This Thursday, July 2, 2015, Claptone returns to Verboten for Zeitgeist, and this time he's bringing special guest, Felix Da Housecat and support by Devon James.
Claptone, profiled in May for our Mysteryland Artist Spotlight series, has a penchant for polished deep house tunes, some of which are punched with icy-cool piano riffs or airy melodies that would sweep you off your feet. He (or she) is a curious figure: performing always in a black cloak topped with a golden beak, his presence might either evoke the sinister sensations of a masked marauder, or the dominatingly elegant appeal of a judge calling his courthouse to action. Besides an extensive list of chart-ruling originals and remixes (his remix of Gregory Porter's "Liquid Spirit" still sits in the top thirty of the Beatport Top 100 after four months), Claptone has also become known for his Clapcast series. Each hour-long mix picks listeners up and whisks them away, carrying with them a classic, flowing, and seldom-disrupted four-on-the-floor house beat. His latest release, "Dear Life (feat. Jaw)" is streaming below.
Felix Da Housecat is back. The two-time Grammy-nominated DJ and producer releases his new album, Narrative of Thee Blast Illusion, on July 10th on the No Shame label. Also known as Felix Stallings, Jr., his music spans genres: every remix, every set, and every original track that shimmies through this artist's speakers is littered with elements of funk, hip-hop, acid, and more, proving his accreditation with pioneering the early-aughts' wave of Chicago house. As mentioned by Felix himself on his website, Narrative of Thee Blast Illusion branches off of the jack-heavy style that made Felix a name to remember, opting for a more lyrical and melodic approach. "Is Everything OK?" exemplifies this, as does "The Natural," a collaboration between himself, reggae icon Lee "Scratch" Perry, and Devon James. Verboten's flyer for Thursday's Zeitgeist calls for a "late-night disco set" by the legend, which is fitting for his implacable curation of music. Listening to Felix's 2013 BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix is like taking a tour of my favorite genre during the years that followed its formation.
