Sustainability is at the forefront of concerns for millennials, Gen Zers, and especially Xennials, who make up a large portion of audiences at music events annually. 

Event organizers in the US and abroad have begun introducing initiatives to produce more environmentally-conscious parties, but what about artists?

“Tastemakers can be role models for younger generations, especially for a lot of people seeking guidance and a sense of belonging,” said Charlie Levine, half of the funk-disco house DJ duo Soul Clap. “I think if you see enough artists that you look up to, passionate about something as important and vital as environmentalism, especially in 2024, it can be motivational.”

Soul Clap was founded in Boston in 2001 by Levine and Eli Goldstein, who honed their sound early on with bootlegs of classic R&B cuts and house remixes, party sets spanning genres like techno, funk and hip hop.

“Electronic music was born as a subversive movement of marginalized people. Starting in the 70s with disco and the Stonewall Rebellion, and continuing through the 80s with house, techno and the rebellious rave spirit in the 90’s,” said Eli Goldstein, Soul Clap’s other half, who holds a Master’s in Climate Science and Policy. “Now it’s our duty to follow in their footsteps and use the power of our music for positive change.”

The pair began touring around 2007, DJing the underground club circuit. In the last decade and a half, they’ve performed across the US, in Europe, Japan, Thailand and beyond, championing the ‘efunk’ genre, while transforming what the role of musicians can look like. For Soul Clap, this means advocating for social issues (see their Give a Beat project), and promoting environmental awareness, sustainability, and conscious clubbing in the dance music space (DJs for Climate Action). 

After years of being on a studio hiatus, the producers debuted a new project, EcoSystemS, earlier this spring. Heavily electronic-based, the four-track EP draws elements from R&B, UKG, and even jungle, showcasing a new sound for the duo.

“The music itself really borrows from R&B and soul, but there are so many instances where it is emotive. We’re creating community through these uplifting, melodic sounds translated through electronic dance music,” says Levine. 

The Soul Clap Records label-heads are currently on their aptly titled EcoSystemS tour across the US, culminating May 26 in Detroit. Soul Clap has embarked on their most sustainable tour yet—armed with plans to offset their carbon emissions via public transport and trains, and raising awareness about plastic-free parties and sustainability in dance music spaces nationally.

“As an artist, it can seem like a very daunting task, to take into account the state of the like, fucking world. But, I think that having clear guidelines can be something that people can grasp on to, and help them to get involved,” said Levine.

According to Goldstein, the duo will play many venues they’ve worked with previously, and are taking “important steps” to create a more conscious clubbing experience for clubgoers. They still anticipate some challenges in implementing sustainable practices on the tour. “The hardest part is always getting people to take that first step,” said Goldstein. “Whether it’s to plant-based food, or away from plastic, or flying less, everybody has an entry point that inspires them. It’s all about providing those entry points and meeting people where they’re at.”

To minimize the tour’s environmental impact, the pair is partnering with several organizations including DJs For Climate Action to optimize their “tour routing, [taking] trains and [driving] EVs to gigs”; Bye Bye Plastic to promote and encourage plastic-free partying; Overdrive Energy for their battery and solar power needs; and EarthPercent, which Goldstein says will facilitate the donation of a portion of the tour’s proceeds going to music-oriented climate initiatives.

Reflecting on their journey spanning their earliest parties in Boston to collaborations with legends like George Clinton and Louie Vega, Goldstein said there is a significant lesson to be learned about music’s inherent power to connect people, and inspire change.

“As house music legend Chuck Roberts said on ‘In The Beginning (There Was Jack)’: ‘You may be black, you may be white, you may be Jew or gentile, it doesn’t make a difference in our house… And this is fresh!”

Reporting by Melisa Yuriar.

Follow Soul Clap on Instagram, Soundcloud, Facebook or Spotify.

For more information about the environmental organizations mentioned, visit them online: Give a Beat, DJs for Climate Action, Bye Bye Plastic, Overdrive Energy, EarthPercent