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festival trap

Festival Trap

United States · 2010s
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Description

Festival trap is a high-impact branch of EDM trap engineered for large festival stages. It merges hip‑hop trap’s 808 sub-bass, half‑time drum patterns, and rattling hi‑hats with big‑room/electro house build‑ups, supersized drops, and cinematic brass stabs and synth leads.

Designed for peak-time crowd reaction, the style emphasizes explosive tension-and-release: long risers and snare rolls crescendo into colossal drops built around tuned 808s, horn-like leads, and call‑and‑response hooks. Harmony is sparse and minor‑key, while arrangement prioritizes DJ‑friendly intros/outros, dramatic buildups, and multiple drop variations to energize festival audiences.

History
Origins (2010–2012)

Festival trap took shape in the early 2010s as EDM DJs adapted hip‑hop trap aesthetics for big‑room festival contexts. Producers began translating the 808‑driven, half‑time feel of Southern hip‑hop trap into the EDM playbook—long buildups, tension risers, and explosive drops. A pivotal moment came in 2012 when Carnage popularized “Festival Trap” bootlegs of mainstage house tracks (e.g., turning 128 BPM big‑room hits into half‑time trap drops), helping codify the label and sound.

Breakthrough and Codification (2012–2015)

The style rapidly spread via SoundCloud and DJ promos. Acts like RL Grime, Flosstradamus, Baauer, Yellow Claw, and Keys N Krates delivered signature brass‑led drops, tuned 808s, and aggressive snare builds, securing slots on main festival stages (Ultra, EDC, Tomorrowland). Labels and collectives in the bass and EDM space (Mad Decent, Fool’s Gold, OWSLA affiliates) amplified the aesthetic, while DJ Snake’s high‑octane trap anthems further cemented festival trap’s crossover appeal.

Peak Visibility and Hybridization (mid‑2010s)

As the sound dominated peak‑time sets, producers pushed it heavier (harder drums, harsher synth design) or more hybrid (borrowing dubstep sound design at trap tempos). This period seeded the rise of hard trap and hybrid trap, while parallel scenes like twerk at 100–110 BPM intersected in festival sets.

Evolution (late 2010s–2020s)

Festival trap remained a staple of mainstage bass music, evolving through crisper sound design, tighter low‑end, and more varied tempos (140–150 BPM half‑time being common). It influenced global scenes such as Brazilian trap‑funk crossovers and continued to inform the structure of modern bass‑heavy festival music.

