Flosstradamus Are Taking the HDYNATION to Another Level on the Hi-Def Youth Tour

Flosstradamus have made a career full of bold and unconventional moves, from pushing their BANNED 3D mixtape via USB-enabled vape pen to bringing a burned-out car onstage on their 2014 HDYNATION Tour. While most DJs were jumping on that bloghouse hype, Floss were searching for the perfect balance of raw energy only found where dance music and hip-hop meet. A decade later, their sound has helped push dance music further into the mainstream, with audiences for their solo shows numbering in the thousands and their omnipresent record label, Hi Def Youth, reaching millions worldwide.

Now, they’re embarking on their most ambitious feat yet with their Hi-Def Youth Tour, which features a whole new stage production as the centerpiece. Known as the Bunker, the state-of-the-art design will completely change the way HDYBYZ and HDYGRLZ experience Flosstradamus.

Via the Bunker, Flosstradamus are ditching the LED screens and pyro for a setting that’s part post-apocalyptic survival space and part homage to the military complex, complete with an integrated semiautomatic T-shirt cannon.

As the trap dons prepare to kick off the Hi-Def Youth Tour with two massive dates in NYC at the Brooklyn Hangar this weekend, Curt Cameruci—aka Autobot and one-half of Flosstradamus—chatted with us about the Bunker, their upcoming clothing line, and the future of the new label.

The idea of touring with your own stage isn’t new, but you’re taking it to the next level. Can you tell us a little bit more about how the Bunker was conceptualized?
The idea was to evolve our stage setup from our previous tour. On the HDYNATION Tour, we built a post-apocalyptic survival bunker. Now that the said apocalypse is over, we have built the HDYNATION headquarters to serve as a base for the Hi Def Youth.

We wanted to have more moving parts to this stage setup, so we added physical spotlights, ladders, and a semiautomatic T-shirt cannon. We are also dressing up our crew in theme with our own costumes to make the whole show feel like an immersive off-Broadway show. We’ve really tried to step outside what most people perceive as a traditional EDM show with just plain LEDs, lasers, etc.

You have called yourselves “underdogs” before. How does that affect your approach to young, new artists?
I look at it as a sort of older-brother situation. I like to mentor the younger generations so they don’t make the mistakes we have. I also like seeing artists level up like we have. I feel accomplished if I have a hand in their process.

Your promotional tools have always been effective and innovative. Is there anything you can reveal about the future of the Flosstradamus promo machine?
We have some more smoking apparatuses coming out, along with a new line of clothing for the tour and for the holidays, plus a few new songs. Pretty excited to get the new content out to the fans!

You’ve relied heavily on the internet to get where you are in your career today. If you were forced to live five days with no internet, what would you do?
Meditate, drink wine, hang out with friends, hit the spa.

Flosstradamus presents the Hi-Def Youth Tour Friday, October 21, and Saturday, October 22, at the Brooklyn Hangar in NYC. Tickets for both shows are available now.

Alexander Dias flexes his trap arms full-force on the daily. Follow him on Twitter.

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