Golf Clap chills out with OCP

Golf Clap members Bryan Jones, left, and Hugh Cleal take a break from their busy Electric Forest schedule during an interview with OCP Editor Allison Scarbrough.

By Allison Scarbrough. OCP Editor.

ROTHBURY — Hugh Cleal and Bryan Jones of Detroit-based Golf Clap took some time out of their busy Electric Forest schedule to talk to OCP in the media tent Friday at the Double JJ Resort.

This year is Golf Clap’s first performance during the world-famous festival. They are one of only a handful of acts from Michigan.

“We have a wide range of mixes,” said Hugh. “We produce deep, chill-out house music. We’re really embracing that new UK sound. There are garage elements and a deep bass.”

What kind of sound they create depends on their audience, Bryan said. “We play to the

Michigan State Police troopers stand guard during the Electric Forest Festival.

room.”

In addition to their appearance at Electric Forest, Golf Clap performed at Movement Electronic Music Festival in Detroit last month. Electric Forest and Movement are the two of the largest music festivals in Michigan. The duo was recently voted “Best Electronic Artist in Detroit,” by the readers of Real Detroit Weekly, for their Best of 2014 issue. In addition, the club where they throw their events, The Grasshopper Underground, was just voted “Best House Music Venue” for the second year in a row.

Both Hugh and Bryan have been DJ-ing for 16 years or more, and the two joined forces about a year and a half ago. Since they formed Golf Clap, success has been skyrocketing. They both knew that following their dream of working in the music industry full-time was a risk and required many sacrifices, but performing at the Electric Forest is one of many rewards they are now experiencing. “We started this a year and a half ago, and it’s already netting really positive results,” Hugh said.

Hugh is a Michigan native, and Bryan is from Indiana. Hugh had attended the festival during the first two years and said he was impressed with what he experienced and observed. Now, performing at the festival is a dream come true.

Forest Festival attendees participate in yoga at the Tripolee stage.

Golf Clap is not only known for their impressive discography and crowd-pleasing DJ sets, but also for their unpredictable and incredibly entertaining antics. Over the past year, they have been invited to play all over the country alongside industry giants, as both headline and auxiliary entertainers. They played more than 150 shows in 2013, and are already boasting a schedule replete with coast-to-coast bookings this year. In addition to their headline events, Hugh and Bryan have shared the stage with a veritable who’s who of veterans and rising-stars alike.

Their fresh approach to what Hugh and Bryan refer to as “peak-hour deep house,” has made them a crowd favorite from city to city. They’ve been performing electrifying, back-to-back DJ sets – three to seven days a week – ever since their debut release, Another Way, shot straight to the number one position on Traxsource. The track, released on Grant Nelson’s Freeze Dried label, finished the year in the Top 10 singles of 2013.Their guest mixes for Rinse FM, Ministry Of Sound, and Pulse Radio have caught the ears of discerning listeners around the world.

The hard work and dedication, which Bryan and Hugh continue to show, is prevalent as they continue an intensely busy touring and release schedule for the rest of the year. “We’re both super work-aholics,” Hugh said. “We’re both constantly working.” They recently launched their new label, Country Club Disco. Golf Clap will continue to uphold their strong presence in the dance music community, forever pushing the music they love to the masses.

Golf Clap plays tonight on the Forest Stage from 9:30-10:30 p.m.