How to make a track in this genre
Setup and Tempo
•   Typical tempos are 140–150 BPM with a half‑time drum feel (kicks on beat 1, snare/clap on beat 3). You can also write at 70–75 BPM for the same groove. A 100–110 BPM variant leans toward twerk, but can be used for festival sets.
Drums and Groove
•   Use crisp, layered claps/snares with strong transient snaps; place snares on beat 3 in half‑time. •   Program 808 kick/sub lines in key; slide (portamento) between notes for impact. Alternate long sustain hits with punchy staccato fills. •   Employ rapid hi‑hat rolls (1/16 to 1/32), triplets, and stutters before fills and drops. Accent with tom fills and crowd‑hyping snare rolls that accelerate (1/8 → 1/16 → 1/32) into the drop.
Sound Design and Leads
•   Build drops around big, horn‑like leads (layered brass samples, detuned saws with short attack) and/or gritty synth stabs. Add pitch bends and formant filters to make hooks vocal‑like. •   Layer risers, sirens, uplifters, and noise sweeps for tension. Use impacts, sub‑drops, and reverse cymbals to punctuate transitions. •   Keep the sub clean: a single, mono 808 (or sine‑based sub) sidechained to the kick. Carve space in the low mids for punch.
Harmony and Melody
•   Favor minor keys with simple 1–3 chord progressions (e.g., i–VI or i–bVII). Harmony is minimal; focus on motif‑driven hooks and call‑and‑response phrases. •   Use sparse pads or drones during breakdowns to leave headroom for risers and vocals/chants.
Arrangement
•   DJ‑friendly intro → breakdown/theme → long buildup (riser + snare roll) → Drop 1 (main hook) → bridge/break → Drop 2 (variation or heavier sound design) → quick outro. •   Design drops for maximum contrast: cut the kick just before the drop, use a short silence, then hit with sub + lead on beat 1.
Mixing and Performance
•   Prioritize loudness and clarity: tight low‑end (sub <100 Hz), controlled low‑mids, bright but not harsh highs. Multiband compression on the drop bus can glue layers. •   Sidechain synths and FX to the kick; use transient shaping on drums. Leave ~6 dB headroom pre‑master; apply limiting carefully to keep punch. •   For live/DJ edits, create 16–32‑bar intro/outro sections and consider alternate second drops for crowd surprise.
Main artists
Influenced by
Trap
Trap is a subgenre of hip hop that emerged from the Southern United States, defined by half-time grooves, ominous minor-key melodies, and the heavy use of 808 sub-bass. The style is characterized by rapid, syncopated hi-hat rolls, crisp rimshot/clap on the backbeat, and cinematic textures that convey tension and grit. Lyrically, it centers on street economies, survival, ambition, and introspection, with ad-libs used as percussive punctuation. Production is typically minimal but hard-hitting: layered 808s, sparse piano or bell motifs, dark pads, and occasional orchestral or choir samples. Vocals range from gravelly, staccato deliveries to melodic, Auto-Tuned flows, often using triplet cadences.
Southern Hip Hop
Southern hip hop is a regional style of hip hop that arose across the American South and is defined by heavy 808 bass, syncopated drum programming, and a distinctive Southern drawl and slang. It blends club-ready rhythms with storytelling about regional pride, street realities, and everyday hustle. Sonically, it ranges from the minimalist, chant-driven energy of New Orleans bounce to the eerie, lo-fi darkness of early Memphis tapes and the syrupy, slowed textures of Houston’s chopped-and-screwed technique. In Atlanta, it incubated trap’s rolling hi-hats and sub-bass, while Miami pushed party-forward, bass-saturated tracks. The genre emphasizes powerful low end, catchy hooks, and call-and-response energy, and it fostered a strong independent label culture (No Limit, Cash Money) that shaped the modern rap business.
Dirty South
Dirty South is a regional style of hip hop from the American South defined by heavy 808 bass, swaggering grooves, and gritty storytelling delivered with Southern cadence and slang. Sonically, it blends booming low-end, snappy claps/snares, rolling hi-hats, and minor-key synths or soul/blues samples. The mood ranges from menacing and nocturnal to triumphant and club-ready, with hooks that are chantable and often call-and-response oriented. Lyrically, the genre foregrounds street realities, hustling, regional pride, car culture, nightlife, spirituality, and survival. It embraces local production aesthetics such as Miami bass’s sub-pressure, New Orleans bounce’s party energy, Memphis’s dark lo-fi menace, and Houston’s chopped-and-screwed slow-motion vibe.
Dubstep
Dubstep is a bass‑centric electronic dance music genre that emerged in South London in the early 2000s. It is typically around 140 BPM and is defined by a half‑time rhythmic feel, sub‑heavy basslines, sparse yet impactful drums, and a strong emphasis on space, tension, and sound system weight. Hallmark traits include syncopated kick patterns, snares on the third beat of the bar, swung/shuffly hi‑hats inherited from UK garage, and modulated low‑frequency bass (“wobbles”) shaped with LFOs, filters, and distortion. Influences from dub reggae (echo, delay, and minimalism), jungle/drum & bass (bass science and sound system culture), and 2‑step garage (rhythmic swing and shuffles) are central. The style ranges from deep, meditative “dub” aesthetics (often called deep dubstep) to more aggressive, midrange‑driven variants that later informed brostep and festival bass. Atmosphere, negative space, and subwoofer translation are as important as melody or harmony.
Electro House
Electro house is a high-energy branch of house music characterized by distorted, buzzing bass leads, crisp four‑on‑the‑floor drums, and dramatic, festival-ready drops. It typically runs around 125–130 BPM, favoring aggressive, sawtooth-based synth timbres, heavy sidechain compression, and big, riff-like hooks over lush chord progressions. Production emphasizes powerful low-end, gritty midrange textures, noise sweeps and risers, and tightly structured builds and breakdowns that set up explosive drops. While rooted in house and electro traditions, its sound design borrows from techno’s intensity and big beat’s punch, resulting in a bold, modern, and club-focused aesthetic.
