Album Review: Claptone - Fantast

Yet another mysteriously masked EDM performer (or possibly two if some rumours are to be believed)?

Aren't we overdue for anonymity to be damned in this field to instead celebrate a new superstar performing completely as themselves? Admittedly, that wouldn't be Claptone's style and his shtick does seem to celebrate a more classic era of feel-good house tunes. These 13 songs all get booted out the door by the three-and-a-half minute mark while a green room full of partying guest vocalists take their turn at the mic stand. Bloc Party's Kele Okereke keeps it on the down-low with Cruising (So They Say), Clap Your Hands Say Yeah almost sound like Adele at a rave on Animal and Zola Blood, Ben Duffy and Tender also take their turns, but the spotlight is definitely on the singer, not the producer lurking in the shadows.

So while the brevity makes for a decent catalogue of radio-friendly, mid-tempo songs, there's very few boundaries being pushed. Look elsewhere if you're after massive drops or even a killer pop hook. Like the album title itself, Fantast is a charming premise that feels not quite finished.