There is something almost unfair about a summer night this good. This past Saturday, Cloonee headlined a sunset showcase of his Hellbent label, and with myself being a longtime fan catching him live for the first time, it was every bit the bucket-list night I had hoped for.
The Brooklyn Army Terminal is a massive open-air venue right on the water, with an incredible view of the city. What’s normally an industrial dockyard turns into a full-blown dance party, the kind that makes you forget you’re still in New York. For a few hours, it felt more like Ibiza than Sunset Park. The night built steadily thanks to stacked support lineup with Ilario Alicante, Elliot Schooling, and Liam Palmer who all brought the energy and kept the crowd warm well before Cloonee’s arrival. By the time Cloonee walked out promptly at 7pm, the crowd was packed and the first song anticipation was thick.
He didn’t waste a second jumping into it; no mic, no greeting…just straight into the music, opening with crowd favorites and turning up the heat immediately. It was a tech house and groove-driven set from start to finish, heavy on the rhythm and intensity. Cloonee treated the crowd to a handful of unreleased gems throughout the night including Kettama & Prospa’s “I Think of You, Dedro’s edit “ADD SUV”, and a Dedro & Snooko edit of “1,2, Step” that to me, stood out as the funkiest moment of the night. The crowd reserved some of its loudest reactions for the hits, “XTC” and “Party All the Time”, sending everyone into a feral dance frenzy. “Stephanie” and “X-Rated” were just as electric to watch live, and as the sun slowly dipped below the horizon, he slid into “Free Your Mind”, a perfectly timed moment that synced the music to the sky. As the sky went from gold to dark, the sound followed suit – the beats got dirtier and the crowd partied even harder.
Behind him, a massive Hellbent-branded Statue of Liberty hand loomed over the stage, shooting fire on cue for the biggest drops of the night. From the moment he walked on stage, all eyes stayed locked on him as he led everyone through a journey into another dimension, the waves of people swaying and popping in unison. Following the Hellbent merch pop-up in SoHo the day before, plenty of fans showed up decked out head to toe in Hellbent gear. The crowd was a sea of people, stretching all the way back to the entrance and swallowing up the food booths. It was a crowd of all ages and backgrounds, united by one simple goal: dance and get lost in the music.
From the sunset backdrop to that towering, fire-breathing Hellbent hand, this show was a masterclass in atmosphere and pacing. Cloonee didn’t speak into the mic to hype the crowd up, but he didn’t need to…he let the music do the talking and the crowd understood every bit of it. Cloonee has successfully built his own Hellbent world with music and merch that fans genuinely enjoy being a part of. I don’t think anyone who attended could have asked for a better sunset summer show.
