How your favourite genre got its name
Explaining the origins of house, techno, dubstep and more
TRAP
Imagine trap music, and you’re probably hearing billowing bass punches and aggressive lyrics. Trap music evolved from hip hop roots in the South of the USA during the 90s and inevitably was heavily influenced by racial tensions and culture. The term started as a literal translation – a tip of the hat to the locations where drug deals were most often made. Later, ‘trap’ also was understood as a sharp reminder of the ways that poverty and drug-dealing and wheeling “entrapped” people.
TROPICAL HOUSE
Somewhat of an obvious jump, tropical house was coined to convey the warm, sunny vibes that wash over while listening to a tune largely made up of pan flutes, marimbas and peaceful chimes. Australian output Thomas Jack is credited for penning the term with his Tropical House Volumes mixtape series, but he claims it was intended as a joke and has already (and rightfully) grown sick of the phrase himself.
