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Baauer, a Brooklyn producer, released the trap single 'Harlem Shake' in 2012, built around the shouted 'do the Harlem Shake' vocal and a sample saying 'con los terroristas'. In February 2013 a thirty-second video format exploded on YouTube: one masked dancer grooves alone, then the bass drop unleashes a room of people in costumes flailing wildly. Thousands of versions followed within days, the track hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and the drop became permanent shorthand for a scene flipping from calm to chaos.
About this sound
The bass-drop section of Baauer's 'Harlem Shake' that powered the 2013 viral dance meme. Creators use it to cue the wild group-dance cut in meme edits.
This thirty-second clip captures the section of Baauer's 'Harlem Shake' that launched a thousand copycat videos: a warped vocal sample and rising synth tension that suddenly detonates into a pounding trap bass drop with the shouted 'do the Harlem Shake' command. The production is brash and lo-fi, all wobbling low end, stuttering hi-hats and cartoonish vocal chops. Hearing that drop triggers instant recognition, because viewers know the quiet-before-the-storm setup means a room is about to erupt into absurd, flailing dancing. It delivers a jolt of chaotic, nostalgic energy in a few seconds.
