Live Review: Snails, Svdden Death

Thursday nights in Adelaide aren't often this big, but Snails and tour support Svdden Death pulled a more than reasonable turn out for a huge party to heat up a cold winter's night.

San Jose producer Svdden Death aka Danny Howland certainly knows how to curate a pumping trap set, with a whole host of unpredictable beats perfectly geared for raucous dancing. The array of varied sounds at his disposal, including some fantastic synth samples, allowed for an enjoyable set with a great reaction from the crowd. The genre-blending trap arrangements kept things interesting, as did Howland's constant enthusiasm and great onstage presence. This was an ideal set to lead into Snails, not only due to the complementary nature of their styles but also the high octane nature of the show.

Montreal's trap master Frederik Durand, known as Snails, launched straight into some massive hooks to kick off his set. It's hard to not use overly expressive adjectives for the man's show, there is such a level of intensity to his arrangements. The music showcases a diverse range of full-on beats — whether the tempo or the textures change, there is little subtle about the show, but this was tailor-made for this young crowd.

The music never relented in intensity, although a huge part of what makes Durand such an important trap producer is his variation. This extends not only to the types of rhythms but the sound design of the actual samples he uses. Rapid beats, weird, warp-y sounds and thick synth — there is plenty of sonic stimuli to wrap your ears around.

Who knows how long trap will exist as a fashionable electronic musical genre, but as long as it does, artists like Snails who have the knack of weaving together random sounds in a way that is as chaotic as it is engaging, will continue to remain relevant.