UK Trap Duo Stööki Sound Dig it When You Don't Like Their Tunes

Somewhere off a bleak, rain-shrouded street in London, two dudes are hiding indoors and making dark, minimal trap beats so dank, they've been tapped to open the UK leg of Dillon Francis' Friends Rule tour. Stööki Sound, composed of producer/DJs Jamal Alleyne and Luke Hippolyte, turn the American genre on its head by infusing it with the sounds and feels of their own culture. In doing so, the duo bring a subtle, nuanced approach to proceedings, more akin to hip-hop trap of old than the larger-than-life EDM cousin that we all know so well.

"We didn't really grow up with the festival lifestyle," Alleyne tells THUMP. "It's not the same over here as it is in the States with all the big shiny synths and the 'get your booty down low.' A lot of our influence is from grime music and garage, jungle, old school, and a lot of UK music is quite dark."

"The venues here are more intimate and more like an underground vibe," Hippolyte adds. "That's why it has that kind of sound to it. We just focus on really upholding our sound using the influences that we like rather than trend-based music."

A notable pattern amongst trap-influenced beats from the UK is their tendency to move beyond tropes in the genre, instead using trap thematics as a framework for bouncing off ideas."If you took off the 808, you wonder to yourself 'okay, if I put something else there, it could be a completely different genre," Alleyne says. "The main elements of trap, the snare rolls and that stuff that was there from the very start, people have evolved from that style and are putting their own stamp on the genre now, which is good. It's a bit unfortunate that people believe they have to stick to the sound that's out right now."

Sticking out, though, is what Stööki Sound aim for. They'd rather pour all their influences from world music, garage, grime, and trap into a double-cup, shake it up, put a funky swing beat or a leaned-out tempo on it, and have you getting down in a state of blissed-out confusion."Sometimes it's hard to get, because it's not an easy kind of music," Alleyne explains. "I like it when people come back to me and say 'I don't like this.' I don't want everybody to like it. That's the reason we mess with the kind of sounds that we do."

In the exclusive mix above, Stööki Sound gives THUMP a first hand listen to their unique perspective. They've got a lot of tunes worked in from fellow UK producers, as well as some gems they've had sent to them from the nether regions of the internet. If you're looking for Stööki Sound originals, there are a couple nestled in to support the stuff they're feelin', but the guys' don't want to give away too much. You'll have to look to SoundCloud, or better still, catch them tearin' up a club near you, which is quite possible. The lads are very much looking forward to an upcoming U.S. tour, kicking off in Miami for Winter Music Festival and running through April.

"The sound originated in the States, so the States understand it a lot more than anywhere else in the world," Alleyne explains. "It's just exciting to be able to go to the original ground for trap and say 'okay, cool, this is what we do. We're from across the water. We might do it a little bit different. Let's see how you react."

Stööki Sound are on Facebook // SoundCloud // Twitter

Check the tour dates and tracklist below:

TRACKLIST:
Break - Darkness (ft Fade)
The Code - Gravity (Sango Remix)
JaJa Kisses - Pimms
Little Simz - Devour
Kaaris - Charge (Carmack Remix)
Jelacee - Kick In The Door (Thug Biscuit Flip)
Keys & Krates - Yes We Faded
Troyboi - O.G
Rynsa Man - Meet Rynnie Shmurdah (Hot N*gga Remix) / Proton x Wizard - Justice (Acapella)
Chedda Ft T-wayne - Flick Of Dat Wrist
BoeBoe - Boot Sector
Baauer - Zales
Stooki Sound - Lagoon
Losco - Wolf
Benny Saint - Nothing N2 Something
Lunice - Can't Wait To
Muramasa - Lotus Eater
Flosstradamus x Troyboi - Soundclash
Mr. Carmack - Rappers
Da-Bow - Hype
Djemba Djemba - Macking In The Car (I Don't Drive)
Baauer - One Touch (feat. Alunageorge and Rae Sremmurd)
Hucci - Hitta
Wizard - High
STWO - With You