Party Favor

Party Favor, the pseudonym of DJ and electronic producer Dylan Ragland, is one of the biggest names in festival trap. His music successfully combines the Southern sound of trap with Euro-house, as well as elements of dancehall and pop. He broke through with his 2014 single “Bap U,” and received major exposure through his music’s placement in advertisements, movies, and video games. He released his debut album, Layers, in 2019, and collaborated with artists such as Juicy J, A$AP Ferg, Diplo, K.Flay, and others. He also formed the house side project Sidepiece with Nitti Gritti.
Growing up in Park City, Utah, Ragland spent his younger years listening to metal and working his way through film school in California. After graduating from Chapman University, he and a friend started DJing in L.A.’s local clubs, playing a mix of electro and Dutch house, which naturally progressed into production. Ragland created his Party Favor alter ego in 2013, releasing his first EP, Parkin’ Lot Pimpin’, on Bomb Squad. He quickly established himself as the rising star on the EDM scene with his festival-friendly take on the trap sound. Remixes for the likes of Showtek and Bro Safari propelled his profile even further, and he released a few more singles on Bomb Squad before signing to Mad Decent.
In 2014, Ragland released the single “Bap U,” and after amassing a huge number of plays online, the track appeared on a U.S. national TV advert, as well as in the movies Vacation and How to Be Single. By 2016, he had played DJ sets across the world and at some of the biggest dance and rock festivals, including Coachella, Tomorrowland, and Ultra. More singles appeared that year, including “Wiggle Wop,” “G-String,” and “Bust ’Em,” and at the end of 2016, his first EP for Mad Decent, Party & Destroy, was released. Featuring guest spots from the likes of Gucci Mane, Dillon Francis, and Sean Kingston, the EP quickly hit the top spots on streaming and download services. Ragland issued several more singles, including “MDR,” a 2018 collaboration with Baauer, and “Circle Up,” with Bipolar Sunshine.
In April 2019, Party Favor released his debut album, Layers, on his own Area 25 label. The LP included the single “Wait a Minute” (featuring A$AP Ferg and Juicy J), as well as collaborations with GTA, Graves, KingJet, Rich the Kid, Lil Baby, and many others. He started the house duo Sidepiece with Nitti Gritti, and their first single, a collaboration with Diplo called “On My Mind,” was issued by the Higher Ground imprint in late 2019. 2020 saw the release of the guest-free full-length The Isolation Album, as well as the EP Fresh Laundry, which featured vocalists like Georgia Ku and Yung Pinch. Party Favor’s 2021 singles included “Save Me” and “Losing My Mind” (with Elohim). He collaborated with K.Flay on the 2022 song “Superhuman,” while Sidepiece continued their run of singles on FFRR with “Sextacy.” ~ Rich Wilson & Paul Simpson