Flosstradamus’ Total Recall EP

Chicago: home of house, wind and Mad Decent’s hardest working DJ duo, Flosstradamus. The pair are known to drop dance tunes that destroy venues of all shapes and sizes. Their latest EP, Total Recall, features the ferocious, unapologetic style of production we have come to expect from these guys. It’s a curious release that takes you to an exciting yet theoretically uncomfortable place–the world of “traphouse trance.”

It teleports you to a parallel universe where Bun B and Barthezz share an apartment without so much as a passive aggressive standoff over TV remote rights. It’s a kooky little space where gold grillz can suck on glow-in-the-dark pacifiers and no one looks twice. The three track effort–seemingly informed by the glorious genre-weaving experiment that was Araabmuzik’s Electronic Dream–is a neat listen.

The first cut entitled “Total Recall” is essentially a trapped out remix of Dutch Master’s hyperactive “Recalled to Life.” It heats up with an ominous filtered synth sequence. The build culminates in a trilliant (patent pending on the term) burst of percussion and ultra catchy vocal samples. There’s some unmistakable Mad Decent “HEY!” grunts sprinkled about in there (see any Diplo-affiliated release). Salem and Purity Ring would be proud of the skittering, katydid-like hi-hat that Flosstradamus use to build their rich southern rap-inspired rhythms.

“MOTA” is a super aggressive aural assault that drops you straight into a warehouse massive. The airy trance synth is enough to pump some embarrassing maneuvers out of you and your platform sneakers. This is probably the weakest point in the EP though, evidenced by the stumbles through some ham-handed drum machine work and the barely audible crash cymbals and bassline. The sexy Blade Runner samples aren’t enough to make up for the poor craftsmanship.

The last track is a soaring ode to…well, LIFE! “UR Life” just begs to be thrown on absurdly large speakers and set to lasers and strobes and smoke and confetti and shit. You’ll find yourself wanting to shuffle around in those zippery rave pants you’ve been dying to wear with thousands of other colorful folks on the shores of the Black Sea (anyone?). This is Flosstradamus’s best effort at blending the two disparate aesthetics together. Swirled out synth meets a rapid discharge of kick magazines.

The sonic kitsch of trance juxtaposed with the infectious percussive energy of traphouse rap makes Total Recall an intriguing, high energy listen. Flosstradamus showcases, yet again, their wide breadth of skill in terms of crafting compelling dance music.