Run Di Trap, A Primer on EDM’s Hottest New Genre [Baauer // Drankenstein // Diplo // CRNKN +more]

You can’t escape it. You’re surrounded with no where to turn. Resistance is futile.

It’s called trap, and it has taken hold of your favorite producers.

Your friendly neighborhood music snob will tell you that trap is nothing new and has been around forever. But, for the rest of us, trap is a refreshing new genre that has revitalized the increasingly stale 140 bpm tempo.

The genre takes classic hip hop instrumental influences and combines it with dance music’s structure and synths. It’s easily identified by its 808 drum sounds, with its contrasting deep, reverberating bass kicks and quick, shallow hi-hats and snares. Trap as we know it exploded in popularity somewhere between Diplo’s “Climax”, and Flosstradamus’s oft played out “Original Don” remix and Total Recall EP.

Since then, producers are pumping out originals and remixes at an impressive rate, with a hot new release seemingly each day. Its simplicity has led to critics calling trap tracks too easy to produce, and that could explain the rapid turnaround at which they’re being released. However, that same steezy simplicity is what has caught the ear of listeners who became overwhelmed with last year’s “brostep” revolution.

Let me introduce you to some of my favorites in the trap game.

The Chicago duo that is Flosstradamus are undoubtedly the pioneers of trap’s emergence/resurgence, but a talented young (I think) producer from Brooklyn has helped bring it to the spotlight. Baauer has literally exploded into the scene by managing to innovate a genre that frankly is still crafting out an identity.

His track “Harlem Shake” was released to much anticipation on Mad Decent’s Jeffree’s after a radio rip made it’s way onto YouTube. The incredible track was lauded by the top players in the game, and had even been heard in the live sets of dubstep dynamos Skrillex and Flux Pavilion. You’ll have a hard time going to a show these days without hearing this or any other Baauer track.

Baauer – Harlem Shake
Baauer – Yaow!
Baauer – My Nose
Brick & Morter – Move To The Ocean (Baauer Remix)

For more: [FACEBOOK] // [TWITTER] // [SOUNDCLOUD]

Bird Peterson, who’s taken on the moniker Drankenstein, is also churning out consistent trap sweetness. This guy specializes in taking popular house tracks and turning them into a trap bangers. Tiesto, Swedish Fish Mafia, Deadmau5, even *gasp* Avicii have watched helplessly as their club anthem have been transformed into swagtastic bass laden hits. The Austin, Texas based beatsmith’s remix of Maximal Crazy is truly something to behold.

Tiesto – Maximal Crazy (Drankenstein Remix)
Swedish House Mafia – Greyhound (Drankenstein Remix)
Dada Life – Happy Violence (Drankenstein Remix)
Deadmau5 – The Veldt (Drankenstein Remix)

For more: [FACEBOOK] // [TWITTER] // [SOUNDCLOUD]

Trap has attracted some of the scene’s most talented and adventurous producers who have wanted to take a stab at this fresh new sound. Heavyweights like Diplo and Clockwork (under the name RL Grime), up and comers such as David Heartbreak and CRNKN, and relative unknowns like Keys N Krates and Luminox have all put out their own excellent takes.

On that point, that’s what I’ve really liked about this music — there’s not really one right way to do it. Each artist goes about it in their own way, and it helps to keep the genre from getting unoriginal despite such a high volume of output. Here are a few of my favorites.

RL Grime – Trap On Acid
Afrojack – Bangduck (CRNKN Trapdux Remix)
Bingo Players – Rattle (Luminox Remix) [Formerly known as Damage, this track was dropped during MiM0SA's set at Starscape.]
Bassnectar – Ugly (Keys N Krates Remix) [At 87 bpm, this is a rare tempo for trap, but this tune is huge.]
Sleigh Bells – Demons (Diplo Remix)
Kanye West – Mercy (Triple Six Sound Club Remix)
M.I.A. – Bad Girls (Careful Cat Remix)

[Exactly what you think it is, and zomg.]

I’ve barely scratched the surface of a genre that’s expanding faster than the big bang, but now that I’ve gotten you started, gear up with a nice pair of headphones or speakers and see what you can find.

One love.