Trap
around 2011 to 2013 · United States, out of Atlanta hip-hop and the EDM festival scene
Southern hip-hop's rhythmic swagger fused with EDM's build-and-drop architecture: EDM trap exploded around 2013 through Mad Decent, OWSLA, and producers like RL Grime, Baauer, and TNGHT, and laid the groundwork for future bass (Mad Decent, Complex).
The sound
140 to 150 BPM half-time with syncopated kicks and rapid-fire triplet hi-hat rolls. The backbone is the Roland TR-808: producers isolate the kick, extend its decay, and tune it chromatically so it becomes a heavy, gliding, distorted bassline.
Listen for: The 808 doing double duty as both kick and bassline, gliding between notes, plus triplet hi-hat rolls and a festival-sized drop borrowed from EDM.
Things to know
The backbone of EDM trap is the Roland TR-808: producers isolate the kick, extend its decay, and tune it chromatically so it functions as a heavy, gliding bassline rather than just a drum.
EDM trap began around 2011 when electronic producers blended Atlanta hip-hop instrumentals with dubstep drops, exploding globally in 2013 and eventually laying the groundwork for future bass.
EDM trap drums center on syncopated kicks and rapid-fire hi-hat rolls played in triplets, the rhythmic swagger it inherited directly from Southern US hip-hop.
Key tracks
Harlem Shake by Baauer · 2012
Higher Ground by TNGHT · 2012
Core by RL Grime · 2014
Tell Me by RL Grime & What So Not · 2014
Prison Riot by Flosstradamus & GTA ft. Lil Jon · 2015
Family tree
- Future Bass: Future bass was built on EDM trap's foundation. It kept the tuned, gliding 808 sub-bass and half-time swing but swapped trap's aggression for warm, detuned supersaw chords and pitched vocal chops, softening the drop into something euphoric.
- Dubstep: EDM trap took shape when electronic producers blended Atlanta hip-hop instrumentals with dubstep drops around 2011. It borrowed dubstep's build-and-drop festival architecture and bass weight, then rode the same 2010s American festival boom to a global audience.