When New Times speaks over Zoom with Dave, as he likes to call himself when he's not in the DJ booth, he's at his home in Los Angeles taking a much-needed break before closing out the season in Ibiza.
After making a name for himself in Europe with releases under Elrow Records and Solid Grooves Records, Cloonee moved to LA to better immerse himself in the house scene stateside. Thanks to the city's large Latino population, he encountered sounds like reggaeton and urbano music, eventually incorporating them into his sonic palette of European tech house.
Eventually, this led to Cloonee's being tapped to release music on Chris Lake's Black Book Records, where he would release the hip-hop-inspired "To the Beat" and a remix of Lake's "Turn Off the Lights."
After spending some time under Lake's wing, Cloonee started his own record imprint, Hellbent Records, in July 202w, releasing music from DJs and producers who create some of the grooviest house tracks in the world.
"I think I learned a lot from him. It's hard to pinpoint one thing about Chris or what he's good at because you see him on the surface, and people speak so highly of him," he shares. "He was just like the most selfless person in the industry that I think I've met. He welcomed me with open arms and opened so many doors, letting me remix loads of his records. He'd put me on shows, and I honestly think if it weren't for him when I moved to America, I probably wouldn't be as far along as I am now."
Like Lake, Cloonee is paying it forward, using Hellbent to spotlight emerging producers who might not be household names.
The British producer certainly knows finding your sound can take time.
"When I moved to America, I was exposed to the South American culture that's so heavy here. I was like, 'Holy shit!' I had no idea that this was even a thing. I just started listening to a lot of Latin music. It was hard at the time not to because Bad Bunny had just released that huge album, so everyone was bumping that. I started enjoying more of the culture, and my tour manager is Mexican, so he would teach me stuff, too."
Cloonee has just dropped the late-summer banger, "Pegao," with Andruss, sampling the Wisin y Yandel classic of the same name and proof that Cloonee certainly knows his audience.
"There were so many Hispanic fans at the show, and I was like, Oh, I want to put something on a T-shirt that is just for them, just to show my appreciation back," he says. "I would always go around friends I had and be like, 'Oh, what should I put on it? What's a cool thing to say?' Because I obviously can't speak Spanish, so I didn't want to put something stupid there. I was trying to put something proper people could latch onto."
"That metal aesthetic stuck with me because that's just how I like to dress anyway, and that definitely heavily influenced Hellbent," says Cloonee.
Thomas Dang photo
Cloonee has also incorporated hip-hop sounds into his work, with the track "Sippin' Yak" being a standout. "It's weird. I've seen it pop off, especially in hip-hop clubs, but then I'll go back to Europe, and it'll go off in Europe," he says of the song. "I think the vocals just get stuck in everyone's head. It really helped that it went somewhat viral on TikTok — that always helps."
He admits he knew he had something special within minutes of making "Sippin' Yak," quickly sending it off to Lake and British producer Chris Lorenzo for feedback. "I could tell that it captured some sort of a vibe. You could just tell that the vocal worked really well over the beat, and I think when a song does that, it's going to connect."
If you look at Cloonee's official logo or anything released by Hellbent Records, you'll also notice the producer's love for the metal aesthetic. Growing up with a rock-loving father, Cloonee was drawn to bands like Slipknot, Korn, and Limp Bizkit as a kid.
"That metal aesthetic stuck with me because that's just how I like to dress anyway, and that definitely heavily influenced Hellbent, and I don't think that any house artists are really going down that path. There are a few of them doing it, obviously on the bass side, which is a lot heavier and a lot more similar to heavy metal. So, yeah, metal definitely influenced my aesthetic because that's just what I was raised on."
He points to Slipknot as his favorite band and teases that he almost collaborated with them.
"It didn't come to fruition. They just said if I ever want to go to a show and meet them all, just let them know. One of them invited me to his house as well, but then I was going on tour all summer, so I haven't had time. But I'm definitely going to go around and try and pick up some memorabilia."
When Cloonee makes his way to Miami this week for a set at Club Space and III Points, he'll probably leave the metal music at home, but you can still expect a pretty broad set from him.
"Miami is one of those cities that gets music and doesn't care about things like clout or stuff that's in the mainstream. So, as a DJ, you can go to Miami and play what you 100 percent want to play. A lot of the stuff I'll play at Space, I probably wouldn't play at frat parties, for instance, or I wouldn't play at some of the smaller towns in America, but Miami is one of the ones that I always look forward to going to because I know that I can play exactly what I want."
Cloonee. With Felipe Gordon B2B Will Buck, Malóne, and Ms. Mada. 11 p.m. Thursday, October 17, at Club Space, 34 NE 11th St., Miami; 786-357-6456; clubspace.com. Tickets cost $15 to $30 via dice.fm.
III Points 2024. 3 p.m. to 4 a.m. Friday, October 18, and Saturday, October 19, at Mana Wynwood, 2217 NW Fifth Ave., Miami; iiipoints.com. Tickets cost $169 to $569 via iiipoints.frontgatetickets.com.
