Browsing Tag

Alt Trap

Steph Delz took urban Avant Garde to the extreme with ‘Lockjaw’

LA’s Steph Delz put the trip in trip-hop in his latest experimental track, Lockjaw; it isn’t music as we have known it before, but any fans of extreme urban Avant Garde will want to pay attention.

He’s a ghost in the machine in the hyper-warped 8-Bit production, which may be a little too out-there for most Trap fans, but the up and coming artist and producer has certainly carved himself an autonomous niche in the market; in 2022, that’s an achievement in itself.

Lockjaw was officially released on September 19th; it is now available to stream on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Koosha Azim – Koryŏ Capsule; psychedelia has a brand-new futuristic hip hop flavour

Some people go on holiday and upload a new picture on social media every 30 minutes; when the Cali experimental hip hop artist Koosha Azim hit Seoul in South Korea, his trip inspired two future sonic worlds on his EP, Koryŏ Capsule.

If you needed any convincing that travel really does broaden your mind, delve into the trippy psychedelic textures in the two-track release. Raw yet robust, Koosha Azim pushes the boundaries of hip hop beyond recognition into trippy territory that you will want to visit time and time again.

Track 1, Fly to the South, is a wavey, reverb-dripping and quasi-spiritual track that allows you to taste the spacey transcendence of his journey. While Track 2, Jeju, is a feat of kaleidoscopic ambience, complete with ethereally ambient layers and soul-infused trap star energy.

Koosha Azim began producing music in 2020 after being inspired by a few talented close friends. He started his production experimentalism by sampling old Persian music and orchestral compositions to create his hip-hop beats. Before releasing his EP, Azim released five singles: the first, The Genesis, arriving in late 2020. He is currently working on his debut LP Godspeed Said the Rain, an avant-garde production that processes a coming of age story and falling in love to the backdrop of war & conflict.

Here is what Azim had to say about his latest release:

“Capturing the excitement of moving to Seoul, South Korea, Fly to the South celebrates experiencing the high life of a new region. Akin to the distortion of the mind on a psychedelic journey, the production is arranged with banging 808s, a spiritual flute sample, and a mysterious synth ambience. It is a hip-hop anthem for the restless youth.

Jeju was inspired by a trip to Jeju Island. The island was a peaceful place that inspired the futuristic world I created on the track. The song discusses falling in love in Korea and feeling like a Rockstar while travelling across the globe.”

Koryŏ Capsule was officially released on July 8th. You can check it out by heading to SoundCloud and Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The UK’s most promising name in trap Ocean Stokes affirmed his viral potential in his bitter-sweet earworm, Reason

Here to put Southampton, UK on the trap map is the up-and-coming trailblazer Ocean Stokes on his collaborative track with LC, Reason.

The hooky effect of Reason, especially on the smoothly distorted trap and harmonised vocals, was no happy production accident. Stokes knew how to get the hooks razor-sharp in his charismatically confessional hit that proves that romance isn’t dead; it’s just taken a brand-new walls-up form in 2022.

At 19 years old, Ocean Stokes is already proving that he’s got viral potential with his guitar loops, intricate piano melodies, trappy 808s and vulnerably unfuckwithable high-vibe vocal style.

The official video for Reason premiered on February 25th; you can check it out by heading over to YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

We already have a contender for trap earworm of the year with Moth Trap’s latest alt-hip hop stormer, whenweparty

If your trap playlists need mixing up with some pounding bass, pioneering flair and almost obscene genre-bending, consider Moth Trap’s stormer of a track, whenweparty, which was produced by Erlax. It almost puts Andrew WK’s Party Hard to shame in its viscerally futuristic urban fashion.

Moth Trap proves just how far we have come from the days when Eiffel 65 was the epitome of rock-steady electronica. The glitchy electro beats mashed with the blazing hot guitar lines and the distortedly hook-filled vocals all prove that the Downpatrick, Ireland-hailing artist is more than worthy of the viral status he gained with his single, To the Moon and Back. Very few artist’s allow their talent to resonate as obsession-worthy. With Moth Trap, it comes naturally.

You can check out whenweparty for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Oberry gets candid on self-sabotage in his trap pop single, don’t fall in line.

From the suburbs of Chicago, the experimental trap pop artist, Oberry, is here with his latest aural offering, don’t fall in line. After a jangly lo-fi interlude, Oberry’s distortedly animatronic vocals appear atop the scratchy and glitchy sun-bleached EDM beats which constantly switch from hard-hitting to fragile; setting the perfect tone for the emotionally rocky release.

don’t fall in line may initially resonate as an eccentric and twee for 2022 track but once the lyrics start to introduce you to the true essence of the single, you’ll find a deep level of respect for Oberry for being so candid on the subject of using self-destructive habits as a rebellious act.

