Makèz

About

The sound

Makèz is the Amsterdam house duo of Willem Mulder and Kees van ’t Klooster. The pair connected through a shared interest in soulful house, exchanging records and making beats together before developing complementary studio roles. In their early work, Willem concentrated on melody and harmony while Kees focused on drums, arrangements and the mix. Different Planets, their first release as Makèz, arrived through Heist Recordings in 2019. Their debut album City of All followed in July 2021. Across thirteen tracks, it drew on house, soul, funk and the people and places that had shaped their lives in Amsterdam. Much of the album took shape during a two-week studio retreat. The duo used their own environmental recordings, including the sound of entering the cabin on The Entrance. Allysha Joy contributed to Looking Up, while LYMA sang on Not So Different. Those collaborations encouraged the pair to think more deeply about songwriting and vocal arrangements alongside their instrumental club productions.