Review: With Italy hit hardest by the Coronavirus and lockdown right now, Milan crew, collective and glitterazzi Rollover keeps hope alive! Normally a trusted party for Milano's Apollo club (that's brought the likes of Tiga, Maurice Fulton, Ame and Bambounou to town), Rollover is the place and project for DJ duo and label owners Rocco Fusco & Tiberio Carcano to work their magic. In times of crisis Rollover presents a special initiative via their "ANYTHING GOES" edit service, welcoming voluntary contributions that pay homage to the spirit of Balearic music and beyond! Expect tracks from 2manydjs, Adam Port, Soul Clap, Boombass, Moscoman and Bill Brewster, among many others, with proceeds going to the official emergency fund set up by the Italian Civil Protection Department destined for the COVID-19 crisis in Italy.
Review: With veteran vocalist Kathy Brown in tow, Soul Clap is primed and ready to make us freak. In its EP opening "Disco Mix" form, "Ready To Freak" is a near perfect fusion of disco style percussion, proto-house style bold synth bass, jaunty house pianos and a party-starting vocal from the effervescent Brown. For those that want vocal-free thrills, the duo's "Disco Instrumental" should hit the spot, while the alternative "Disco Dub" is a sparse, delay-laden affair that brilliantly doffs a cap to the work of NYC proto-house pioneers such as Paul Simpson, Winston Jones and Boyd Jarvis. Lonely C drags the track into the 21st century on his superb "Club Electronique" and "Dub Electronique" versions. Both boast skipping, garage-influenced drums and a bassline so bold and bass-heavy that it will rattle your rib cage.
Review: More than a few eyebrows were raised - and dancefloors slain, more importantly - when Soul Clap's collaboration with legendary house vocalist Robert Owens first appeared in stores back in 2015. This expansive new reissue gathers together the pick of first wave reworks (most notably the fuzzy, sub-heavy, analogue-rich stomp of Louie Vega's "Swirl Bass" version and chugging, punk-funk-meets-dub house inspired "Roots NYC Mix"), adding a string of tasty new reworks. Of these, we're particularly enjoying the subtly dreamy bliss of Rogue D's remix and the more organic feel of the standout "Hammer & Tongs Mix", though Rocco Rodamaal's "Deep Remix", which wraps delay-laden electric piano flourishes around a rubbery Afro-house rhythm, is also superb.
Review: Reptile Dysfunction's latest EP is packed to the rafters with peak-time fare. It's the first volume in what the label promises will be a continuing series and offers up a quartet of slamming, disco-fired "Club Edits". Predictably, Soul Clap steals the show with "Moov to Tha Beat", a swirling, string-laden workout laden with dreamy pads, well-placed delay effects and bubbly analogue drums. Doorly does a brilliant job combining aquatic P-funk bass and thrill-seeking disco samples on the superb "Lads Lads Lads", while Rick Trainor and Noah Schy's "Take It Down" is an impressively sweaty sample-house workout built around the principle of teasing out the action for maximum impact. As for Charlie Rope's "All For You", it's a shirts-off disco-house stomper that just gets bigger and bigger throughout.
Review: Soul Clap seems to have developed a strong working relationship with soul chanteuse turned original disco diva Nona Hendryx. They first joined forces on single "Shine" back in 2016 and here deliver something far more ambitious: a five-track EP of Hendryx songs produced and mixed by the Botson-based twosome. Naturally, there?s plenty to admire throughout, from the slap bass-propelled, disco-not-disco bounce of "Scream" (very reminiscent of Hendryx's early '80s work with Bill Laswell), to the slick electrofunk-pop of "Ooo, Ooo, Ooo" and low-slung P-funk heaviness of "Peel Back". Best of all, though, is the gospel-powered deep house/nu-disco stomp of opener "I Feel Joy", which achieves just the right balance between thrusting righteousness and dreamy deepness.
Review: Starting out in the early rave scene in Boston, Soul Clap made their name through a series of house edits and became big names through notable releases such as a DJ Kicks mix alongside close NYC allies Wolf + Lamb. "Shine (This Is It)" is the first single from their self-titled second album. It features legendary vocalist Nona Hendryx, an original member of the trio Labelle who's smash single "Lady Marmalade" is a timeless classic. "Shine (This Is It)" features the strength in Hendryx's vocal, which empowers spirits, moving you on the dancefloor. Midnight Magic's Morgan Wiley delivers an outstanding keyboard solo and fellow bandmate Jason Disu teams up with Kali Rodriguez and No Regular Play's Greg Paulus to form the Soul Clap horn section.
Watergate 19 (continous DJ mix) - (1:14:32) 122 BPM
Review: Recorded live in Berlin last July, Soul Clap's contribution to the Watergate series is the soundtrack to what sounds like one the summer's best parties. Focusing predominantly on US house, the transitions are seamless but unfussy, and the mood throughout celebratory. From the deranged sax squall of Chocolate City's "Taxi Luv" to the sun-kissed jazzy keys and disco groove of Roy Davis Jnr's "The Beautiful One" to seductive soulful tones of Ron Trent's "Deep Art Sounds", this is a near flawless collection. It never veers into self-indulgence and features percussive, acid-led remixes from Francois K and Jori Hulkkonen as well as Mike Dunn's classic Chicago track, "Dance U Mutha". When Soul Clap get on the mic near the end to invite the crowd to an after party, this reviewer was half-hoping that it would be extended to anyone who heard this mix.
