All About Glitch Hop: 4 Notable Glitch Hop Artists

Glitch hop is a subgenre of electronic music that fuses elements of electronic dance music (EDM) and hip-hop while incorporating aspects of “glitch” music. Glitch is a production technique that employs the deliberate use of a malfunctioning response or artifacting (“glitchy”) from electronic and digital recording devices, such as track skipping, distortion, and even software crashes.

The desired effect for glitch hop is a more “human,” hand-crafted sound than the polish of most EDM. In that sense, the subgenre has a connection to both the lo-fi hip-hop aesthetic, which employs audio elements like vinyl crackle to lend a sense of nostalgia to recordings, and future bass, which adds warmth to dubstep basslines through detuned and modulated synthesizers.

Neurohop is a subgenre of glitch hop that rose to prominence in the early 2010s. It adds the intricate basslines and dark sonic atmosphere of neurofunk—itself a subgenre of drum and bass—to the EDM-based glitch aesthetic.

The roots of glitch hop can be traced to the late 1990s. Electronic music artists and producers like Machinedrum, Prefuse 73, and Push Button Objects began merging “glitchy” elements and instrumental hip-hop beats.

By the early 2000s, the glitch hop community had come to include such major artists as the Los Angeles-based rapper Flying Lotus, but as it expanded in influence, the genre’s focus evolved from hip-hop to EDM. By the late 2000s, its tone had shifted towards the bass-driven sounds of dubstep and electro house, as heard in glitch hop tracks by artists like GRiZ, KOAN Sound, and The Glitch Mob.

Several characteristics help define glitch hop’s unique sound:

1. 1. Beats: Mid-tempo beats anchor glitch hop, usually hovering between 80 and 130 beats per minute (or BPM). The addition of dubstep and electro to its sonic DNA has increased its average tempo to approximately 110 to 115 BPM. The rhythm section—drum and bass—has a solid swing and a modern feel.
2. 2. Glitch: Chopped-up, digitally manipulated sounds that emulate sonic artifacts are the foundation of glitch hop. Skipping and repeated sounds and phrases, distorted vocals and effects, reduction of sound quality through bitcrushing, and even the electronic hum of hardware and software have all made their way into the sound.
3. 3. Mutability: Glitch hop is a remarkably versatile subgenre, fusing smoothly with many other styles, from lo-fi indie hip-hop and trap to dubstep and the ambient groove of downtempo. The mix-and-match aesthetic has helped shift glitch hop’s allegiance from hip-hop to EDM and offered greater creative freedom for its artists.

There are several significant glitch hop artists whose creations have come to define the scene:

1. 1. The Glitch Mob: The popular trio Glitch Mob—composed of edIT (Edward Ma), Boreta (Justin Boreta), and Ooah (Josh Mayer)—won a devoted following with their 2010 album Drink the Sea. Their music is perhaps the most widely-heard glitch hop by mainstream audiences, thanks to their remix of the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” in various film trailers and advertisements.
2. 2. Opiuo: New Zealand’s Opiuo (born Oscar Davey-Wright) wields heavy funk and elements of psychedelia in his recordings and live performances. His ability to translate his electronic constructions for live performance with a band has earned praise from critics and listeners alike.
3. 3. Pretty Lights: Derek Vincent Smith records and produces as the Grammy-nominated Pretty Lights. Initially a duo with producer/label owner Michael Menet, Pretty Lights is now a solo entity, with Smith fusing glitch-driven beats with extensive funk and soul samples.
4. 4. KOAN Sound: English beat-making duo Will Weeks and Jim Bastow, who record and perform as KOAN Sound, began as dubstep artists before moving into glitch hop and neurohop. Their far-ranging style, which embraces electronic and organic sources, has led to remixes of tracks by Ed Sheeran, Skrillex, and Massive Attack producer Neil Davidge.

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