Dubstep’s Challenger for the EDM Throne
By Brendan Mitchell
Trap is a word of many meanings. Upon reference to it, one might think of a metal box meant to capture squirrels. Another might remember that famous Star Wars line. Yet another might consider the muscle humans have near the collarbone. I have no issue with any of these “traps”, but when I think of the word, my mind reverts to the clicking 808’s and smooth bass-lines which define EDM‘s latest exploding genre.
When someone asks me what music I listen to, my answer typically leads to some scratched heads. The inquirer is usually OK when I pronounce “Christian and some chill electronic music”. My follow up, though, is usually what confuses them: “But mostly i listen to tons of Trap”. I suspect those who understand what Trap is imagine me with Bible in hand, jumping like a raving maniac while my church band recites Amazing Grace. To address this issue, I won’t pretend like my contrasting taste in music makes sense (I don’t even understand it).
However, for those of you who want to learn about Trap, I’ll gladly explain what this strange genre is and why its been rampantly growing in popularity. I’m certainly no expert in making Trap, but as one of the millions of loyal Trap fans who head bobbed along with the genre’s boom over the last few years, I’ve picked up on some things about the unique genre.
My love of Trap all started early sophomore year following my unfortunate Skrillex-loving phase. When gleefully sifting through a sea of Dubstep in Youtube, I was fortunate enough to stumble upon this song (Victory Road by Psychic Type). It was love at first drop, and I just had to investigate this exhilarating new genre. Much to my despair, I quickly realized that the entire genre wasn’t Pokemon themed like Victory Road. However, I grinned ear to ear when I realized how satisfying the dangerously powerful bass of Trap can be.
Trap’s roots go back to the roots of the actual word “trap”. The genre began more as a spin-off of rap than its own genre, initially defined by rappers such as Wacka Flocka Flame. As explained flawlessly by the previously cited page, the genre evolved into a mish-mash of three independent genres. One third hip-hop/rap, another third dance music (electro house), and a final third dub, Trap has come a long way from just being Rap with a slight stress on bass and 808’s.
It would be unfair, however, to say that all Trap contains equal thirds of these attributes. Some Trap songs even exclude one or two of these attributes entirely. To really dig into Trap, I’ll mention songs which each heavily represent some of the outstanding ingredients of today’s Trap.
It isn’t difficult to find Trap which exemplifies EDM, because progressively more dance elements have been thrown into it over the years. As a modern example, let’s observe a Trap remix of an EDM song. The Flaxo remix of Louder by DJ Fresh contains many synths, and the intro and build up especially would have fit perfectly in a Dubstep song. The drop, of course, is still riddled with 808’s and a repetitive moderately slow bass line which often denote Trap.
As an excellent example of both dub and hip/hop influence in Trap, take a listen to Hatchets by Getter. Songs such as this, which represent many elements of Trap and Dubstep, are often unofficially referred to as Trapstep. The song completely emulates Dubstep from its selection of low-pitched sounds to its dark theme. The drums and BPM (beats per minute), however, clearly represent Trap. Because this hybrid style has become so common, Trapstep is a common word in the Trap community.
Currently, Trap artists are becoming more creative and the trap community is diversifying. From the unique sound of Middle Eastern Trap like PRYMYD by Inkyz and Stu, to the relaxing tone of chill Trap like this remix of The Next Episode, there’s no telling where Trap will go next. My question is, how long until people think of RL Grime instead of Skrillex as the face of EDM?
Popular Trap Channels on Youtube: Trap City, Trap Nation, AllTrapMusic, Trap and Bass, Tribal Trap, Trap Party
Just a Random blog 
Brendan this was so fun to read. The beginning was both funny and informative. I myself did not know what Trap music was (or least how it is defined) before reading this post. Having the source of your first song to listen to, gave a great impression of the genre too. And by the way, Skrillex is perfectly fine to listen too XD. But anyway, I appreciated the smooth transitions to each part, and how it got started was actually interesting. Who knew Wacka Flocka Flame would help start such a great genre? Your other examples of how certain types of songs like Flaxo remix of Louder are different helped me when I was looking up some of my own, particularly the ability for me to be lazy and only click the links and not have to search for the songs. Excited to listen to more!
LikeLike