Music Recommendations Based on the Artists You Already Like (September 2014)

JONES took our breath away with her debut song, "Deep," and although we are yet to hear more music from the London-based singer, we have high hopes for her future. She's working with the right people, having been in the studio with XL Recordings’ in-house producer Rodaigh McDonald (The xx, King Krule, How To Dress Well) and Jai Paul’s brother Anup (who recently appeared on “So Good” with Nao), so it's hard to predict what her next song will sound like.

Regardless, "Deep," with its lush production and air of nostalgic sadness sounds like Solange at her best on a track like "Losing You."

If you like iLoveMakonnen for his fun, off-kilter melodies and ability to jump from style to style, then you should check out Virginia's D.R.A.M. He raps and sings, and nothing on his new project #1EPICSUMMER sounds similar, but everything is full of energy and character. The whole project is worth giving a listen, but if you have zero attention span, start with "Cha Cha" or the Sunny & Gabe collaboration "Feet in the Water."

SOHN mixed sparkling, synth-filled electronic production with his own delicate vocals across his debut album Tremors, and Litany have done the same on the two songs they've shared so far. The duo from the north of England demonstrate restraint on "Look," drawing the focus squarely onto the lyrics and vocals, before letting the full range of their production shine through towards the end of the song.

Since the breakout success of their debut album and the continued love shown to their second album Coexist, there have been many bands and artists trying to replicate The xx's intimate, hushed sound with varying levels of success.

T.O.L.D. is not one of them. His debut track is more direct and bolder than most of The xx's songs, but there are shared elements like the clean, cool guitar, the subtle influences of dance music on the production, and those lovely steel drums that make "Lucifer's Eyes" worth enjoying again and again.

If you like GoldLink for his genre-bending style and nimble flow, check out DC rapper Beau Young Prince. His new mixtape The Groovy God is out now, and it should catch on with young hip-hop fans looking for new up-and-comers.

Stylistically, there are differences between BANKS and Made in Heights. The shared feature here is the immediacy and the top quality production. This is that clean, instantly gratifying, sweet, almost overproduced sound that you can't help but play back after a listen. There's nothing abrasive or challenging about it, and for some that's a turn-off (if you like Twigs and Kelela, for example, you might find this too straightforward), but when the music is this accessible, there's no need to complicate things.

Australia's Tkay Maidza is probably tired of Azealia Banks comparisons already, but it would be ridiculous not to make them. She's making party ready rap songs with catchy hooks, and working with interesting electronic producers like Elk, Swick, Lewis Cancut, and Bok Bok. The difficult to get out of your head "U-Huh" is her "212," while "Finish Them" (her best song to date) is a hard-as-nails club track. She's like Azealia Banks without all the beef and drama.

Unlike many of the mysterious, as of yet faceless members of the PC Music label, we know who Kero Kero Bonito are. They're Sarah, Gus, and Jamie, based in London, they met on a Japanese expatriate community bulletin board, and when we interviewed them they made us a picture.

Their sound is like a more organic, human version of the hyper-real pop that PC Music specializes in. Listen to their debut mixtape Intro Bonito here.

Jai Paul is one of indie music's untouchables. Even comparing another artist to him is going to piss some people off. So to shift blame away from ourselves and onto someone else, we refer to Ryan Hemsworth, who said this about DD Elle:

“dd elle songs are these strangely lovely calculated moody messes. they’re full of synth tones that rarely get matched with the types of melodies he plays; the vocals are alien and so unexpectedly placed they’re almost jarring at times; and the use of space and silence is always an aural treat. he’s kind of jai paul level of ~mystery~ and talent, i think. dig in and use headphones.”

Four Tet's discography is so vast and varied that it would be unfair to say that he has just one sound. Something like "Kool FM," from Four Tet's most recent album bears no resemblance to Gidge's music, but tracks like "Unicorn" (from the same album) or older tracks like "Love Cry" or "Unspoken" have more actual similarities. Regardless, if you like the meticulous way Four Tet's music is put together—the subtle changes and use of lots of different sounds to create a palpable sense of emotion—you should definitely listen to Gidge.

Get to know the Swedish duo a little better here.