Trap
Bass · 2011 · 140 to 160 BPM · also known as EDM Trap, Festival Trap
Atlanta trap translated for festivals around 2012: triplet hi hats and 808s from Southern rap, married to rave drops and EDM build-ups. Harlem Shake by Baauer turns it into a planetary viral phenomenon. The style permanently installs rap's grammar into festival electronic music, and vice versa, welding the 808 and the festival drop into a single, durable vocabulary that both worlds still use.
10 reference tracks
- Hudson Mohawke: Thunder Bay (2011)
- araabMUZIK: Electronic Dream (2011)
- Baauer: Harlem Shake (2012)
- TNGHT: Higher Ground (2012)
- RL Grime: Core (2014)
- RL Grime: Pressure (2019)
- Knock2: dashstar* (2021)
- Cardi B: Up (2021)
- ISOxo: how2fly (2023)
- Quavo, Lana Del Rey: Tough (2024)
At a glance
- Tempo: 140 to 160 BPM
- First appeared: around 2011
- Machines: Roland TR-808, FL Studio, Xfer Serum, Native Instruments Massive
- The sound: Roland TR-808 (kit trap), Hi-hats en triolets et rolls, Leads de festival, Snares layerées
- Labels: Mad Decent, Fool's Gold Records, OWSLA, Wakaan, Warp Records, WeDidIt Records
- Key artists: Baauer, RL Grime, TNGHT, Flosstradamus, Troyboi
Producing Trap
Run between 140 and 150 bpm in halftime, felt as 70 to 75 bpm, snare on 3, kick on 1 plus syncopations, a heavy, slow Atlanta trap feel where triplet hi hat rolls create the bounce. Build the kick from an 808 varying every 2 bars, a layered snare on 3, 808 hats rolling into triplet bursts at phrase ends, and a riser or snare roll building to the drop, where drums can drop out to leave a horn alone. The 808 is the bass itself, a decaying sine tuned to the key with a short pitch envelope for click and saturation for harmonics. Layer huge synthetic brass hits, supersaw festival leads, pitched-down rap shouts, sirens and white noise risers, contrasting a melodic build with a brutal drop.
The full production course, in French: tempo, drums, bass, sounds, arrangement, mix, plugins and machines, and a step by step start.
Frequently asked
What is Trap?
Atlanta trap translated for festivals around 2012: triplet hi hats and 808s from Southern rap, married to rave drops and EDM build-ups. Harlem Shake by Baauer turns it into a planetary viral phenomenon. The style permanently installs rap's grammar into festival electronic music, and vice versa,…
What tempo is Trap played at?
Between 140 and 160 BPM.
Who are the key Trap artists?
Baauer, RL Grime, TNGHT, Flosstradamus, Troyboi.
