection of his current favourite tracks from the likes of Lee Foss, The Weeknd, John Summit, Romanthony and the new track Calabria with Rune.
Watch our exclusive video interview with Claptone the last time we caught up the mysterious masked maestro. CLICK HERE
CLAPTONE’S SUMMER PLAYLIST
Rune, Claptone – Calabria Claptone Extended Remix
Summer is officially here as is my latest single. A hot and sunny take 2008 club classic, Calabria. Just out and already high in the club charts and on rotation at club stations. A perfect soundtrack for my The Masquerade residency every Saturday in Pacha, Ibiza. I’m very excited about this one.
Lee Foss, SIDEPIECE – 1, 2 Step (Supersonic) Original Mix
Stompin’ and heavy track by Lee. Everything funky is for me, but this one has a special P-Funk headbanger charm to it while the R&B vocals take the edge off. A staple in my sets since some weeks.
Crooked Colours – Feel It (Claptone Remix)
I miss the Indie Rock touch in recent dance music, that’s why I took this remix on. There was a time when Rock and Electro where super close and I loved that period, now you have only 2 Many DJs doing remixes for Rock acts. An only them. I want this back as I love Indie Rock vocalists, well actually I love Indie Rock Music, New Wave, Krautrock and some classic Rock as well. Thinking about all this: I love music.
Dom Dolla featuring Clementine Douglas – Miracle Maker
Dom has just been my guest at The Masquerade in Ibiza and played an amazing set. Some house vibes mixed with classic rave will certainly bring him closer to the lads 😉 Bonus points for production and arrangement. Why not get rid of that mustache though?
James Hurr – Di Da Di
I love all the self reference and sampling in club music. I can’t get enough of it if it’s well done, but you gotta appreciate when someone drops an original track that’s not heavily based on a well known sample. This is what keeps club music fresh and James Hurr does it very well with this one. An instant banger with all the necessary ingredients for maximum floor reaction.
The Weeknd – Sacrifice (John Summit Remix)
Looks like this never officially came out. this happens to great remixes far too often. I did remixes for Charlie Puth, Sam Smith, Duke Dumont, Depeche Mode and some more which did not get a release cause the release schedule changed, the record company wasn’t into it, the artist didn’t like it. It’s quite depressing for a remixer and happens every day for many reasons. I would argue all my unreleased remixes are as great as John’s remix for the Weeknd, thanks for sending it my way. Great work. I do play it a lot!
Claptone – Beautiful ft. lau.ra (Monkey Safari Remix)
What a remix by Germany’s Monkey Safari. The original is from my recent album ‚Closer‘ and a dreamy and deep song. The remix makes this into a French House remix with Daft Punk influences, deconstructing the vocals and changing the vibe completely. Usually I don’t like remixes that change the vibe of an original, but who can argue with the remixer if the outcome is this infectous?
Sorley – Strung Up
I always had a thing for strings. Sorley has a groove going here but it’s all about the complex but not too complex breakdowns. I have to admit I created a playable Edit as well, cause the original is a bit over the top. But if you fix the arrangement this one is a weapon. Mixdown, production and mastering are ace as well.
Romanthony – Let Me Show You Love (Hatiras Extended Remix)
Not too many people know that Romanthony is the voice behind Daft Punk’s ‚One More Time‘. Maybe it’s because of the excessive use of Auto-tune, maybe because he was never featured on the track, who knows. One thing is for sure. In the club world this guy had many hits and I was lucky enough to remix his ‚Floorpiece‘ many years back. He died far too early, but his music and voice somehow never gets old and there’s remixes every few months. I like Hatiras’ approach here with just a heavy kickdrum leading the way …
Makebo & Amonita — Back To The Roots
Who doesn’t love a ‚Bittersweet Symphony‘. No doubt a great take on an Indie Rock classic which fits perfectly around the ending of my sets these days. Irresistible.
Tom & Collins, Francis Mercier – No Me Importa
This is a deeper track for longer sets and later nights, early mornings. I generally love the output of Tom & Collins from Mexico as well as Francis Mercier from New York. I actually invited both of them to play with me in Ibiza for ’The Masquerade’ at Pacha, cause their DJ sklills are en par with their productions. Saying that, this track is a bit unusual for both of the acts but for me it shows their open mindedness and love for music in general. I appreciate that.
CID x Westend – Let Me Take You
Great work on employing that Inner City sample, putting it into a new connect with a fresh up to date production that mainly consists of an irresistible groove. For my sets I created two different edits which feature different parts of the original ‚Good Live‘ track. One adds the original chorus the other extends the original stab melody and keeps it more instrumental. Depending on the crowd and party I play either of them. I do Edits a lot for my DJ sets to keep things exclusive. If you want to hear certain tracks / mixes you have to come see me play.
