Five cuts to throw on heavy rotation ahead of TroyBoi’s Avant Gardner takeover
One of trap’s most seasoned tastemakers, TroyBoi, will take his subwoofer suited catalog to New York’s Avant Gardner on Dec. 21, where, in the titular fashion of his album series, he will bring the V!BEZ. An emblem of low-end experimentation, TroyBoi has consistently applied pressure to the contemporary conventions of the trap and bass genres, producing a series of sharply cut singles that foreground the unusual style that has earned TroyBoi electronic credit.
Dancing Astronaut combs through TroyBoi’s collection of anomalous cuts to highlight five standouts ahead of the deck domination that will ensue at Avant Gardner, where TroyBoi will be joined by Yultron and Arcenil. Tickets are available, here.
“Tranquilizer” – TroyBoi ft Adekunle Gold (2015)
TroyBoi sedates streamers with a slinky effort that entrusts Adekunle Gold with vocal responsibility. The short little stint in downtempo territory is sparing on the bass and liberal with melody. In this respect, “Tranquilizer” is the opposite of a classic TroyBoi production, some might say, an exposition of the dynamic producer’s versatility. Fluidly, he flexes it.
“Soundclash” – Flosstradamus ft TroyBoi (2015)
In 2015, Flosstradamus extended a collaborative invitation to TroyBoi, and what ensued was nothing short of riot inducing. Known by the name of “Soundclash,” the single would become a boisterous benchmark in both Flosstradamus and TroyBoi’s then nascent careers.
“Malokera” – TroyBoi with Skrillex and MC Lan ft Ludmilla, Ty Dolla $ign (2019)
Laced with Brazilian influence, “Malokera” is the saucy output of a five-part posse that includes TroyBoi, Skrillex, MC Lan, Ludmilla, and Ty Dolla $ign. The ethnically inflected collaborative outing ornaments the enticing rhythm of the single’s drums with hip-hop verses that inject cross-genre appeal to the production.
Replete with hip-shake inducing appeal and flirtatious flair, “Malokera” surfaced as a sauntering exposition of TroyBoi and co.’s genre manipulating capability.
“Afterhours” – TroyBoi ft Diplo and Nina Sky (2015)
Outfitted not with bells and whistles but bells and bass, “Afterhours” foregrounds the atmospheric echo of Nina Sky‘s vocals as the Diplo and TroyBoi-supplied bass vibrates with controlled intensity. The inarguable star of the affair that is “Afterhours” is the undulating bass line.
“The Truth” – TroyBoi (2019)
A jouncing, trap-leaning number, “The Truth” notably leaves the harder-hitting drops denotative of the sub-genre on the shelf this go around. The core constructive focus of “The Truth” is the beat, which staggers and shifts for the duration of the choppy cut.
Resounding pops of bass and the assertive declaration of the vocal overlay, “I am the truth / I am the light,” amplify the speaker-pummeling power of “The Truth.” Deriving a freshness from the glitchy originality of its musical framework, “The Truth” catches TroyBoi doing what’s always set him apart: nuancing the low end.
Photo credit: Jatin Gandhi Photography
Categories: Music