Jon Casey’s New EP Is a Globally-Inspired Vision for Trap Music’s Future: Listen

Weaving Casey’s distinctive percussion through heavyweight collaborations, “HAPPY TO BE HERE” is a showcase of genuine artistic talent.

Jon Casey has dropped a new six-track EP, HAPPY TO BE HERE, an emphatic statement of where the trap genre can go next. Drawing from his South African roots and extensive production experience, he fuses it with global rhythmic influences to deliver one of the year’s most forward-thinking electronic projects.

That duality is clear from the outset as “DON’T U” sets the tone with snarling synths and strategic silences that weaponize anticipation throughout an energetic drop. “AHORA,” a collaboration with TroyBoi, rides Latin percussion into a muscular trap arrangement, proving linguistic barriers don’t apply to rhythm. “GO!” features PEEKABOO’s patented low-end bass without losing Casey’s groove-oriented edge, while “RUDE!” brilliantly blends bass music with funk carioca rhythms alongside promising Brazilian producer KARAN!.

The apocalyptic sirens of “EARTHQUAKE” (with PAID!NFULL) lead into a drop that balances menace with club appeal before the EP’s closer, “WAITING ROOM.” Featuring the airy vocals of Marlhy, the finale trades the rest of the project’s bravado for emotional gravity without compromising its bass-driven grit.

“This EP is an accumulation of my entire experience being a touring artist,” said Casey, who recently kicked off a debut U.S. headline tour. “It’s sort of a farewell to the old and a wink at the new.”

HAPPY TO BE HERE is out now on Monstercat. You can listen to the new EP below and find it on streaming platforms here.