Edm
EDM (Electronic Dance Music) refers to the mainstream, festival-oriented wave of electronic dance styles that rose to global prominence in the early 2010s. It emphasizes high-energy drops, ear-catching toplines, and crowd-pleasing arrangements designed for large stages and mass audiences. Musically, EDM typically sits around 124–130 BPM with a strong four-on-the-floor kick, wide supersaw leads, bright plucks, and heavily sidechained pads and basses for a pumping feel. Tracks are structured around tension-and-release: intros and builds lead to explosive drops, followed by breakdowns that rebuild energy. Vocals and pop-style songwriting frequently appear, enabling crossover success on radio and streaming platforms.
Moombahton
Moombahton is a dance music genre that fuses the high-energy, synth-driven sound design and build‑drop structures of Dutch/electro house with the slower, syncopated dembow rhythm of reggaeton and dancehall. Characteristically sitting around 108–115 BPM (often ~110), it emphasizes heavy, swung percussion, off‑beat stabs, and midrange lead synths, while retaining Latin/Caribbean groove and call‑and‑response vocal hooks. The result is festival‑ready EDM power at a slower, body‑rolling tempo that feels both tropical and club‑focused.
Twerk
Twerk is a club-focused bass music style centered around 95–105 BPM grooves, half-time drum patterns, and heavy 808 sub-bass. It emphasizes body-centric, low-end movement and space, leaving room for the iconic twerking dance that gave the style its name. The genre inherits the call-and-response party energy and chant-like vocals of New Orleans bounce and Southern hip hop, then refines it with EDM-style builds, drops, and sound design. Production typically features a snare or clap on beat 3 (half-time feel), sparse but punchy kick patterns, syncopated percussion, brass/synth stabs, and vocal chops or commands that cue the dancefloor. The result is high-impact, bass-forward music designed for big speakers and crowd participation.
Trap Edm
Trap EDM (often called EDM trap) is a fusion of Southern U.S. hip hop trap rhythms with the build–up/drop architecture and sound design of electronic dance music. It typically runs at 140 BPM with a halftime feel (or 70–75 BPM), featuring 808 sub‑bass, crisp snare/clap on the third beat, rapid 1/16 to 1/32 hi‑hat rolls, brass or synth stabs, and big festival‑style drops. Unlike rap-oriented trap, Trap EDM is primarily instrumental and designed for large dance floors and festivals, emphasizing dramatic risers, tension–release dynamics, and heavy low‑end impact.
Aquacrunk
Aquacrunk is a late-2000s Scottish take on the "wonky"/glitchy instrumental hip hop movement, characterized by lurching, off-grid beats, rubbery sub-bass, and glossy, neon-bright synth leads that feel both playful and maximalist. The name references a liquid, fluid sound—pitch-bent leads, water-like effects, and chromatic, video‑gamey arpeggios—applied to hip hop’s swing and low-end pressure. Compared with UK grime or dubstep of the same era, aquacrunk favors kaleidoscopic color and melodic flamboyance over stark minimalism, while retaining club impact.
Jungle Terror
Jungle terror is a high-impact festival style of electronic dance music that fuses the punch of big-room and electro house with hyper-percussive, "tribal" drum programming. Rather than relying on massive supersaw leads, it centers on toms, congas, wooden blocks, clacks, and animalistic shouts that drive the drop. Typically around 128–135 BPM, its arrangements emphasize tension-and-release: long risers, vocal calls, and cinematic breaks snap into sparse, tom-led drops with heavy sub-kicks and syncopated patterns. The overall aesthetic is wild, raw, and rhythmic—designed for large dancefloors and open-air festival stages.
Rally House
Rally house is a high-energy, festival-oriented strain of house music engineered to rally large crowds in arenas, stadiums, and mainstage settings. It blends the punchy four-on-the-floor of big-room and electro house with anthem-like melodic hooks, noisy risers, and explosive drops meant to trigger mass call-and-response. Typical productions sit around 126–130 BPM, feature supersaw leads, hard-hitting kicks with strong sidechain pumping, and dramatic, tension-building breakdowns that bloom into maximal, chant-ready drops. Producers frequently use crowd chants, claps, brass stabs, snare rolls, white-noise sweeps, and simple, triumphant chord progressions to maximize immediacy and impact.
Big Room House
Big room house is a festival-focused strain of EDM built for massive sound systems and outdoor main stages. It typically runs around 126–132 BPM (most commonly 128), uses four-on-the-floor kick patterns, and features huge, simple lead riffs designed to be instantly memorable to large crowds. A defining trait is the contrast between cinematic, reverb-washed breakdowns and ultra-dry, percussive drops driven by a powerful kick, sub, and a few bold supersaw or horn-like synth stabs. Arrangements lean on dramatic builds with snare rolls, risers, and crowd-hyping vocal chops, culminating in drops that emphasize impact over harmonic complexity.
Crunk
Crunk is a high-energy substyle of Southern hip hop built for clubs, arenas, and call-and-response crowd participation. It emphasizes booming 808 kick drums, aggressive snare/clap backbeats, and simple, chant-like hooks delivered by a lead rapper and a hypeman or group vocals. The production is stark and percussive: sub-bass 808s, handclaps, clattering hi-hats, and brash synth stabs or brass hits carry most of the weight, with very little harmonic movement. Tempos typically sit around 70–80 BPM in half-time (or 140–160 BPM double-time), creating a stomping, anthemic feel. Lyrically, crunk focuses on amping the crowd—party commands, fight music, and swagger—more than narrative storytelling. The word “crunk,” a Southern slang blend of “crazy” and “drunk,” reflects its rowdy, cathartic intent.
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