The Phenomenal Handclap Band

The Phenomenal Handclap Band

The Phenomenal Handclap Band is a New York group formed in 2008 and based around musicians and artists from Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn. Its core figures are Daniel Collás and Sean Marquand, both underground club DJs who move from playing records to making productions of their own. The group brings together a rotating cast of contributors from the indie rock, underground soul and club scenes, with Luke O’Malley among the members listed in the available facts.

Style and sound

The band’s music combines anthemic, dancefloor-focused and orchestral qualities, drawing on disco, electro, psychedelia and related rock influences. Other genre descriptions attached to the group include alternative rock, funk, indie rock and psychedelic soul. The result is a hybrid sound that sits between club music and guitar-based band arrangement.

Line-up and collaborators

Alongside Collás and Marquand, the band includes Patrick Wood, Nicholas Movshon, Luke O’Malley, Laura Marin, Quinn Luke and Joan Tick. The project also involves contributions from Aurelio Valle, Carol C, Jaleel Bunton, Bart Davenport, Jon Spencer and Lady Tigra. The group is described as a supergroup drawn from the indie rock and underground soul scenes.

Debut album

The Phenomenal Handclap Band’s self-titled debut album is released by Friendly Fire Recordings, a Brooklyn independent label. The record includes “Journey to Serra da Estrela”, which moves from a meditative opening into a synthesised drive, and “Testimony”, featuring Jaleel Bunton’s guitar work and Aurelio Valle’s vocals. Carol C appears on “You’ll Disappear”, and Lady Tigra contributes to “15 to 20”.

Live performances

In live performance, the group is presented as an eight-member unit with a strong rhythm section, guitars and layers of organ and synthesiser. Its shows are described as highly charged and collective in feel, with a revival-like atmosphere rather than a conventional rock set.