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Eric Clapton Raves About Mk.gee, Says He Plays Guitar “Like Nobody Else”

by · Stereogum

Earlier this year, Mk.gee released his debut album Two Star & The Dream Police. The LA artist and producer born Mike Gordon has received a lot of praise, which reached a fever pitch on Wednesday when Eric Clapton raved about him in an interview.

Talking with the YouTuber known as The Real Music Observer, Clapton was asked about guitarists who are exciting him and Clapton brought up Mk.gee. “It sits in a bit of a pop category for me,” he said. “It’s unique. He has found things to do on the guitar that are like nobody else.”

He continued, “And he can do it live. I used to have one of these things, a Tascam. It’s a four-track recording cassette machine. He uses that as a preamp. So he’s into the older stuff of sonics and tunings, and a great singer. My daughter turned me on to that and I trust her taste.”

Clapton compared discovering Mk.gee’s innovative style to when Prince came on the scene — “The same when I first saw Prince, it was like we’re safe. Just to know it’s there is enough” — and shouted out his 2022 film with Dijon. “There’s this thing with Mk.gee and Dijon – Absolutely. It’s a film. I couldn’t believe it. [Innovation is] happening. It’s still going on.”

This is definitely a big moment for Mk.gee, who said in a 2018 interview with Complex that Eric Clapton (along with Jimi Hendrix) inspired him to pick up guitar.

Mk.gee was also commended by Charlie Puth yesterday in an interview with Rolling Stone. While discussing Taylor Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department” lyric “We declared Charlie Puth should be a bigger artist,” Puth declared both Melanie Martinez and Mk.gee should be bigger artists.

Below, watch the interview with Clapton (this conversation begins around 51:13), Mk.gee’s impressive late night TV debut from last month, and Absolutely.