Ever scrolled through TikTok or Reels and felt that weird, specific rush of adrenaline when a brassy, distorted blast hits your ears? You know the one. It’s loud. It’s triumphant. It’s chaotic. People usually refer to it as "and the trumpets they go," and honestly, it’s one of those rare internet moments where a decades-old musical tradition collided head-on with 21st-century meme culture.
It’s catchy.
But where did it actually come from? Most people think it’s just a random digital loop made by a kid in a bedroom. They’re wrong. The sound actually carries the DNA of South American stadium culture and a very specific Colombian DJ’s flair for the dramatic.
The Origins of the "Trumpets" Sound
If you want to get technical, the sound isn't just a "trumpet" in the way you’d hear it in a jazz club. It’s a specific sample from a genre known as Guaracha. Specifically, the viral sensation is tied to the track "En El Monte" by DJ Pelos. While the song has been around for a while, its resurgence as a "sound" is what changed everything.
Guaracha is a high-energy electronic subgenre that exploded out of Colombia. Think of it as tribal house mixed with aggressive Latin percussion and high-pitched brass melodies. It’s designed to be played at max volume in a club where the walls are sweating. When the beat drops and the trumpets they go, the energy shift is physical.
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The song actually samples older folk influences. This isn't just "noise." It’s a digital reimagining of Cumbia and other Afro-Caribbean rhythms. The specific "trumpet" hook that everyone uses is actually a synthesized version of a brass section intended to mimic the fanfare of a carnival.
Why It Works for Video
Why did this specific snippet become the go-to for "main character energy" videos?
- The Tension: The build-up is relatively quiet.
- The Release: The brass hit is instant gratification.
- The Distortion: It’s "blown out," which fits the "deep-fried" aesthetic of modern internet humor.
How It Became a Global Meme
The journey from Colombian clubs to a teenager’s bedroom in Ohio happened via the "POV" trend. At first, it was used for sports highlights. Think of a soccer player pulling off a nutmeg or a basketball player hitting a buzzer-beater. The sound provided the perfect punctuation for a "mic drop" moment.
Then, things got weird.
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As with any viral sound, the context shifted. People started using "and the trumpets they go" to describe everyday victories. Finding a five-dollar bill in an old pair of jeans? Trumpets. Your cat finally deciding to sit on your lap? Trumpets. It became a universal audio shorthand for "I have arrived."
The "and the trumpets they go" phrase itself actually comes from a lyrical overlay or a user-generated caption that stuck. It wasn't the original title. It was the community's way of labeling a feeling. This is how the internet works now; we don't call things by their official names. We call them by how they sound or what they make us do.
The Technical Side of the Hype
Musically, the hook is simple. It’s often a four-bar phrase. It stays in a narrow frequency range that cuts through smartphone speakers perfectly. That’s a huge part of why it ranks so well in the algorithm. If a sound is too muddy or has too much low-end bass, it doesn't translate well on a TikTok feed. This sound? It’s all mid-range and high-end bite.
It’s also "quantized" to a very specific BPM, usually around 128 to 130. This is the "heartbeat" of dance music. It’s fast enough to feel energetic but slow enough that you can still dance—or "shuffle"—to it.
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Cultural Impact Beyond the App
DJs at weddings and sporting events have started slipping the Guaracha beat into their sets. You’ll be at a professional baseball game, and suddenly, that distorted brass hits. It bridges the gap between digital "brain rot" culture and real-world celebration.
There's also a sense of "Aesthetic Irony" here. Many creators use the sound for things that are decidedly not epic. It’s a form of sarcasm. Using a grand, sweeping Colombian dance anthem to soundtrack someone failing to flip a pancake is the peak of 2020s humor.
Misconceptions and Credits
A lot of people credit random "sound accounts" for the track. That’s a mistake. We should give credit to the Colombian producers who pioneered this sound in the early 2010s. Guaracha was often looked down upon by "serious" electronic music critics in South America for being too loud or "low-brow." Now, it’s the soundtrack to the global internet.
Is it annoying? To some, yeah. If you hear it fifty times in a row while scrolling, it starts to grate. But its staying power is undeniable. It’s a "sonic logo" for the current era of short-form video.
Actionable Steps for Creators and Listeners
If you’re a creator looking to use the sound, or just someone fascinated by the trend, here is how to engage with it properly:
- Don't Overuse the Peak: The "and the trumpets they go" moment needs a clear "before" and "after." If your video is loud the whole time, the impact of the trumpets is lost. Sync the first blast of the trumpet exactly with the visual climax of your video.
- Explore the Genre: If you like that specific sound, look up "Guaracha 2025" or "Tribal House" playlists on Spotify or SoundCloud. You’ll find artists like DJ Agudelo 88 or Victor Cardenas who have been doing this for years.
- Quality Matters: If you’re downloading the audio, try to find a high-bitrate version. The "distorted" version is a meme, but a clean version sounds incredible on a proper sound system.
- Check the Copyright: While these sounds are often "fair use" within the ecosystem of social media apps, using them in a commercial or a YouTube video can result in a strike. Always check the original artist's licensing.
The phenomenon of "and the trumpets they go" proves that music doesn't need a massive marketing budget to go global. It just needs a hook that hits at the right time. Whether it’s a stadium in Bogota or a phone screen in Tokyo, that brass blast is the sound of the world having a bit of fun.