Music Recommendations Based on Artists You Already Like

Bouncy, hiccuping raps are the centerpiece of Aminé's "Caroline." He's deep in love with a physical specimen who doubles as the song's title, and judging by the Portland rapper's delivery, he can barely contain his excitement.

The lines spill out over glistening, metallic production that weaves between Aminé's voice, creating a duet between sound and vocals that immediately, for us, recalls Kaytranada's excellent 99.9% album. Kaytra brought in a whole host of rappers and singers to find melodies over his futuristic beats, and "Caroline" could have slipped onto the track list without anyone noticing.

Aminé's appeal is in the potential energy—like the music of Kaytranada, he's liable to flip from sparse, punchy production to a rapid-fire flow at any given moment.

18-year-old Texas singer Khalid has the kind of voice perfectly suited for retro soul, but let’s be honest—we don’t need more of that in 2016. Instead, he brings that soulful spirit into a modern context with the electronic production of songs like "Location" and the driving pop sound of "Let's Go."

Just like Anderson .Paak, you get the sense that Khalid could excel with many different styles of music, and as an artist still developing his sound, we hope he continues to experiment as much as he has so far.

Maintaining anonymity in the music world can be a tough act to get right. While the decision to go anon may help artists keep their personal lives personal, it also means their music must be strong enough to stand on its own. With debut album COZY, anonymous 18-year-older producer pnkblnkt nails that balance: one listen through the project, and it's hard not to be hooked.

The ethereal, spacious nine-track album shows remarkable depth, making the jump seamlessly from electronic beats to gospel choirs, aggressive rap verses, spoken word, and even a garbled reading of the opening to Allen Ginsberg's "Howl." Haunting, otherworldly, and deliciously mysterious, COZY is a gem. We may not know much about the face behind pnkblnkt (besides what we learned chatting over email with the artist), but one thing's for sure: his sound is very special.

With powerful vocals, pounding drums, horns, and huge chorus, Swedish artist Elias' recent tracks provoke the same sort of emotions as Woodkid does on songs like "Run Boy Run" and "Iron."

Elias previously sung in the Tensta Gospel Choir, which has boasted a string of Swedish breakout artists like Seinabo Sey, Lykke Li, and Mapei, but somewhere far away from home inspired "Makin Me Happy."

“I wrote this song in the most depressing part of North Hollywood,” he explains. “The gloom of the place, and surrounding, brought me back to a certain place and situation where I did not want to be. I was sick of being a heartbroken disaster.”

Joey Purp's iiidrops came out last week, and even though Joey has been rhyming for a while as part of Chicago's SAVEMONEY collective, this sounds like his true arrival.

The beats are on point, the features are massive, and Joey is rhyming on another level. We were introduced to quick-witted flows during a backyard freestyle at SXSW, but hearing his finished products is even better. Like fellow Chicagoan Mick Jenkins, it sounds like rapping just comes easy to Joey. No flow is forced, and each one is delivered with a cool confidence that can only come from a born spitter.

It's not every day that a professional songwriter can make the leap to the front of the stage. For every success story like Sia, there are hundreds of failed launches. It sounds like Starrah is going to be one of the former.

She's worked with Jeremih, Kevin Gates, and even has a writing credit on Travis Scott and Young Thug's anthem "Pick Up The Phone." But "Rush" is all hers, and it's incredible. The twinkling riff pairs beautifully with Starrah's effected, up-tempo vocals. It might not be what you expect when the song first starts, but count on being converted by the time it's done.

The Pheels cite Outkast as an influence—as Atlantans, it's almost an obligation—but these two are doing more than just saying it. Their musical style is still evolving, but it's pushing boundaries and blending genres in ways that would make André and Big Boi proud.

Start with the smooth, futuristic R&B of "French Toast," and move on to the funk-fueled groove of "Turn Me Up." The melodic ideas are on point, and they're just getting started.

In early June, all social media traces of London-based five-piece The Mispers suddenly disappeared from the web. Days later, the band resurfaced under a new name—Junior Empire—with a smashing debut track to match. With "West Coast," the rebranded group makes a gleaming first impression, blending smooth acoustics with trickling piano chords, ripping guitar solos and an anthemic chorus.

It's tough to write original content about a place as iconic as L.A., but Junior Empire meets the challenge. We'll be keeping an ear out for more from the quintet.

Soul samples, big drums, and introspective lyrics are at the center of Jayaire Woods' formula for success. He's a musician first, and knows when to fill space or let a beat breathe. It works especially well on tracks like "Toolong." and "2SHOES," hazy love songs that dissect relationships in painstaking detail.

This 5 On It alum has a distinctive voice and organic charm that sets his music apart, and don't be surprised if you hear a lot more of it soon.

Stockholm-based singer-songwriter Sophia Somajo is the pop artist for the friend who says they're not into pop. With an infectious, metallic sound, booming vocals, and a growing repertoire of catchy hooks, Somajo (a.k.a. Soso) gives the genre new depth.

After a brief hiatus, the singer burst back onto the international music scene in late 2015 with "Klein Blue," an electric self-love anthem that nods to French artist Yves Klein. Now, with her silky, simmering new track "Sapphire," Somajo is impossible to ignore.

Rayy Dubb may be a burgeoning viral sensation, but that doesn't make him a bad artist. His song started blowing up after a Snapchat with the caption "I don't ever want to feel his pain" started spreading online. And it's true—Rayy is pouring his heart out on "You Lied," but he holds it together long enough to turn out a very solid debut.

The Florida artist shares a home state with Kodak Black, and it sounds like he's taking a few pointers from his elder. Rayy sounds like he prefers singing to rapping, but he's got that unmistakeable Florida drawl and a way of telling it like it is. He's still raw, but "You Lied" has all the elements of a hit.

Clean vocals, catchy melodies, and often subdued electronic production are all shared characteristics of the music of London's Palmistry and Toronto's Majid Jordan. The influence of dancehall is evident in Palmistry's music, whereas house and disco are more evident in the OVO signed duo's sound, but they're both making contemporary pop music in their own lane.

Palmistry's intimate, beautiful album Pagan is out on Mixpak this month.