“It’s very surreal, you know, to actually see this in person. A year ago I was watching people drop my tunes here [at the Gorge] on YouTube and I was like, ‘Wow, I wish I could play there! I can’t imagine what it would feel like to play in a place like that’…and here I am.” – Luminox
At the Bass Haven stage, his arrival, and the arrival of trapstyle in the mainstream, is clear and present. No longer just the hip hop score of deals gone bad, trap mentality has been making its way into all areas of electronic dance music, bringing new acts like Luminox to popular attention. “It was very weird. One moment I was like ‘I wish people would listen to this music,’ I didn’t really promote it but, before you knew it, word of mouth and there were people I looked up to who were playing my music. I was totally blown away. I’m still there.” Many people call trap “the new dubstep,” suggesting it to be a fad with little staying power or long-term musical legitimacy. Nothing more than music to “get low” to. Hearing Luminox tell it, trapstyle is getting a bum rap. “We’re more than just a fad. We’re artists.”
The hip hop influence and sound palette that makes trapstyle so distinctive is precisely what drew Luminox to making this style of music. “Originally, I wanted to be a hip hop producer, so when I was 14 I wanted to produce for Ludacris and whatnot. So I started doing Dirty South hip hop. Being from Chicago, I grew up with a big house influence; Dutch house specifically caught my eye in 2008 and 2009. I loved the synths they used, and I started implementing them into the hip hop beats I was doing. That led me into where I am now, making this trapstyle music.”
Like many of his trapstyle counterparts, Luminox has quickly realized the need for artists like himself to show they’re more than just riders on a wave. “I’m definitely trying to step outside of the box, specifically the trap game. Kinda show people that I’m versatile and I can explore several outlets of music. I have something for everything. I don’t just like hip hop, I grew up a house-head. I definitely want to put that on display and pay some homage to my roots.” Regardless of your take on his style of music, Luminox’s upbeat attitude is infectious. “What drives me, other than music, would definitely be vices…the pleasures of the world. Feelings, excitement, stuff like that. I keep that in mind when I’m producing a track, and I try to put that on display. I cannot wait to play for all of you guys again. I haven’t been in the Northwest too much, these states, so expect me to be here much more.”
For our full Paradiso retrospective, click here.
Important things happen in Pacific Northwest nightlife, and DMNW will send you alerts!
