Top of the Trops – Best of Tropical Bass 2012

maya13

We made it! 2012 is almost over, so we spent another year spend with awesome bass music from all around the globe (our third already, unbelievable). Tropicalbass.com can be considered as a household-name in a certain global music scene, with a familial group of die-hard enthusiasts splattered all over the globe at the core, while at the same time tropical club sounds became de rigueur blueprints for mainstream pop music. Let’s hope that this global exposure will lead more and more people to an interest in very local music scenes – future enthusiasts in the best case.
Then our blog got a sibling finally – we started to release stuff on our own TropicalBass label! Expect a lot to come in 2013 from this. And we got recognized by important media outlets Spiegel Online and The Guardian – we think we will become famous and rich in 2013.

Looking back on my quite long review in 2011 regarding a couple of genres from Kuduro to Tribal Guarachero to Moombahton, the musical evolution in 2012 help me shorten things: Now everything is EDM (from a US-point of view). Oh well, and then there is Trap.
At least the world as we know it didn’t end.

Thank you all for the steady support – shout outs to every reader, every producer, every live-act, DJ and interview-partner, all the labels and fellow bloggers pushing the good stuff. We love you all! Time again for the inevitable Best-of-2012-list that you all were waiting for.

ANDRÉS:
Top Albums/EPs:
MKC – Caribbean Swagga
Sonodo Desconocido – Trópico Quasar
Maga Bo – Quilombo de Futuro
Cumba Mela – Remix Ep 1
Sonikgroove ft. Prince Osito – Better dan dem Remix EP
Kumbia Queers – Pecados Tropicales
So Shifty ft. Madera Limpia – Rumba EP
Sonido Guay Neñe – Copla Colectiva Digital
Suelta la voz – Copia Doble Systema
Chico Trujillo – Gran Pecador
Palenke Soultribe – Makako EP
Tropikore – Guarapo EP
Frikstailers – Guacha EP
Subatomic Soundsystem ft. Anthony B – Dem Cant stop we from Talkin EP

Top Labels:
Latino Resiste
Root a Pacifica
Cuero Digital
Moombah Pacifica
KONN Recordings
Dr Dragao’s Lab
DJ Subversiovo Caminos del Fuego
Caballito
Cumbiasound -Calzones Lagos EP
Kuto Selektah Quilla – Kontra todo Autoridad EP

Top Artists:
Superpendejos
Chong X

Top Videos:
Moviembre (Boogat / G-Flux)
Major Lazer ft. Amber Coffman – Get Free
Skrillex & Damian ‘Jr. Gong’ Marley – Make It Bun Dem
Hector Guerra – What Up?
EL MAKAKO feat. BATATA
Sergent Garcia – Calentura Mi Son (feat. Zalama Crew)

Top Bonus:
Mixtapes from King Kong Disco, Ohrwo. Lady Chann, Pedrolito and Movimientos
Book and Music: Sounds and Colors – Colombia
Andrés Digital – Messages from outta Space (KONN) and Aventuras Colombianas (Rebel Rec.)
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CABALLO:
Top Tunes:
Carnnibal – Which Crime mi a talk
Major Lazer – Original Don ( Flosstradamus rmx)
Yellow Claw – Krokobil
Ezequiel – Gurr Swag
Freaky Phillip – Raices
Explosion Negra – Bailalo Pues ( Banginclude Remix)
Flosstradamus – Roll up (Bauuer Remix)
Skrillex & Damian Marley – Bum dem (Dreadsquad Remix)
Edu K feat Blanquito Man – Favela dubstylin’ (caballo edit)
Pocz & Pacheko (feat. Dj Yirvin) – Muevelo
Bonus: Flosstradamus – Roll up (CHONG X rmx)
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JELKA:
Top Albums/EPs:
Schlachthofbronx – Dirty Dancing
So Shifty ft. Madera Limpia – Rumba EP
Copia Doble Systema – Suelta la Voz EP
Angel Haze – Reservation EP
The Very Best – MTMTMK Album
Kendrick Lamar – Good Kid, M.A.A.D City
Santigold – Master of My Make-Believe
Matanza – Dubamerica

Top Tunes:
Schlachthofbronx – Apizaco
J Alvarez – Junto al amanecer (So Shifty Dembow edit)
Burna Boy – Tonight (Murlo Refix)
DJ Sbu feat Zahara – Lengoma (Murlo Remix)
Rihanna – Diamonds (Jerome LOL Edit)
The Dream – Walking on the moon (Grahmzilla Remix)
Chief Keef – Don’t like
Miguel – Adorn (Sammy Bananas Bootleg)
Papa Wemba – Yolele (Mad Mation Refix)
DJ Comrade – Mulherada Trap
Wine-O – Pop my Trunk (Dubble Dutch Edit)
Joao Brasil & Moroka – Elephant & Castle

