Soul Clap and Justin Martin

The Boston based DJ duo, Soul Clap, will definitely have your soul clapping for joy if you ever see them live. They take the cool, breezy vibes of old reggae, R&B, and soul music and blend them together into one huge amalgamation of uplifting music.

Although Soul Clap are DJs, their music does not really encompass the genre of electronic music. They take the smooth, warm bass lines from reggae and funk music and repeat them to get a house music vibe. Soul Clap also experiments with some unique effects in their music, such as taking a bright sounding horn riff and putting a lot of reverb on it to add dark, eerie quality to the music. Soul Clap is able to take the repetitive element of the DJ genre and make it unique and interesting. They consistently have repetitive drum and bass lines thumping through their music, but they know how to create great textures to their music by layering different sounds on top of one another.

Soul Clap’s music is incredibly fun and danceable. Their music also always seems to be fresh and original, and never tires out like some DJs’ music. They have been critically acclaimed by various publications and some of their recent work has been favorably compared to Chromeo’s music. They have also had the honor to work with many great musicians such as George Clinton, as well as remix songs for several artists such as Little Dragon and Robert Owens. Soul Clap is very aware of how to create groovy music that makes people want to dance. They are so skilled at their jobs that they were asked to teach a class on dance music at Tufts University. If ever given the chance to see these guys live, you should jump on the chance to see these professors of dance churn out the funky beats.

An unhealthy obsession with pizza isn't all that Justin Martin should be known for. He's also the co-label boss of American label Dirtybird which he runs with Claude Von Stroke. And a bloody good techno and house music producer who gives equally brilliant DJ sets. Releases such as 'Don't Go' which you may know through the Dusky remix, 'The Gettup' a collaboration with Bristol's Eats Everything and 'Ruff Stuff' go down a storm whenever they are dropped during his hotly anticipated, heavily attended DJ sets. Lots of bass and head-bopping and smiles come from behind the decks when he plays. I had missed him on several occasions while he was on tour around the UK so you can imagine how excited I was when I saw him play TWICE IN ONE DAY at Hideout festival. The first time, performing at a pool party, he provided the set of the day dropping tracks from the Dirtybird lebel back catalogue as well his own productions. Shiba Shan's 'Okay' and Second City's 'I Enter' are highlights with a building bass beat on each. Later, during an evening set at Aquarius club, it's just as good, this time reaching a one in, one out attendance policy while the lucky fans who get in are on each others and shoulders shuffling away throughout. Unexpectedly, on the last day of Hideout, we found ourselves observing Shy FX's genre-bashing set, with Justin Martin raving away practically next to us!