If we are all honest with ourselves, we have all been there. don’t fall in line wasn’t the first single released by Oberry that delivers resonance hand over fist. His previous singles, all my homies hate the world, and parasocial friend have each racked up over 10k streams on Spotify alone – proving we’re not the only ones instantly obsessed with Oberry’s inventive songwriting style.

Oberry isn’t your average trap pop star, but it’s his intimate autonomy that draws you so deep into his experimental tracks. Any artist bold enough to release an album as twee as “I drawed a doggy” is undoubtedly worth following.

don’t fall in line is now available to stream on Spotify. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

d4re delivers a paradoxically sweet hyper-pop lullaby with his latest single, etherial

“etherial” is the latest alt-hyper-pop drop from one of Canada’s most promising rising artists, d4re. The evocative potential viscerally rivals the sonic power of the glitchy harsh electronic beats, yet d4re had plenty of fun playing with bitter-sweet textures to create a multi-faceted track that goes a long way in reflecting the true nature of love.

As relatable romantic insecurities come to the surface, as do the soulful proclamations that definitively prove that romance isn’t dead. The up and coming artist’s alternative influence shines through in the spacey yet spikey futurism-laced track, as does his proclivity toward trap and melodic glitchcore. All things considered, d4re is one of the most innovative electronica artist around right now. Take note.

etherial is now available to stream via Soundcloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Klo transcends the ‘Small Town’ mentality in his latest alt-indie track.

https://soundcloud.com/klomusic343434/small-town-prod-splashgvng

There’s nothing like small towns for dragging us down; anyone relating to that sentiment will undoubtedly find the resonance in Klo’s latest single, Small Town, produced by Splashgvng.

With reminiscence to Lil Peep in the melodies and vocals, Small Town is instantly familiar but Klo easily sets himself with the quintessentially Midwestern indie vibes which allow Small Town to unravel like an accordantly candid dream.

The single grooves through every consideration when it comes to cutting the ties with our hometown roots – the suffocation imparted by small-town mentalities to the faces that we will regret leaving behind. It’s a gorgeously well-rounded track that proves Klo is well worth a spot on your radar.

Small Town is now available to stream on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

George Bien – scared of planes w/ emily: Emotionally Raw, Sonically Ethereal Trap

Lil Peep left plenty of inspiration in his wake; a potent shot of it can be found in the latest single, scared of planes, by the up and coming alt hip hop artist, George Bien.

In the ambient and atmospheric track, the confessional lyricism stings as it resonates, but there’s no taking the catharsis out of the dreamy mellifluous grooves. George Bien has exactly what it takes to define the future of hip hop with his emotionally raw, sonically ethereal style that we can’t wait to hear more of. At 21-years old, the Santa Cruz-based newcomer has already proven his pioneer potential. He is a force to be reckoned with from here on out.

Scared of planes is now available to stream on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Sham Parker has made his bruisingly confessional debut with his alt-trap track, XIX.

“Someone told me I wouldn’t reach 19, I’m trying to guess who it was, I guess it was probably me” is potentially the hardest hitting opening lyric in hip hop history. Even more impressively, it features in the debut single, XIX, by London-based alternative artist Sham Parker.

Despite the confessional candour that runs through thoughts that most would be too afraid to proclaim, there’s a sense of warmth and nihilist playfulness that instantly leaves you endeared. Sham Parker deserves to blow up for the same reason Lil Peep did; XIX exposes you to the artist’s demons as much as his sweet, creative sound that we hope to hear plenty more of.

You can stream the alt trap track for yourselves by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Papa Aashi – She Hates Geminis: Cosmically Dark Trap

While some hip hop artists struggle to break the mould, Papa Aashi obliterated it with his latest single, She Hates Geminis. The old school rhythm and blues guitars, hazy reverb, tape deck echo and trippy progressions fuse together to justify the expression ‘it is a vibe’.

After becoming a DJ under the influence of Avicii, Aashi found a love for trap and its darker sub-genres before Mac Miller became the final piece in Aashi’s aural puzzle that lead to releases such as She Hates Geminis.

It’s rare to find an artist whose authenticity is just as noteworthy as their talent; if anyone has what it takes to become the next trap icon, our money is on PaPa Aashi.

She Hates Geminis is now available to stream via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast