What EDM Trap sounds like
Rap trap drums at a half-time feel: 808 kicks, rolling hi-hat triplets and heavy snares. Then rave synths, air horns and huge builds borrowed from EDM. The drop is all sub bass and brass stabs. Crowds bounce low in half time, then lose it when the 808 slides.
What you would see
Festival tents and college shows, snapbacks, bandanas and jerseys, and crowd surfing. The Harlem Shake meme flooded YouTube in 2013.
Where and when
EDM Trap took shape around 2012 in USA. Tracks usually run at 135 to 150 BPM. You will also see it called festival trap.
Family tree
It grew out of Trap, Dubstep and Moombahton. It led to Future Bass.
Artists to start with
Baauer, RL Grime and Flosstradamus.
Labels that carried it
Owsla (United States, 2011) and Mad Decent (United States).
One track to hear
DJ Snake, Lil Jon, Turn Down for What (2013). It is an official upload, and you can play it on this genre’s card in the Dance Music Timeline.
Where it stands in 2026
Absorbed into festival bass.
Want to hear how it connects to its neighbours? Plan a mix from here with Tempo Bridge, or see where it sits among 127 genres on the timeline.
From the booth
EDM trap takes rap trap drums at a half time feel and adds rave synths, air horns and huge builds. At 135 to 150 BPM, it grew from Trap, Dubstep and Moombahton and fed Future Bass.
The drop is all sub bass and brass stabs, and crowds bounce low in half time, then lose it when the 808 slides. My instinct is to use EDM trap in a festival bass set or an open format night with a young crowd. Pay attention to the 808 and the rolling hi hat triplets. If this style is new to you, count in half time. Once you feel the slower pulse, it becomes easy to mix with dubstep or rap trap.
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EDM_trap_music
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlem_Shake_(song)
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owsla
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mad_Decent
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