GTA

Miami electronic duo GTA, standing for Good Times Ahead, follows the guiding principle "death to genres." Although their foundation sits firmly in dance music, an eclectic range of influences threads jazz, hip-hop, metal, and ska through their productions. Julio Mejia and Matt Van Toth first linked on social media in 2010 and chose to collaborate from there. Mejia’s Honduran heritage and Van Toth’s Cuban background supplied deep Latin music roots, so salsa, merengue, bachata, and reggaeton naturally shaped the beats they began crafting at Miami Dade College. Early backing from Afrojack and Laidback Luke opened the door to Diplo, who placed their track “Move Around” on the 2012 Express Yourself EP. Tours with Rihanna, Tiësto, and Calvin Harris soon widened their audience. By 2015, high-profile team-ups—the “Red Lips” remix with Skrillex, “Intoxicated” with Martin Solveig, and “Landline” with A-Trak—complemented their own DTG (“Death to Genres”) EP series. The duo issued their debut LP, Good Times Ahead, on Warner Bros. in late 2016, featuring guest spots from Vince Staples, Iamsu!, and Tinashe. Singles “Buyaka” and “Talkin’ Bout” followed, leading into the 2018 release of Death to Genres, Vol. 3, which included Dillon Francis, Baauer, and additional contributors. They quickly issued another concise project, La Nueva Clasica, highlighted by the single “Buscando” with Jenn Morel.