Mau5trap Recordings has been home to some of the most innovative electronic music since its development in 2008.  Since then, it has become a powerhouse in the EDM scene, garnering artists from each genre imaginable and releasing top notch electronic music to the world.  Today, Mau5trap released their “We Are Friends” EP, which features tracks from artists like Heat Maxwell, Tom Neville (no relation to Harry Potter, sorry guys), Kairo Kingdom and Henry Gould, just to name a couple.  Is it impressive? Is it innovative? Do some of the songs put an unconditional smile on your face? The answer to each of these questions is yes my friends.  This EP goes just about everywhere from smooth melodic Progressive House to classic Minimal House, groovy Glitch Hop, a little bit of Trance and a tiny dab of Drumstep. Plus, who doesn’t like hearing music from new artists; that’s what we’re all about.

Home – Tom Staar 

Remember Two Tone Simms which Annie Mac previewed on BBC Radio 1 awhile back and the EDM world went nuts? Mau5trap Recording’s “We Are Friends” EP starts off with that same producer Tom Starr’s “Home”, a melodic progressive house track that evolves into a rhythmic combination full of bouncy synths amidst a deep atmospheric aura.  A great start to the EP, “Home”  is an accurate model of what Deadmau5′s label represents; new music with some original taste.

Room Modes – James Njie 

I don’t know much about this guy other than that he lives in London and produces some pretty cool Electro House. “Room Modes” by James Njie is a perfect example of how a melody can drive an elegant synth progression for the rest of the track.  My favorite part is the third drop where the synth gets a bit darker, and the kick hits you in the gut just a bit harder than before.

Vision Flash – Tom Neville 

Mau5trap isn’t all about Electro House with full driving synths, sometimes they like to keep it simple but still (sort of) appealing.  ”Vision Flash” by Tom Neville is a very minimal house sounding track that features a synth which you might think could be in an old videogame for the Atari…oh the simpler times.  Nevertheless, the track is a good listen, but not much happens.

Uprising – Heat Maxwell 

Here’s one of my favorites off the EP by Heat Maxwell.  Uprising starts off with a trancy lead that evolves into a pretty progressive breakdown and hits with an epic House drop.  The lead continues to drive the track with a fun melody while a hard snare keeps it on beat.  I love how even after the drop, “Uprising” continues to evolve with another diverse breakdown.  The track is fun and interesting and keeps me excited for Heat Maxwell’s upcoming productions.

Cocktail Bar – Born Freak 

Here’s the track you listen to on repeat while going 80 mph on the highway for a couple hours.  It’s calm, soothing and relaxing and will keep you wondering why you hadn’t heard of Born Freak before.  It’s gentle melody is perfect for sippin’ cocktails on the beach while enjoying a sunny day too.

Wanker Banker – Henry Gould 

The fact that this track is called “Wanker Banker” automatically makes it perfect.  The build is suspenseful, the kick is flawless, and when it drops, you get that fill of old natural House music that you’ve been waiting for.  Wanker Banker also progresses well, diving into a melodic breakdown near the middle and coming back with the same organic House flair. It’s a great track to have in DJ sets too.  Good job Henry!

MDCCLXXVI – River Accorsi 

Remember when I said this EP has something for everybody?  River Accorsi gives the EP its diversity with his funky Drumstep track that looks like its title is just a bunch of random letters (I know there’s some point to it, just don’t know what).  At first, I wasn’t a huge fan of this track mainly because I’m not big on Drumstep, but after awhile it starts to grow on you.  It may also be that I just don’t like the first drop, because around the middle I can’t help but bop my head to its funky rhythm.  In the beginning, there’s just too many sounds to get down to.

The Sound of Now – Kairo Kingdom

I wrote about Kairo Kingdom a little while ago saying that they we’re going to do big things this year, and look at that; now the German duo is being featured on Deadmau5′s label.  The Sound of Now is a great combination of funky Glitch and catchy vocals with a great sample to start it off.  Best part is, they’re totally right that I haven’t “heard a song like this before”.  This duo has a totally original sound that simply can’t be copied, but they do sometimes remind me of Fake Blood.

Fly – Buddygirrl 

Plain and simple, you’ll feel like you can fly after hearing this track.  It’s lighthearted, fun and bouncy and has its own charismatic aura about it. Every added percussion instrument, the dreamy synths, and the fact that it ended the EP were priceless.

Be sure to buy this EP on Beatport or iTunes and support the various artists on Facebook and Soundcloud. This EP is a great addition to the label and I’m sure we’ll be hearing more from these artists in 2012.