By: Kyle
Recently there has been a surge in EDM
culture and a new sub-genre has emerged onto the scene. It's name: Trap. As with recent trends in the electronic
dance music world, many will jump to the conclusion to say that “trap” music is
the new “moombahton” or “dubstep,” but that is not necessarily the case. So you ask "What is trap Music"? Trap
music was born in the south and has been a part of the Hip-Hop scene for a
while. Most notably, producer DJ
Screw, who was known for inventing the “chopped and screwed” style which became
popular among rap musicians paved the way for artists like T.I. , Gucci Mane
and Waka Flocka Flame to break into the rap game. I must admit there was a time
where I went through a period of listening to Gucci Mane “Trap-a-holics”
mixtapes. There was something
about the 808 drops and grimy feel that I liked about southern rap and one can
see why similar style music is gaining popularity among EDM fans and DJ’s
alike.
Trap
music has become the step-sibling of dubstep and moombahton which are all part
of the ever growing EDM genre.
Will trap be welcomed to the family with open arms or will it be shunned
out like your ginger cousin at the family bar-b-q? Only time will tell, but the
fact that every major dubstep DJ has been playing “trap” in their sets is a
major indication that it is...
here to stay for at least the rest of 2012.
Although
trap is just starting to become a staple in DJ sets all over, it has been
lurking in the shadows of dance music for quite a while. Tigran Mimosa, otherwise known as
Mimosa, is a producer/DJ from California.
His album entitled “Flux For Life” was released in 2009. This album,
more of an EP, was the first dance EP I heard that used rap lyrics over
glitch-hop like beats with the grimy bass with samples from Lil’ Wayne and more.
I’ve had the opportunity to see Mimosa four times now, most recently at
Starscape and Camp Bisco. Tigran Mimosa’s set at Starscape was filled with
chopped and screwed rap lyrics built up with hi-hats and wobbly synths. This was the first time I heard
Candyland’s OG remix of “Sandstorm” as well as RL Grime(AKA
Clockwork; RL grime is his trap name) and Salva’s “Mercy” remix, which has become the most popular song of the summer
and a trap anthem at that.
Although you can’t put a distinct label on Mimosa’s sound, he has been
calling his music “Future Trill” which seems to define where this movement is
going. Mimosa was recently featured on a couple tracks with Brooklyn based
producer Marty Party on his “Twisted
Summer” mix which contained chopped and screwed lyrics over some glitch-hop
and trap beats, of course giving a shout out to the late and great DJ Screw.
If this style of dance music has been around,
why is it blowing up now? The simple answer would be Flosstradamus. Hailing
from the Windy City, this dynamic duo of J2K
(Josh Young) and Autobot (Curt Cameruci) produced a heady remix of Major
Lazer’s “Original Don,” which seemed
to be the subject of conversation for quite some time with major hype built up
around the two DJ’s. At the time the song was released, there was so much music
that all sounded way too similar with too much noise and everybody was craving
more of what Flosstradamus was putting out there. Recently Flosstradamus has
been causing quite the ruckus on the web and social media sites. Announced via
their twitter account [@Flosstradamus], was removed from Chicago’s bill for the
Mad Decent Bloc Party due to their set at West Fest in early July that “almost” caused a riot. They have been added to Philadelphia’s
lineup and will surely be throwing down a set to riot about this Saturday.
Flosstradamus does not like to be defined under a specific genre and describes
their music as part of the “neu underground.” The twosome will be releasing a
new mixtape tomorrow(Thursday) entitled “BANNED,” be sure to check it out!
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| Baauer |
Mad
Decent label mate Baauer has also exploded onto the EDM scene with his banger “Harlem Shake.” “Harlem Shake” has been
dropped by the likes of Zeds Dead, Skrillex as well as Bassnectar this festival
season as everyone continues to get the trap fever. Baauer recently just dropped a remix of Flosstradamus’ “Roll Up”, an absolute must hear track. He will be playing in NYC this Sunday
at the Mad Decent Bloc Party in Williamsburg Park, Brooklyn along with rising
moombahton and trap artists. Mad
Decent can be credited as a label that’s paving the way for embracing all
different types of music on the leading edge. Another new artist UZ is also on
Mad Decent’s label and has been bringing some real hyphy-ness to the clubs with
his EP entitled “TRAPSHIT” and most
popular collab with trapstar DJ CRKN, “Booty
To The Ground.” If you are in the tri-state area this weekend make sure to
get you get to at least one, if not both Mad Decent Bloc parties as they will
both be filled with a whole lot of trappin’.
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| Munchi |
So
is trap music going to replace dubstep or even steal some of moombahton’s fire.
Maybe, but I think it is more than that.
Just like dub exploded onto the scene, trap has been gaining momentum,
going full steam ahead. Even Skrillex
has dropped his trap edit of Birdy Nam Nam’s “Going In”, which is a certified
banger. As for moombahton, legendary producer Munchi hasn’t produced any new
tracks in a while, but just released a new EP and yup, you guessed it, its
TRAP. Entitled “Rotterdam Trap”
Munchi drops remixes of artists such as Chuckie, Afrojack and Gregor Salto. Munchi shows that this music is
evolving, not being replaced. Trap
seems to be one piece of the EDM genre that was missing and now with it’s
emergence I only see things getting bigger and better as artists crossover into
unknown territory. This new genre
of hood dance music will bring wider attention to EDM and make it more well
rounded, which I think is the best thing to come to EDM since dubstep blew up
on this side of the pond.
Tell us on our facebook page what you think of trap music here
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