Duke Dumont

DJ and producer Duke Dumont makes commercial house tracks fit for clubs, festival stages, and radio alike. The London-based Dumont emerged in the mid-2000s with an assortment of remixes that sharpened his blade as a producer and led to a raft of U.K. pop hits as a headliner in the 2010s. “Need U (100%)” and “I Got You” topped the U.K. chart, and were followed by the number two single “Won’t Look Back,” among other Top 40 placements from 2013 through 2017. These singles also routinely crowned the dance chart in the U.S., where the first two also earned Grammy nominations in the category of Best Dance Recoding. The barrage of hits preceded Duality (2020), a concise debut album that Dumont has followed with singles such as “Energy” and “Ain’t Giving Up” (both 2024). Although he records for major-label EMI, Dumont also operates Blasé Boys Club, a label named after a series of EPs. Born Adam George Dyment in Greater London — the town of Harrow, to be specific — Duke Dumont surfaced in 2006 with a buzzing, whip-cracking remix of Mekon’s “Yes Yes Y’All.” Inspired by “fidget house” figure Switch (M.I.A., Major Lazer), Dumont continued to increase his exposure through remixes for the likes of Late of the Pier (“Bathroom Gurgle”), Bat for Lashes (“Daniel”), and Lily Allen (“The Fear”) before he released his first DJ mix album, Fabriclive 51, in 2010. Dumont continued to be in demand as a remix producer — in 2012 alone, he handled tracks by Bonobo, Santigold, and AlunaGeorge, among others — but he also produced a hit of his own in March 2013 with the Grammy-nominated “Need U (100%).” Co-produced by Futtize and featuring vocals from A*M*E, the track, reminiscent of early-’90s crossover house, topped the U.K. pop chart. One year on, in March 2014, Dyment hit the U.K. number one spot again, this time with the Whitney Houston-sampling track “I Got U.” The Jax Jones-featuring tune became his second to receive a Grammy nomination and was certified platinum in the U.K., Australia, and Italy. More well-received singles followed, including 2014′s “Won’t Look Back,” 2015′s “Ocean Drive,” and 2017′s “Real Life” featuring Gorgon City and Naations. In 2018, Dyment returned with the track “Inhale,” featuring Ebenezer. The following year, he returned to the top of the U.S. dance chart with his sixth number one, “The Power” with Zak Abel. Dumont’s seventh number one on the U.S. dance chart, the ’90s-house-indebted “Therapy,” kicked off 2020. That April, he released his official full-length debut, Duality, which merged some of his biggest hits with previously unreleased tracks, and was crafted with the intent to be enjoyed as much in the distant future as in the present. Rather than rest, Dumont continued issuing new tracks, such as the seventh volume in his For Club Play Only series of EPs, and subsequent 2023-2024 singles like “Losing Control,” “Energy,” and “Ain’t Giving Up.” ~ Andy Kellman