Producers and DJs are always trying to push the envelope, trying to come up with creative, fresh new ways to put out music and expand their reach. And we at Run The Trap have mad love for that. There is nothing better than two of your favorites tackling a track together, or ripping apart a stage while your mind is being blown by their collective awesomeness. So myself, David and my BFF, the guy I usually find myself pretending to be a DJ with in my kitchen on my mixer- our very own Sam Lowy, have decided to bring you a collection of the best of the best in ‘trap music’ collaborations and duos around right now.

Music has always a collaborative art form, and with the recent rise of the trap music scene the theme of working has only gotten stronger — most likely due to the genre’s hip hop roots. This post is special because it not only highlights some of the best duos in trap music today, but it’s a collaboration in itself. Dave and I have been dear friends for quite some time now, so we thought it would only be fitting to work on this post together. So, in no particular order, here are some of our favorite trap artist collaborations/ duos.

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Flosstradamus

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Flosstradamus – The two headed trap monster, Flosstradamus, took 2013 by storm. Based in Chicago, Josh Young and Curt Cameruci, better known as the Hoodie Boyz, have come through this year with immeasurable growth in popularity, momentum, and the new music certainly never disappoints. Between dropping “Pillz”, their latest collaboration with Yellow Claw and Green Velvet, a heavy remix of Major Lazer’s “Bubble Butt”, and their twerk anthem “ASSQUAKE”, plus their classic bangers like “Crowd Control” and their famed “Original Don” remix; Flosstradamus is on fire. Amounting a huge following this past year, and consistently dropping the dirtiest trap music around, this twin-turbo trap twosome has definitely secured a spot on this list. Can you dig it?

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GTA

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GTA– The Miami based, genre-crossing duo has definitely made a name for themselves this year in a big way. JWLS and Van Toth, both halves of GTA, are not bound by any genre or specific sound; the two are all over the spectrum. From moombahton to heavy bass, trap music to electro house, all tied together with hype and energy, GTA is in everyone’s face. Dropping their versitile “Death To Genres” mix series, to big room bangers like “The Crowd”, remixing tracks such as “Saturn” by Kill The Noise, and collaborating with Diplo on their Missy Elliot rework called “Boy Oh Boy”, GTA has absolutely proven their spot on the list.

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gLAdiator

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gLAdiator– These two Los Angeles based bass heads, have had a huge year. Between destroying club crowds and throwing a party at every festival stage they have played from TomorrowWorld to HARD Summer and everywhere in between, the trapped out duo have made huge moves all year. Known for dropping some of the heaviest trap sounds, most of which are accompanied by heavy hip-hop influences, the gLAdiator goodfellas have made big moves in 2013. Playing along side everyone from Dillon Francis, to Jack Beats, and their ongoing love affair with the dudes from LOUDPVCK, which they have dubbed gLAdPVCK, gLAdiator moves at 100 miles an hour, we just have to keep up with them. Their remixes of tracks like “Public Service Announcement” by Jay Z, to original material like “Gamecube Nentendo VIP” have crowds jumping everywhere, and with such a huge year in the rear-view for these guys, its only bigger things to come. Best part is, everything on gLAdiator’s Soundcloud page is a free download. All about that.

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Cafe’ Con Leche

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Cafe Con Leche– This side project comes as a collaboration effort by DJ Craze and Klever. These turntable tyrants and slow-roast masters are close friends of the Run The Trap family, and bring a sound that is a groovy blend of moombahton, club, and trap music. Cafe Con Leche incorporates a wide variety of sounds, delivering a unique vibe and showcasing skills only these two bass music veterans could produce. Tracks like, “Future Rave” and, “Muevete” boast big room elements, perfect for festival stages and packed clubs alike. Check out Cafe Con Leche if you haven’t already; trust me you’re missing out. Releasing all their music as free downloads via Craze’s Slow Roast Records, this collaboration is definitely one for the list, and one to keep a close eye on.

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LOUDPVCK

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LOUDPVCK – Comprised of Kenny Beats and Ryan Marks, LOUDPVCK is one of the heaviest hitting and creative duos in the trap music game right now. One of the coolest things about this duo is their ability to tackle pretty much any style of EDM. They’ve remixed artists like Kill the Noise, Carnage, Nervo, and many, many more, and their most recent release Re-Up is full to the brim of their creative use of genre blending. What really pushed these guys over the edge was their remix of Jackal’s “Shakedown,” which features the perfect blend of slowed down Latin beats and incredible drops, along with a minimal yet hypnotic screechy synth line. For the time being, LOUDPVCK can be seen playing shows with Adventure Club, DVBBS, and Dillon Francis, but we have a feeling they’ll soon be doing a solo tour of their own. Definitely keep your eye on these guys.

