If your playlist is lacking something a little more relaxed, perfect for hanging with friends or a long drive, we recommend Montpelier’s Loupo. The hip-hop producer crafts beats stuffed with samples and the production tics necessary to make an instrumental track stand out without vocals from a featured artist. On “GottaGo!!” he turns a vocal sample into its own wah-wahing instrument, and on his latest, “GritZZ,” guitar and drum loops cycle as clanking piano keys reverberate into the distance. Of course, Loupo’s experimental creations are ripe for the picking by up-and-coming rappers – take a listen to Notation and Chel Strong’s “To The Sky,” a song released earlier this month that was helmed by the Vermont producer. – Jake Reed
