The fourth quarter of 2016 is ushered in fairly quietly (without any of the kind of major releases we’ve come to expect every work), but the producers, rappers, and artists featured  here have all provided some incredible new music:

GTA – Good Times Ahead

Electronic duo GTA found most of their early acclaim remixing artists like Rick Ross and Skrillex, but cosigns from Diplo and Calvin Harris and touring with Rihanna brought the Miami production team into the limelight. GTA’s debut, Good Times Ahead, showcases their impressive ear for production. Released on Soundcloud, the ten track album teams the duo up with artists including Tinashe, Iamsu!, Tunji Ige, and most notably Vince Staples on standout “Little Bit of This“.

 

IshDARR – Broken Hearts & Bankrolls

Wisconsin rapper IshDARR has been making waves for a few years now (most notably for last year’s Old Soul, Young Spirit. This year, he returns with his debut studio album Broken Hearts and Bankrolls, an album that draws together his varied influences, from Chicago artists like Chance and former collaborator Saba, to Drake and Future’s hazy atmospheres, to lyricists like Ab-Soul (whom IshDARR opened for during 2014’s These Days tour).

 

Lido – Everything

Like GTA, Norway producer Lido first grew to acclaim for his remixes. His take on tracks like Alt J’s “Left Hand Free” and Yung Lean’s “Gatorade” showcased his emotional, electronic style, and his phenomenal Life of Peder remix condensed Kanye’s latest album into a perfect eight minute track. After producing nearly half Halsey’s debut album Badlands (the two artists may or may not be dating) and producing tracks by Towkio (“Heaven Only Knows”) and Chance the Rapper (“Same Drugs”, “Angels”), Lido finally released his long-awaited debut album, Everything. With eleven tracks, Lido bounces between laid-back atmospheres (“Angel”) and downright EDM bangers (Crazy), accompanied by artists including Halsey, Vic Mensa, Towkio, and Jaden Smith, as well as producers Cashmere Cat, Benny Blanco, and HeavyMellow. Download the album for free off Lido’s website here.

L’Orange & Mr. Lif – The Life & Death Of Scenery

Released through Adult Swim (who have been killing it with their hip hop collaborations), rapper Mr. Lif teams up with producer L’Orange for The Life & Death of Scenery, his second release since joining Mello Music Group. Clocking in at just over 15 minutes, this short EP chronicles a city that’s completely rid itself of culture.

 

 

Phantogram – Three

Electronic rock duo Phantogram have been pretty quiet since their stellar mixtape with Outkast’s Big Boi (Big Grams) blew up the airwaves just over a year ago, but their succinctly-titled third album Three finds the Greenwich duo returning in full form.

 

 

Sir – Her EP

Jacksonville rapper Sir has been showing up on a few TDE releases lately (Jay Rock’s “The Ways” and Isaiah Rashad’s “Rope/Rosegold”, and the release of his latest EP Her comes with a rare promotional tweet from Kendrick Lamar. The seven-track EP features Big K.R.I.T. on the previously released “Cadillac Dreams”, and showcases the young rapper’s abilities; could he be the mysterious second ‘John Doe’ on TDE’s roster?

 

Also released: Green Day, Revolution Radio; Kaiser Chiefs, Stay Together; NOFX, Last Ditch Effort; Norah Jones, Day Breaks; One Republic, Oh My My; Sum 41, 13 Voices