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Tropkillaz

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Tropkillaz – If you’re looking for a total change in pace when listening to trap, you will for sure want to drop whatever you’re doing and listen to Tropkillaz. Zegon, legendary Brazilian DJ/Producer, and Laudz, who has produced tunes for some of the biggest names in the Brazil rap scene, pride themselves on their Brazilian-heritage-inspired beats and with one listen it’s easy to see why. Mostly all of their tracks remind me of being in a sweaty dance hall at 4 in the morning in South America. Not that I’ve ever been in that position, but listening to Tropkillaz gives me a damn good idea of what that might be like. Their recent collaboration with Yellow Claw was a huge step up for their career, and will most likely lead them to becoming more spotlight worthy producers. Here’s the craziest part about these two — they’ve been around for a little less than a year.

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TWRK

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TWRK – This New York duo, comprised of BENZI and eSenTRIK (each of which already have quite the following of their own), truly lives up to their name by creating some of the most twerk-worthy tracks to date. Masters of the 808, TWRK has been able to create quite the stir with hits like “Nolia,” “Living Room,” and their most recent release, “Badinga!” all of which make even a slightly overweight hairy guy wanna drop it low and start twerking. Their most notable release is probably their remix of Diplo’s “Set it Off” which includes some serious half-time beat drops and awesome sampling. TWRK was recently part of the Los Angeles showing of the Mad Decent Block Party, which was the start of their nine-stop mini tour.

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Mayhem x Antiserum

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Mayhem and Antiserum are some of the most key names in bass music today. Frequently collaborating together, along with the likes of other bass music veterans like Caspa and 12th Planet, these two producers are creating some of the heaviest, jaw-rattling sounds around right now. Antiserum is based in San Francisco, while Mayhem is producing from Atlanta, although both come together on a grip of tracks that always seem to make the room shake. Tracks like “Brick Squad Anthem” and “Pakistan” bring together the best elements of hip hop, trap music, and dubstep to make for crowd crushing tracks that are played out in nearly every trap set I have ever heard. This is the type of music that makes goofy, white Jewish kids like myself sag their pants and tilt their hats sideways, which I own up to. With a huge log of collaborations together, these two should be some of the leading names on your list of the best of the best in bass music today. Also, check out their respective soundclouds for a bunch of free music.

+One of my favorites

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TNGHT

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TNGHT – With the combined effort of Hudson Mohawke and Lunice, TNGHT has become of the biggest names in trap music, despite the fact that they’ve been known to only call this pairing a “project” in which they only want to make tracks for clubs and festivals. Either way, these guys have undoubtedly had some of the most successful “trap” tracks of the past year including “Higher Ground” and their latest release, “Acrylics.” They’ve been seen at Coachella, HARD Summer, and numerous other festivals, and even collaborated with Yeezus himeslef, Kanye West, on his track “Blood on the Leaves.” Whatever may happen with these guys in the future, it’s easy to say that for now, they’re destroying most producers right now. I can only hope this “project” of theirs lives on.

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What So Not

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What So Not – Flume, an already up and comer, along with Emoh Instead are the Australian duo known as What So Not. Another one of those genre-bending groups, What So Not has also been having quite the year as they just released The Quack EP with OWSLA Records. The EP features tracks like “Every Time You See Me” featuring Action Bronson, Blood Diamonds, and D Mac — a seriously incredible track to come out of two 20-somethings from down under. I love these guys because of their “fuck it” attitude on tracks like their “Get Free” remix which features essentially one of the most disgusting bass sounds I’ve heard in combination with the beautiful airy and light piano and vocals from Amber of The Dirty Projectors. It kills. As the year comes to a close, I know for sure that these guys will be an artist to watch in 2014.

Our list should also include some honorable mentions, and maybe some projects in the works that you might want to have on your radar for this upcoming year. First, there is no denying that arguably the biggest collaboration of the year, might be Dog Blood. Skrillex and Boys Noize unleashed the hounds at nearly every major festival in the country, and galvanized crowds with their distinct, hard acid techno sound. Another collaboration to look out for also includes Skrillex, as his and Diplo’s side project known as Jack U has begun to scratch the surface; big things are expected from this super group in 2014. Other up-and-coming side projects to keep an eye on would be I Am Legion- a supergroup comprised of Foreign Beggars and Noisia, which should blend their styles of heavy bass music and hip-hop. GRiZ + Gramatik = Grizmatik, another heavily hip-hop influenced, electro soul collective that you should certainly check out if you haven’t already. We can’t also forget some of the amazing up and coming trap music related duos as well including Keys N Krates, Regulators, THUGLI, Candyland, Odesza, TrapZillas, and of course our homies FREE DRINKZ. 2013 has brought some of these duos incredible success and opened up fans to different sounds and the blending of various production styles, and with so many more awesome collective efforts coming up between so many talented producers, 2014 is shaping up to be just as much fun. Honestly, I think 2014 could even be the year Sam and I blow up and become world famous producers.

In short, collaborations and duo’s are an incredible thing to happen within the dance community. Two brains coming together to create as one is such an interesting thing to watch as an audience member, and I always love to see where different artists will choose to take their music. Sometimes it turns into a fantastic product people will love and cherish forever, and sometimes it might turn into complete garbage — like the time Dave and I got lost in Big Bear National Forest.

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Top 10 ‘Trap Music’ Duos