Soul Clap is celebrating the 11th anniversary of their label Soul Clap Records with a great new compilation.

Eli from Soul Clap says: “People often ask why we started Soul Clap Records and I usually answer: “because we were receiving tons of unique demos by creative artists that we had to start a label.” 11 years later and that flowing faucet of incoming music is still the driving force behind the label. Sure, there is the Funk, House, Disco and multi-cultural influences in all of the music that we release, but it’s always the artists themselves who guide us. I will never forget the feeling of excitement when Midnight Magic (the ultimate contemporary disco band) reached out with demos for the label, a collaboration that led to incredible releases, but also a deep connection with their community of New York musicians and producers.  I still get that feeling whenever an artist that I respect or new artist brings us something fresh. It’s a feeling of excitement to release the music, but more importantly, it’s excitement for the endless possibilities created by building relationships with inspiring artists.”

Over the years this ecosystem has also fed a mission to grow and support a local and global musical family. From the Crew Love collective that combined the vision of Soul Clap Records and Wolf + Lamb, to the Dancing On The Charles compilations that shined a light on their home town of Boston, the Italo Funk series that built a bridge with their community in Italy, and the Soul Clap Records Revue Tour, which showcased a moment when they had their deepest roots in New York City… their family continues to grow.

Soul Clap would like to acknowledge them, the artists that they have worked with over the years and who remain deeply connected to as collaborators and friends: FSQ, Midnight Magic, Nick Monaco, Nona Hendryx, Greg Paulus, XL Middleton, Saucy Lady, Michael The Lion, Amy Douglas, Lele Sacchi, Zopelar, DJ Rocca, Funk Rimini, Zeynep Erbay, Liam Mockridge, Life On Planets, The Fitness & Pony, Chas Bronz and our fallen brothers Navid Izadi and Sa’d “The Hourchild” Ali.

As they begin the 11th year of Soul Clap Records, the need for community in music and in the world feels stronger than ever and Soul Clap are truly grateful to have this kaleidoscopic group of artists, listeners, dancers and supporters to call their SCR musical family…

Enjoy the full premiere of XL Middleton’s remix of ‘In Da Kar’ by Soul Clap exclusively on our sister channel Dancefloor Romancer while reading the great interview we had with them!

WWD: Welcome to When We Dip. Really excited about you 11 Year Anniversary compilation. Are you thrilled with how it came out?

We are also super excited! This comp was an opportunity to go through the back catalog, and find all the important releases that had stems for or that we could get stems for and give the music new life for 2023. It’s amazing how these remixers turned it out…

WWD: How did you go about choosing the remixers or were there clear runners for the job?

We chose a pool of artists that we’ve been working with or really wanted to work with and presented them with a list of stems that we had from the catalog. Then they chose what they wanted to remix from that list. Luckily there wasn’t really much overlap, but it was first come first serve!

WWD: As ever, very cool artwork on the sleeve! Who is responsible for this art?

This is from our new label artist named Erika Sacco who has been helping us do a overhaul and rebrand for this 11 anniversary that we’re rolling out this year. She’s Italian and based in France and an absolutely amazingly talented.

WWD: If you had to define the ethos of the Soul Clap label, what words would you chose?

Eclectic, Electronic, Funky, Transcendental or as we like to say Every Body’s Freaky Under Nature’s Kingdom.

WWD: Would you say you are label heads, producers, and DJ’s all in equal measure? How do you balance your time between the roles?

It helps to have 2 people in Soul Clap to balance the roles, then add in our label manager Christina and our trusty board of advisors Chuck “Da Fonk” Fishman and Jmac and we all make it happen, like Mariah, lol.

WWD: Have you had many gigs over the holiday season?

We hit Cleveland, Detroit, Boston, and NYC for the holidays and New Years. These are all cities where we have a lot of family and friends (except Cleveland where it was our first show ever, but we made fast friends and have a crew there now!) so it was perfect for the hoildays. Now it’s time to get deep and focus on going inward for the winter.

WWD: I guess you guys are so experienced at travelling for gigs. What would you say you have both learnt over the years about travelling? What are you top DJ road tips?

Trains are the best (as long as they run on time) you can watch the scenery, no TSA, no lines, more comfy seats, totally chill vibe and less greenhouse gas emissions than flying, so better for our planet! But here’s 2 tips that go beyond your mode of transport:

1.A lower lumbar pillow

2. A water bottle to stay hydrated and cut down on plastic waste… add electrolytes to feel even better.

WWD: What are the pros and cons of being a duo?

Pros: 2 is better than 1. Together we can Yin Yang almost any situation, using our respective skill sets to accomplish difficult goals.

Cons: there are 2 too many of us. We make 50% less $ each, it costs 2x as much to tour and at times we have to compromise on creative differences which can lead to frustration.

WWD: What keeps you both busy outside of music you?

Eli: Family time, writing my thesis for my masters degree in climate science and policy, nature walks and self-care.

Charlie: Hanging with Bandit the dog, Mindfulness, tryin’ to get my ass in shape, art, cooking, gardening and takin it eaaaaazy.

WWD: What was a highlight for you in 2022?

An amazing range of remixes of our WTF album that came out on Fools Gold and our first comprehensive tour since the pandemic which went all around North America and 6 weeks in Europe. Oh and how amazing was the return of Movement festival in Detroit with an epic EFUNK (our annual official afterparty at TV Lounge culminating in b2b performances w/ Todd Edwards, DJ Minx and Osunlade) followed by a festival LIVE performance with Amp Fiddler and Greg Paulus.

WWD: What do you hope for in 2023?

Beyond the 11 Year Comp the label is STACKED with incredible music from the likes of Doc Martin and Charlie, Greg Paulus and Taylor Bense, The Illustrious Blacks, Seven Davis Jr, Josh Wink, a New Directions In Funk comp curated by XL Middleton and new Soul Clap music… so we can’t wait to watch this stuff come rolling out. On the road together we will be unveiling a series of US residencies that is very exciting indeed. Individually this next year will be an opportunity to dive deeper into our separate creative lives and families. Eli will be minimizing his air travel and focusing on gigs close to home in NYC and surrounding regions, which Charlie will remain in the mix representing the Soul Clap brand worldwide!

Soul Clap Records ’11 year Anniversary Compilation’ is released today, 3rd February 2023. Buy HERE