Regardless of what you think about the trap movement, its undeniably become an intrinsic part of the electronic music scene. We’re seeing trap influences seeping into tracks by artists all across the genre spectrum, and acts from Bassnectar to Tiësto are incorporating trap stylings in their sets.
With festival season coming into full stride, the wide reach of trap music can be seen on lineups all across the country. This year’s Camp Bisco in Upstate New York is no exception, featuring a plentiful helping of trap music. Here are some of the trappiest selections to get you pumped for CB12.
Flosstradamus
Beginning our showcase is the Chicago-based duo of dope, Flosstradamus. Josh Young (AKA J2K) and Curt Cameruci (AKA Autobot) have already performed at many of the industry’s biggest festivals – including Ultra, Coachella, Lollapaloza and South by Southwest. They’re perhaps best known for their trio of X EPs, which deftly fused the finer points of hardstyle and trap (they call it “trapstyle”) and launched them into prominence on the EDM circuit.
Baauer
Another monster of the monster scene, Baauer – born Harry Bauer Rodrigues – can take quite a bit of credit for bringing trap to the masses. With his inescapable hit single “Harlem Shake” – which currently sits at over 44 million views on YouTube and has spawned more than 12,000 imitation videos – Baauer brought trap music to many who would have never heard it otherwise.
But he’s much more than a one-hit wonder, as a quick browse through his Soundcloud will prove. His minimally trapped-out remix of Brick and Mortar’s “Move to the Ocean” couldn’t be more of a 180 from “Harlem Shake”; check it out below if you don’t believe me.
RL Grime
Henry Steinway was one of the first boomers to sweep the trap scene with heavy hip-hop beats and hard-hitting bass. When he’s not operating under his electro moniker Clockwork, Steinway runs the trap with the best of them; his back-to-back sets with Baauer on Dillon Francis’ last tour were always filled with endless trap bangers.
HeRobust
Hayden Kramer has helped give trap exactly what it needed: a facelift. With spacey lasers and an electronic-minded sensibility, the Atlanta-based producer brings uniqueness to the genre his Dirty South hometown had a hand in pioneering back in the early 2000s. Make no mistake, this is still trap. It’s just trap with outside influences, making for a much more intriguing listen than the same old high-hat 808 pattern that we all know better than the back of our hands.
He often brings in other genres, switching up the BPM to house, dubstep, and even glitch tempos while allowing the handclaps, gang vocals, and those ever-present 808s to remind us trap is the underlying motive.
Grandtheft
Founder of The Eh! Team, Grandtheft is an eclectic Canadian DJ based out of Toronto. His music is highly varied and as such he’s opened for acts ranging from Avicii to U2. Remixes for Steve Aoki, Calvin Harris, and even Drake, coupled with original releases on Tittsworth’s T&A Records and Stretch Armstrong’s Planet Music, have seen Grandtheft’s stock rise steadily in the past few years.
When you’re selected as the official Olympic DJ and Seth Rogen is asking you to play his private events, you’re probably doing something right.
UZ
A masked man behind the decks is nothing new – see Daft Punk, Deadmau5, Funtcase et. al. – nor is trap music – as mentioned earlier, it’s been around since the early 2000s. But a masked Frenchman spinning trap and releasing nothing about his true identity is something else entirely. Debates on the man (or woman) behind the mask have raged for almost as long as UZ has been a figure in the scene.
Is he a Skrillex side project? Is he a random DJ who’s using his mystique to entice fans? Is he actually a she? While I can’t answer these questions for you, I can recommend UZ based on his music. Coming into the scene with his “TRAP SHIT” series and receiving support from DJs all over the world, his sound has been described as “giving listeners a chance to slow down without losing momentum”. Listen below and see for yourself.
Heroes X Villains
Rounding out the showcase are Heroes X Villains, an Atlanta-based duo who are “only interested in making music you can fight or strip to”. The dastardly duo of Daniel Disaster and Pete Heartless has experience working live sound for hip-hop artists like T.I., Lil’ Wayne and Young Jeezy, giving their genre-defying sound a definitive Dirty South vibe. Check out their “Run the Trap” EP and you’ll see these guys are the real deal.
See you at Camp 2013! Purchase your tickets here.
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