Top Videos:
Iski feat. Basic One – Gelatin
Schlachthofbronx feat. DJ Assault – Everyday of the Week
Major Lazer ft. Amber Coffman – Get Free
M.I.A. – Bad Girls
Banda UÓ – Faz UÓ
Otto von Schirach – Salpica
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LEUB:
Top Albums/EPs:
Mash Up International ft. VA – Lava Cabeza EP
Sarkodie – Rapperholic
Bonde do Rolê – Tropicalbacanal
The Very Best – MTMTMK Album
Gato Preto – Era De Gato Preto
Débruit – From The Horizon
MKC – Caribbean Swagga
The Peas Project – Power & Romance
Cholita Sound – Ponte Free
Skip & Die – Riots in the Jungle

Top Tunes:
Tommy Lee – Tom & Jerry (Ackeejuice Rockers Remix)
KiT – Jackhammer
gLAdiator ft. FERAL is KINKY – Bitch Slap Geek Boy Remix
Fellow vs. Basic One – Walky Walky
A-Trak & Zinc ft. Natalie Storm – Like The Dancefloor
El Freaky ft Empire Isis Ras Jahonan Benny B – La pongo
Ackeejuice Rockers – Dancehall Scheme
Famous Eno – All Good FM
Gato Preto ft. MC Zulu – Musica Di Gato Preto (2irie & Tropikore
Remix)

2irie & Chong X – Moombahtrain (Shanty town refix)

Top Videos:
Wax Wreckaz feat. Etzia – Bubble & Wine Up
Elo ft. FOKN Bois – My Everywhere
MC Gi – México Caliente
Deize Tigrona ft. Jaloo – Prostituto
The Very Best – Yoshua Alikuti
Gato Preto – Tschukudu
Balkan Beat Box (BBB) – Part Of The Glory
PROFIT ft. Lee Scratch Perry & Warrior Queen – Two Edged Sword
Dazed Dog ft. Mystic Dan – Moombahwine
Banda UÓ – Faz UÓ
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MARFLIX:
Top Albums:
DJ Malvado – From Africa to the world
Edmond Mondésir – Emosion Bele
Raggasonic – Raggasonic 3
TropicalBass Vol1 – Funky Edition

Top Tunes:
Blood – Go
So Shifty feat Madera Limpia – Rumba (Edu K Remix)
Benjai – A.T.A.O Engoma (Magaroze Riddim)
Antilles Riddim (Precision Productions)
DJ Sbu feat Zahara – Lengoma (Murlo Remix)
El Dusty – K le Pasa (Alvaro Remix / So Shifty Remix)
Partysquad – Go down low (Neki stranac remix)
Stylo G – Call me a yardie (Sonora Remix)

Top Videos:
Sister Deborah – Uncle Obama (feat. Fokn Bois)
Vanilla – Rage
Iski feat. Basic One – Gelatin
Awadi – Ma revolution
Puto Portugues feat. Nelo Paim – De Maria pra Meury
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TOP TOPICS 2012 ON TROPICALBASS.COM:

  1. Die Antwoord – Baby’s On Fire
  2. Skrillex – Bangarang
  3. Yellow Claw feat. Siaak & Mr Poska – Krokobil
  4. PSY – GANGNAM STYLE (강남스타일)
  5. Nicki minaj – Pound the alarm
  6. Diplo – Express Yourself EP
  7. Skrillex & Damian Marley – Make It Bun Dem Remixes EP
  8. D’banj – Oliver Twist
  9. Cypress X Rusko – Roll It Light It
  10. TropicalBass Vol. 1 – The Funky Edition

This list might surprise many of you – but all the names from the mainstream business like Skrillex, D’Banj and Damian Marley in our Top 10 have a simple reason: Our most important source of users is google by far – almost 5 times of people who go to tropicalbass.com directly or from facebook. The same Top 10 for direct or frequent visitors looks totally different and represents more “us”.
Regarding that fact, the next list of search terms is no surprise:

People came from search engines with these search terms

  1. tropical bass / tropicalbass
  2. die antwoord
  3. skrillex bangarang
  4. goldielocks wasteman ddl
  5. seeed

Most popular tags:

  1. Moombahton and Moombahcore
  2. Cumbia
  3. Dancehall
  4. Kuduro
  5. UK Funky