Flosstradamus are some of the current kingpins of Trap. That is to say, this Chicago-based pair is one of the hardest hitting EDM groups in the scene right now. Their songs are grimy, vicious, and above all, just swimming in huge rolling bass.

You would have been mistaken to expect anything different from this EP.

The EP leads with a track entitled “DRAK KNIGHT” (no, I didn’t leave caps lock on or spell it wrong 🙂 ). Now, the start of this track took me by surprise. It sounds like a classic House tune or something, reminiscent of Sandstorm by DaRude even, but then suddenly the track was awash with snapping hi-hats and throaty bass. That said, I don’t get the same feel of raw excitement that I’ve grown used to feeling from Flosstradamus’ tracks. It wasn’t until like 3:15 that I really started to feel it. Low point of the EP in my opinion, but don’t worry, you’ll forget the relative disappointment in a matter of seconds.

That’s because the next song up is “TWARK”. It’s immediately more Trap-y. The chopped vocal lines are something I’ve both come to expect and love in the Trap genre, and this song certainly doesn’t disappoint in that department. And when the bass kick starts pounding at 0:45, you know Flosstradamus is no longer messing around with all this light house-y shit. It’s about to get real. And “real” is about as close as I can get to describe it. Honestly, their bass is unlike any other artist’s. So deep, so smooth, so round, and so prominent. If you’re in the mood for some Trap to kick you in the teeth, you’ve come to the right place.

The third and final track of the XO EP is “DEAF”. And believe me, if you listen to this song at too high volume, that’s exactly what you’ll be (as I almost found out). This song is pure primal energy. When the guttural voice starts chanting “deaf” at 0:30 and the bass drops, I honestly lost it. By that I mean I had to throw my headphones off to avoid permanent eardrum damage, but “lost it” is more poetic, I think. This track is Flosstradamus in their element. Nothing but hi-hat, chopped vocals, and that wonderful, wonderful bass.

Now, this EP is the first of a set of three, so I don’t think I can pass judgment until the set is complete, but as a 3 song, 10 minute EP, I think they did a pretty good job. I think of the three, “DRAK NIGHT” is by far the weakest, some points even seeming a little sloppy, but both “TWARK” and “DEAF” are true Trap bangers. Keep an eye out for these two, they’re headed for the top.

-Icarus