UFO!

 UFO!, like so many others in the trap scene, is not new to production, but rather a well-established artist who got reasonable acclaim for their work in other genres, but really came into their element with trap music. In the past he made drum and bass, and more recently moombahton, but what I really love are his heavy trap beats.

"2012", his collaboration with Bro Safari, is my absolute favourite of his tunes. I love the fact that the drop hits you with a big gritty bassline, and then drops back into something subtle and understated seconds later. The contrast just drives me crazy. Also the backspin effects sound damn cool.

 "GOON TOON", released as a Halloween free download, is damn good too. It sounds appropriately spooky, and using a scream sample in a trap song is a lot more effective and a lot less annoying than it sounds.

On the more chilled out/OG side of things we have "I$ YOU WORTH". The pitched-up vocals and big string sounds lead us into a drop which is just so ghetto, it hurts. Definitely the kind of thing you want pumping from the speakers of whatever shit gangster car you have.

Best thing about trap? All this shit, as with most trap tunes, is FREE DOWNLOAD.

In case you're wondering what his moombahton was like, this isn't bad:

WATAPACHI

Trap music is pretty mental. We can all agree on this right? The reason for this, according to some inside sources, is that it's white people making, appreciating, and then dancing to, black music. Anyone who's been in a club with trap music playing has seen that white girl trying, and failing, to get a ghetto booty bounce going. Now imagine if you take this mental music, and get inhabitants of the most mental nation in the world (clearly Japan) to produce it.

Damn right, WATAPACHI are a production/DJ duo from Tokyo, Japan. Let the carnage ensue.

What I particularly like about them is how in tracks like the above "Play" they achieve the hard-hitting effect that is desired not through ostentatious, in-your-face high pitched leads, but rather through understated but definitively acidy broken up lead lines.

"Let's Get Ratchet" is the track that first introduced me to them, and I fell in love at first experience. The appropriately ghetto samples about phat asses and getting ratchet just get me in the mood to go full mental in a club. After repeat sober listening I'm starting to find the sirens a bit irritating, but I'm sure in the right (club) atmosphere they would really get me going.

Out in the street, this track is almost referred to as murder. Great sample, great tune. Full stop.

More acidy leads here, sounds sick as hell. Makes my face do that "OOOOOOOHSHIII" expression. Business as usual.


And now for something a bit gritter. Grind just gets so damn dirty, especially compared to the cleaner type stuff we saw above. Really really sick.

Just for the purpose of showing their versatility, here you can listen to a Floss-type, trapstyle rythm, and you can listen to some of their more chilled out/trippy stuff here, here and here.

These guys are sick, and this is just a selection of some of their many many great tracks, so check them out properly for yourselves at https://soundcloud.com/watapachi.

Chris Hurst - Chilled Trap

  

Chris Hurst is a 17-year old producer from South Florida, and he makes a lot of pretty sick music. The above Major Lazer remix is chilled-out trap which keeps the summery reggae vibes from the original while changing the beat enough to to keep it fresh. I have to admit, I've enjoyed pretty much every remix I've heard of this song, but this one is especially good. Close your eyes and imagine the Jamaican summer.

This next one is just as good as, if not better than, the Get Free remix. It's once again super chilled trap, and let's be honest, you have to have pretty big balls to brazenly remix a classic like this. Once again, I just feel like I'm soaking up the sun in summery bliss, this time (appropriately) in California. The amount of talent this kid is showing is just ridiculous from a 17-year old.

This isn't bad either! Yet another good trap remix. This time he takes a classic and reworks it into something that starts out pretty funky and relaxed, but at the drop gets pretty "Ratchet" as he says in the title.

Hurst's newest effort is a remix of the classic rap track "Still Fly" by Big Tymers. I'm not too sure what I think about this one to be honest. While I'm not too into the build up, the drop has some serious potential. If only it went somewhere a bit bassier and harder, it would be really get me going.


One more think I like about this kid is he has a sense of humour. Realising he's part of the stereotype of white suburban kids getting into trap music, he is able to make fun of himself for it. On his Facebook page he posts "My mom on me making trap: "chris, why are you making that ghetto music? Too ghetto....too ghetto..." Me: "nah mom times have changed. White kids make this now." " 


Chris used to make dubstep before trap took over, but I don't think he worked very well in that genre. You can check it out for yourselves at his soundcloud. All of these tracks are available for free download just by liking his Facebook page! Just click the free download button in the widgets.

Chocolate Puma & Firebeatz- Just One More Time Baby

I can't believe I neglected to post this until now. Here we have a very belated recognition of the awesomeness of this collaboration between Chocolate Puma, the dutch house duo also known as Zki & Dobre (who you should know from classics such as "Disco Electrique", and his much under-appreciated remix of Toulouse) and Firebeatz, famous for tracks such as "Funky Shit" and "Where's Your Head At".

The song is full of seriously funky horns and is just so ass-shakeable. The video is damn funny. What more could you want? A download link you say? Fine. Here.

Also, check out Firebeatz's new remix of Alex Kenji, and tell me what you think of their newest original (I'm not much of a fan.)..

TNGHT- Higher Ground

TNGHT is Hudson Mohawke and Lunice, and this is "Higher Ground". The clappy drums at the start remind me of "Express Yourself", with the female vocals making a pretty crazy sound. We then build up in a crescendo of horns until we get to a trap drop with some hardstyle elements. I don't know about you, but the driving bass in that drop just makes me want to get on the dancefloor and throw my body around like a maniac.

Unfortunately I haven't been able to find a decent quality download for you, but I will edit this post when I do!

CRNKN- New trap

CRNKN is a 19-year old producer and a skilled maker of trap-influenced EDM from the very un-ghetto New Hampshire, USA. He has been making some waves with his recent productions, enough to get support from BBC Radio 1 and artists such as Flosstradamus and Foreign Beggars. Indeed, he's got big enough to merit collaborating with UZ on the sick track "Booty 2 the Ground".



Another huge track of his you should absolutely listen to is his remix of Die Antwoort's epic track "I Fink U Freeky". He keeps the flow of the original and uses the vocal track to perfection for a huge skanking classic.



For something on the more destructive, acid-lead side of trap, you can listen to his killer collaboration with Protohype,"Boom".



Not only is the man super skilled at producing, he's also got a sense of humour. Or at least, I assume that his Cascada remix is him trolling the shit out of us. The best part is, even if it is, it turns out to be a sick track. Until 1:20 it sounds like it will just be a cheesy remix of a cheesy song. Then he drops into crazy trap mode and evolves into a hard-hitting track which just makes me want to move.


He also puts a stroong mix together when he wants to. Listen to his Trillionaire Mixtape, enjoy.


All of these beauts have download links up in the corner of the widget.

Munchi- Rotterdam Trap EP

Holy hell, Munchi made a Trap EP. Of course, we know he's a skilled man in many genres, having made genres as obscure as kuduro on top of the moombahton he is famous for, but this shit is just so so good. He has a degree of adaptability that is just incredible.

The concept for the album, according to the man himself, is "Dutch Bangers from when I was 17 in Trap". This means that you might hear some stuff you recognise in here, but it's gonna be destroyed and put back together in a way like you could never even IMAGINE. Also, Munchi has expressed his love for extremely long remix names that include VIP, which is why this EP is chock full of them.

The first remix on the EP (and to my mind the best) is of Chuckie and Hardwell's Bubbling track I-Alarm. The high-pitched lead nabbed from the original suits trap so well, it seems like it was made for it. Along with the well-placed vocal samples and standard trap drums, it makes a really solid track.

The second track, and coincidentally (or not) also the second-best on the EP, is a pretty standard-sounding trap song. That is, until 00:40, when Munchi decides to blow my balls of with a super-aggro high lead, sounding acidy enough to burn the skin. Cue wild dancing.

