Jono McCleery

Jono McCleery (born 23 February 1983) is an English singer‑songwriter, guitarist and producer based in London. Within drum & bass/jungle contexts his work most directly intersects with liquid funk and jazz‑inflected bass music; across his wider output he moves between downtempo, electronica, nu jazz and house-minded strains.

McCleery’s musical biography is marked by an early physical and artistic shift: born deaf and regaining hearing at age five, he learned guitar as a teenager and developed a songwriter’s ear alongside electronic production skills. He self‑released his debut Darkest Light in 2008. Since then he has released albums on Ninja Tune/Counter Records and Sonar Kollektiv, toured internationally (including tours with Bonobo and Jamie Woon) and worked in the studio with Maribou State, Portico Quartet and Maceo Plex.

As a producer McCleery blends acoustic instrumentation and electronic arrangement. His recordings foreground guitar and vocal melodies recorded as live elements, set against programmed beats and layered textures. Across releases that touched labels such as Ninja Tune/Counter and Sonar Kollektiv he uses space and restraint — long reverberant chords, soft synth pads and warm low‑end — to support melodic lead lines rather than dense, aggressive mixes. In drum & bass contexts that translates to a liquid‑oriented approach: emphasis on melodic motion, rounded sub‑bass underhooks, and drum programming that favours shuffled or broken feels over in‑your‑face amen edits.

Specific production traits that recur in his work include clear vocal placement in the mix, guitar recorded with an intimate close‑mic tone, and arrangements that leave room for jazz‑inspired harmonic shifts. Collaborations with Portico Quartet and Maribou State underline his use of cross‑disciplinary textures — acoustic percussion, ambient horn or reed colours, and electronic processing — while work alongside Maceo Plex points to an ability to translate his songwriting into club‑ready forms without losing melodic focus.

Career highlights are concrete and varied. His self‑released Darkest Light (2008) marks his first public statement. Later albums on internationally recognised labels — Ninja Tune/Counter Records and Sonar Kollektiv — placed him alongside artists who cross electronic and organic sounds. He has toured internationally, including shared billing or touring runs with Bonobo and Jamie Woon, and he has studio credits and collaborations with Maribou State, Portico Quartet and Maceo Plex. Tracks by McCleery have been licensed for television: his music has appeared in Queen Sugar, Start Up and This Is Us, giving his songs sync exposure beyond club and festival circuits.

When describing influences and close connections, the record labels and collaborators offer the clearest signals. Ninja Tune/Counter Records and Sonar Kollektiv sit alongside artists who mix jazz, downtempo and leftfield electronic palettes; working with Maribou State and Portico Quartet points to shared interests in live instrumentation, jazz harmonies and cinematic arrangement. Touring with Bonobo and Jamie Woon highlights McCleery’s positioning between downtempo electronica and more rhythmically driven, soulful electronic music.

McCleery’s practice is defined by the meeting of songwriter craft and electronic production: guitar and vocal ideas carried into textured electronic arrangements, deployed across ambient, downbeat and liquid‑leaning tracks. From his 2008 self‑release Darkest Light to subsequent albums on Ninja Tune/Counter Records and Sonar Kollektiv, and through collaborations and TV placements, his work sits where acoustic songwriting and electronic production intersect.