[Crosstown Rebels]

Boston-based duo Soul Clap has seen a dramatic uptick in their stock in the last year’s time. From their humble beginnings on Itzamna Recordings they’ve catapulted up the chain and joined the Wolf + Lamb family, impressing dancers and DJs with their Love Light EP and “I Want You” in collaboration with Le Loup. Well positioned in a time where deep house reigns, they’ve started to attract a wider range of labels, starting with their Action Satisfaction EP for Damian Lazarus’ Crosstown Rebels imprint. This release shows just how far this duo has come in a relatively short amount of time, refining the sample-centered house sound to which they’ve cottoned on.

Action Satisfaction opens on the relaxed groove of the title track, wending through Chicago and New York house influences at slo-mo tempos with warm pads, glittering cymbal patterns and spindly but reverberating synth notes all making appearances. But even more than the instrumental it’s the froggy soul vocal line that’s most likely to get audiences smiling, crooning like Errol Brown of U.K. funksters Hot Chocolate fresh out of the shower. Whether the vocals are sampled or original is besides the point as they’re locked tightly into the track without ever feeling forced. A somewhat unexpected remix from Aus Music chap Lee Jones helps the tune fit into more DJs’ sets by upping the BPMs and positioning it for big rooms. Fans of his solo work will recognize the ramped up synth lines that strafe the stereo field like fog machines and laser light shows, although he aims much higher in the pop stratosphere than one might expect and manages something impressive all the same.

“Break 4 Life” is comparatively stripped back, bumping along on an unctuous bass line and threaded together with plummeting strings and abstract vocal exercises, matching the caliber if not the thoroughness of the title track. And finally there’s the almost comical hip-tronica of “Noneadatwhitestar,” redolent of Native Tongues-era boom-bap layered with chord stabs that slap it into the 21st century. Action Satisfaction is without a doubt Soul Claps’ most impressive release to date, summing up the duo’s diverse tastes and offering something for most house aficionados. Hats truly doffed for this one.