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[TRAP LORD] In RL Grime's "Core" video, giant black helicopters fly toward a gaping hole in the ocean, an image that probably holds many metaphors for fans. But we're going to avoid those interpretations in favor of the one suggesting that, with hyper-advanced technology akin to the choppers' crystalline black stealth armor and neon blades, the producer born Henry Steinway has invaded and captured Trap City, with EDM Land falling shortly thereafter. There was no drawn-out siege: The 23-year-old L.A. producer went from an outsider in 2011 to remixing Benny Benassi and producing Pitbull the next year. Now sitting pretty atop many festival bookers' unreleased 2015 lineups, the world watches where RL Grime will take EDM after his 2014 debut full-length, Void. It's an archetypical album for mainstream EDM, sacrificing unity for scatterbrained versatility, trading integrity—and yes, there is such a thing in trap music—for accessibility. In the "Core" video, a helicopter eventually gets obliterated by a red laser emerging from the oceanic maw. Here's hoping Steinway's piloting skills improve.
WWeek 2015