Culling Metal Influences into EDM
GENRE: Dubstep/EDM
HOMETOWN: Chicago, IL
ARTISTIC APPROACH: To create bone-rattling beats.
URL: www.facebook.com/krewella
Chicago-based EDM (electronic dance music) trio Krewella has only been around for four years, but has worked out a killer combination of collaborative music making and explosive live performances. Sisters Jahan and Yasmine Yousaf provide smooth vocals while producer Kris “Rainman” Trindl churns out beats reminiscent of the heavy metal music he played before transitioning to dubstep; heavy, intense, and head-banging. The recent rise of EDM, and dubstep in particular (thanks to acts like Deadmau5 and Skrillex), has propelled Krewella to the limelight while also influencing their sound to become thicker and more bone-rattling with every drop of the bass.
In the studio, the group adopts varied approaches to writing.
“It really depends on the day,” says Jahan. “We have different vibes and really different feelings about how we want to create a song every day.”
Often Yasmine and Jahan will begin with an a cappella part and work collaboratively with Trindl to build up from a basic beat into a finished piece. Other times he will already have a full instrumental that the girls will write over. They explain, “We have this harmony about music making that’s really important.” Composing music that includes a piece of each member’s creative energy fuels their stamina in the studio and during performances.
Krewella’s love for what they’re doing is infectious. They step onto every stage with a booze-fueled, party rocking agenda. Their shows illustrate their passion for what they do with every fist pump and flailed arm. Jahan explains, “We definitely like to feel the music and we can’t not move when we perform…We rock out.” These energetic tributes to the bass-pumping gods are what make the trio certifiable knockouts.
photo by Nikko Lamere