Joe Claussell

Joe Claussell

Joe Claussell is a Brooklyn-born DJ, remixer, producer, retailer and label owner who works in deep house, soulful house and related electronic music. Born in 1961 and raised in Park Slope, Brooklyn, he grows up in a large musical family and is surrounded by rock, soul, pop, African and Latin music, which shapes his later approach to production and DJing.

Career and style

Claussell begins contributing to music at Friday night jam sessions at the record shop Dance Tracks in New York, where he later becomes part owner. He then spends time travelling internationally as a DJ and continues to perform in venues around the world. He becomes known for a style that draws on African and Brazilian rhythms, jazz riffs, rock guitar and live instrumentation, with an emphasis on soulful and spiritual dance music.

He is also described as a modern-day renaissance man and a business owner, with a career that combines music retail, production and DJ work. Through these roles, he develops a reputation for playing music with intensity and a focus on dancefloor energy.

Labels and releases

Claussell creates Spiritual Life Music in 1998 in response to what he sees as a lack of soulful dance music in the market. He later runs Spiritual Life Music with the aim of making it a major label for music centred on soul and spirituality. He is also associated with Sacred Rhythm Music, Acroostic Music and Bolla Music.

Among his noted remixes are Ten City’s “Nothing Changes” and Cesaria Evora’s “Sangue De Beirona”.

Body & Soul and collaborations

In 1996, Claussell joins François K and Danny Krivit as part of Body & Soul, one of the most influential underground parties of the late 1990s. He is part of the Sunday nights at Vinyl, where the collective becomes closely identified with a deep, energetic approach to club music.

Associated acts

Claussell is linked with Soulfeast, Instant House, Koloke and Mental Remedy.