Artist To Watch – Baauer [Spotlight]

Recently, several debates have sprung up surrounding the resurgence of trap music in the EDM realm. Is trap music EDM or is it hip hop? Technically speaking, it is EDM. Just like hip hop, rap, and EDM, trap is produced using synthesized sounds. Ultimately, no one really cares what trap is or isnt because it has the music world buzzing, and its heating up the summer like global warming.<

Like it or not, trap is gaining ground, and in honor of its renewed popularity, I’ve selected Brooklyn-born DJ Baauer as my first “Artist To Watch.” In my exploration of Baauer’s music, I was surprised to find that little information exists about the DJ himself. Here’s what I’ve gathered: Baauer is from Brooklyn and is on Diplo’s Mad Decent label. His sound is quintessentially Mad Decent, and combines UK bass music with southern rap (and trap) stylings. Some of his tracks feel very “nu trap” i.e. trapstep – the new trap music emerging under the EDM umbrella… while other tracks feel more traditionally rap and hip hop.

I rarely find an artist that I can listen to track after track and not find any serious duds but can honestly say I’ve loved pretty much everything I’ve heard. Diplo, Flosstradamus, Brodinski, Modestep and Rustie have all featured Baauer tracks in recent mixes. Though the details of the DJ himself remain relatively mysterious, one thing is abundantly clear: Baauer is undeniably an “artist to watch” and will continue to drop summer bangers in which ever genre he choses. You can see Baauer this summer at The Mad Decent Block Parties, and you can find several of his tracks for free on the web.