Exclusive Trap Nation Mix for EDC Las Vegas 2017

From: Born in chat rooms, and now curated from offices split between Los Angeles and New Jersey, the Trap Nation YouTube channel has become a global conduit for heavy bass tracks since debuting in 2012.

The crew: Trap Nation’s genesis was when founder Andre Willem was a 15-year-old MMORPG gamer gold-farming to hardstyle, melodic dubstep, and trap. Already competing with friends to share the sickest beats, Willem found himself motivated to create a larger forum for tracks with a “young and rebellious factor,” says the now 20-year-old founder and A&R head. “At the time, when I found electronic music, it wasn’t about SoundCloud reposts and Spotify playlisting; it was more about ‘How crazy could you make this sound?’ or ‘What could you do to a song to make it sound better?’ That’s what really got me into electronic music and still to this day keeps me in tune.”

When & where: Saturday, June 17, on the Parliament Art Car.

Why you should care: Because you’re all about aerobic workouts and want to test your cardio throughout a marathon of systolic bass and high-impact percussion. Intervals of skittering rhythms and pulsating bottom-end threaten to deplete your glycogen reserves before swirling melodies reinforce your endurance. And you support not only personal fitness, but a well-nourished environment for artists. “My philosophy revolving around the music industry is centric around helping artists, changing traditional values that hold back progressive change, and pushing for moral and ethical decisions that stop focusing on profit, but rather creativity and artistry,” says Willem.

For fans of: Adrenalized claps, 808 depth charges, chopped riddims, and overdriven filters. Trap Nation has featured productions from such EDC Las Vegas woofer punishers as Illenium, San Holo, Marshmello, RL Grime and Flosstradamus, among others, and the art car takeover will highlight artists who epitomize progression. “We focus heavily on providing slots for undervalued and up-and-coming artists to play our shows,” says Willem. “Start small, and build big.”

Sounds like: Class IV rapids. A series of powerful waves and constricted passages, tight maneuvers and strong rolls. The occasional melodic eddy will lull you into a moment of serenity before hydraulic bass pulls you back into a pummeling recirculation.

Take a spin: Trap Nation’s mix, a selection of Willem’s favorites both previously supported and unreleased, provides plenty of serrated chords and pressurized fills, but also cathartic counterpoints with an almost psychedelia-tinged harmonic undercurrent. Willem’s intention with Trap Nation is both to make the bass drop and the traditional outlets quake.

EDC Las Vegas 2017 takes place Friday, June 16, through Sunday, June 18, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. For more information, visit the official website.