The third track on the EP is the Bouncing Harbour re-re-mix (yes I went there.). Munchi apparently recently suggested to Funking Matt that he should make moombahton, and Funking Matt replied he might and that Munchi should make a moombahton remix of Bouncing Harbour. Munchi, to punish Matt for not making moombahton, made a trap remix instead.
TL;DR, some back and forth between two awesome dudes led to a sick track.

Next comes the inevitable: a trap remix of Moombah (Afrojack remix), which although so predictable, turns about to be just as sick as we would imagine it could have been. Munchi also gives a nice little story in the description (read it here) about how the original of this track in some way brought about his career (through Moombahton), and hence his own remix.

The last track on the EP isn't so much an actual remix as it is an example of what I like to call edit-wanking. Munchi takes two classic tracks, and in his own words, "rapes" them, to produce something which, while sounding good, is also pretty damn funny. He identifies the moment of transferral from the sublime to the ridiculous as when he started to use the popular "Damn Son" drop as a high hat. He chose not to make this into a full song "outta respect to the 2 original songs". To be honest, respect be damned, I would've quite liked more of this shit.

This is a long post, but I figured an EP this good and this original deserved some time and respect. Munchi is a boss, who was kind enough to give us all this sick shit FOR FREE.

Download it here



 

UZ- TRAP SHIT

Mad Decent is once again at the forefront when it comes to uncovering new genres. Trap is going to be huge, and beside Diplo's personal support for Flosstradamus, Mad Decent have made a big step towards conquering the newly exploding genre by releasing trap on a large scale, including a Munchi trap release, and this EP by newcomer UZ, whose "Trap Shit" series has been making big waves in the online EDM community, especially on soundcloud. Mad Decent have chosen to release volumes 6 to 9 of this series on their label, and say they are working on releasing more with UZ in the future.

My favourite track out of the 4 on the EP is V8, which you can hear above. The acidy synths are so harsh they make me grimace, then when we hit the main beat there's so much open space in the track, it sounds amazing. I also love the appropriately machine-gun-sounding drum rolls.

I would say V6 is the next best. It varies from the rest of the EP in style, taking a slower, less in-your-face approach, but remains equally as hard hitting, with the bass forming the dark main melody that just makes me want to put on my game face and skank out.

Listen to V7 here and V9 here.

Download the whole EP here.

Rusko- Thunder (Tantrum Desire Remix)

This. Remix. Is. Sick. No, really, it's really sick. The single release of "Thunder" is on July 10th on Mad Decent, and this beauty is gonna be on that release. I love it when a DnB track starts off lightly then takes you by surprise with a ripping bass, and this does that to a WHOLE new level. Listen to the original here.

D!RTY AUD!O 2012 Moombahton mix

I know it may seem like I'm getting a bit repetitive here, but DAMN! This Dirty Audio mix is just so good!
Download it here 
(you have to like the page first)

Skream- Inhumane

 

Skream has absolutely smashed it here. This is so stomach-wrenchingly heavy without being obnoxious, it's just damn perfect. It will be out on Skreamizm 7, which you will subsequently get. 'Nuff said.

Chris Lake & John Dahlback- I Saw This Before

The legend that is Chris Lake is at it again. "I Saw This Before" is a fantastic electro-house collaboration with the superb Swede John Dahlback. Sounding like nothing I've heard recently, the combination of techy bleeps with driving saws works beautifully, and the slow-down section is just SO danceable. To be honest, even without reading this, having seen Chris Lake and John Dahlback probably should be enough to make you skip to the download link below. I know I did.

Also in case you missed it, Chris Lake's first release of this year, Build Up, was just as much of a killer! The dirty build up with the lovely vocals from Chris's wife Gita Lake set the scene perfectly for a drop that blew my socks off not only with its kick but also with its originality. This Tommy Trash edit is also pretty damn good.

If you like all of this, remember Chris Lake has an album coming out on Ultra this year!

I Saw This Before Download
Build Up Download
Tommy Trash edit Download

D!RTY AUD!O- Different Cities

If you haven't already understood how damn awesome D!RTY AUD!O is from my earler blog post, then you bloody well better after listening to Different Cities, his collaboration with DJ/producer Aylen, with Jitta On The Track on the vocals. This is some heavy-ass moombahton, not for the faint-hearted!

Download it here

The Bloody Beetroots- Rocksteady

Firstly, let me apologise for the complete and utter lack of posts for the past couple of weeks. I have been in pre-, during- and post-exam stages, all of which require extreme focus on one activity, (studying, exams, and drinking). I am now, however, absolutely free for a whole three months of summer, and promise to bring you all the delightful EDM you need to put the cherry on this beautiful time of year.

Why not start with The Bloody Beetroots? Sir Bob Cornelius Rifo's new track is fast-paced, with a rock-and-roll feel echoed in the title "Rocksteady". The video is distinctly summery, with a rage-filled rock and roll roadtrip through the desert on display. To be honest, although I like the track, I'm not 100% sure it lives up the high Beetroot standard. It just seems too similar to what's been done before. What do you guys think?

Tiesto & Showtek-Hell Yeah

Tiesto is probably one of the only men in EDM who needs no introduction, but like most others who use that cliche', I'm going to introduce him anyway. Since being one of the biggest names back when trance ruled the scene, he's adapted to the new demand for electro house, starting with tracks such as Zero 76 and C'mon (collabs with Hardwell and Diplo respectively). More recently, he has had huge success with tracks such as Maximal Crazy. This new one is just as big and maybe even harder.

Download link

Lazy Rich & Hirshee feat. Amba Shepherd- Damage Control

Lazy Rich & Hirshee, bosses of the next-level electro-house and dubstep label Big Fish Recordings, have released this monster of a track, with vocals from a certain Amber Shepherd, on Chris Lake's Rising Music imprint. It is absolute quality, so I don't really need to say much about it, other than to warn you this shit is a beaut.


download link (scroll down and click the blue "download" button)

Dannic W.O.P.

Dannic has done it again! W.O.P. was the official anthem of Riverdance Festival, a dance music festival held in Holland in May, and has now been released on Hardwell's Revealed Recordings. Words cannot describe how good this is. Although the official long version of the title is "World of Pleasure", Youtube suggests the real meaning is "We're on Pills". And I'm sure the festivalgoers were.

Just listen to it. Seriously, why are you reading this? Listen to it right now.



Done?
Download it here


Now listen to it again.

DubVision

DubVision are two Dutch brothers who are signed to Spinning records. You can hear their glorious electro in songs like the one above, due to be released on the 11th of June (we really do Love That Sound) and this remix. They also have a more gentle side to them, shown in the Spinning release All By Myself, with its sweet progressive chords and gentle, sad vocal.

All By Myself download
DubVision Facebook

Felguk vs Tim Healey- I Need You

What do you get when you mashup Nirvana with funky electro? Apart from an erection, you also get this sick track by Brazilian electro maniac felguk and label owner/DJ/Producer Tim Healey which you can download here. It has big guitar riffs and sexy electro bass, what more could you want? Felguk has clearly mastered the funky electro model which he has been using for a while now, creating sick tunes such as Jack It. For those with a taste for the heavier stuff, BASSIVE is a total BOMB.

Felguk Facebook

AN21 & Max Vangeli vs Steve Angello- H8RS

Although AN21 (or Antoine Josefsson) might initially have been known primarily for being Steve Angello's little brother and for their collaborations (such as the classic Valodja), he has by now built up an impressive body of work in his own right together with his partner Max Vangeli. After big name remixes for artists such as Pendulum, Gorillaz and Ellie Goulding, which have view counts in the millions, the duo has for some time now been working on their debut album, "People of the Night" which should be released relatively soon on Size Records, and H8RS is the first single to be released off said album. It incorporates nice progressive melodies in the builds with heavier electro elements in the drops to great effect: this will be a big one for the summer; guaranteed.

H8RS download link

AN21 Facebook Page
Max Vangeli Facebook Page