★★★★★
You can take Soul Clap out of Boston, but you can’t take Boston out of Soul Clap. Although their DJ career finds them traipsing around the globe playing the best clubs and music festivals, Soul Clap’s Eli Goldstein and Charles Levine remain close to their musical roots in their hometown. On the 13-track Dancing On The Charles Vol. 2, they lovingly present their second compendium of rising Beantown talent (the comp’s title is also the moniker of the Boston area dance party they used to present) on a brilliantly curated offering rivaling any emerging talent roundup heard in recent memory.
Nightriders’ luscious nu-disco jam “Secrets” gets the party started right in all of its slinky downtempo glory, segueing into the gorgeous blue-eyed electro soul of Caserta’s “Heaven.” Founded on a bed of woozy Rhodes and a bubbling deep-house groove, The Sheffield Boys’ “The Best Coast” struts with casual swagger over a carefree rap. “East is the best coast….Boston is where we from…yeah, that’s what we run.” Juice Belushi’s “How Do You See?” takes the celebration to the next level, exploiting a bassline that will make you move your waistline. Bosq & Soul Clap get down and dirty on the percussive afro-funk gem “Higher” that would no doubt bring a smile to Fela Kuti’s face. Roldy Cezaire’s “Wish You Were My Girl” is a sweet, tender R&B ballad channeling a rawer version of Freddie Jackson. D-Lux’s “Special Source” unfurls its broken beat brilliance into a proper head nodder with the shindig closing on a disco-tastic high note with Serge Gamesbourg’s rousing “Gotta Keep Searching,” a song whose title serendipitously tips its hat to the party’s musically voracious hosts.
Check out our 9 Beantown DJs to Know feature here.