Showcase: Flosstradamus.

If 2011 was synonymous for any new electronic genre it would be moombahton. At the time it seemed like it would blow up, with artists like Munchi and David Nada leading a new 108 BPM house and reggaeton infused movement, however it proved to be just a fad. It never really got going. It seemed dated before it had a chance to develop.

Fast forward to 2012 and moombahton is all but dead. Drum & bass feels static. Dubstep…well, no comment. Techno and trance; boring. Electro; dated. House is well and truly alive but it has all been heard before. It almost feels like we have got to a point where we, and by ‘we’ I mean the fresh-faced youngsters of the scene, are crying out for a new sound. Something different. Something fresh.

The cries seem to have been heard and the result; trap.

With crisp snares, deep sub bass, pitched down vocals, trap is a genre born out of southern US hip-hop. With the newest productions taking further influence from electro, dub, and hardstyle, it is a sound like no other: a sound that ticks the boxes of something different and something fresh. As a friend recently said, “Trap feels so live. It’s something that I can listen to without feeling like I’m to young to really get it. Imagining how it will sound live is fucking exciting.”

Almost leading the scene is Flosstradamus; two Chicago based producers/DJ’s who’ve been active together since 2006. This year has been massive for them with EP’s released on both Mad Decent and Fool’s Gold, remixes produced for the likes of Major Lazer and Sub Focus, and just to top it off; a huge two hour mix for Diplo’s Radio One show which you can listen to and download below.

Flosstradamus Diplo & Friends Mix

But what is it that makes Flosstradamus so special? For me it is because their music is so fun, yet in terms of production they are at times technically impeccable. In particular, their transition between beats and the incorporation of ridiculous hardstyle samples makes their sound so unique and creative. And it’s the sampling of hardstyle that makes it so fun. It’s like they’re almost taking the piss out of old-school raving by sampling it. Flosstradamus do admit to liking the genre, but they also admit to being “jokesters” in another interview (example; releasing “Roll-Up” on 20th April), so it is difficult to predict their intentions. Still, this doesn’t prevent a smirk coming onto my face every time they pull in a hardstyle sample before bringing it back down into trap. I genuinely find it funny and it’s refreshing to have music that doesn’t take itself to seriously.

What’s just as exciting is how much their sound has developed over the last 12 months between Jubilation and the X series. It seems like trap is a genre that can, and perhaps will, develop into something special. The only fears to have are that; 1. Trap could be a fad; 2. Trap develops like dubstep has, into some boshed up noisy genre. For now though it is the most live, fresh, and undated sound that we have. For the first time in many of the younger generations lives it feels like we may have a genre to call our own. And that is very special.

Flosstradamus are finally coming over to the UK on the following dates;

Brighton @ Winter Gardens (w/ Major Lazer)- 8th November

Leeds @ Mint Club- 13th November

London @ The Nest- 23rd November

Glasgow @ Buff Club- 27th November

Edinburgh @ Sneaky Pete’s- 28th November

Bristol @ Thekla- 30th November

Nottingham @ Stealth- 1st December

Tickets for all dates can be purchased here.

For those of you that want more Flosstradamus, below is a collection of their Ep’s released over the past 12 months (in order of release), including their latest releases; X 1,2,&3, which are all downloadable from Flosstradamus’ website via a link embedded in the respective titles.

Jubilation



Total Recall EP



Jubilation 2.0



Flosstradamus X EP1☮



Flosstradamus X EP2☯



Flosstradamus X Ep3☢



Bonus mix for all that got this far… Baauer @ Boiler Room New York. This was only his third live mix. It’s killa’. Enjoy.



Baauer Boiler Room Mix

