INTERVIEW: GTA Talk Debut Album 'Good Times Ahead'

When it comes to new music, there are plenty of Good Times Ahead. That's what producer/DJ duo GTA's new debut album is all about, and why they named their record after their GTA moniker. Good Times Ahead is GTA's very first full-length album released via Warner Bros. Records, and features ten genre-spanning tracks, including collaborations with artists like Tinashe, Vince Staples, and more.

GTA, comprised of Miami natives Julio Mejia and Matt Toth broke into the EDM world after releasing music back in 2011 with the support of Laidback Luke. The two were then discovered by Diplo and were featured on his Express Yourself EP on his song "Move Around." Since then, they have released a number of hit singles featuring famous artists like Lil Jon, Sam Bruno,  DJ Funk, and Flosstradamus to name a few.

The two recently stopped by iHeartRadio HQ where they told us all about their new album during an exclusive interview.

[Buy Good Times Ahead on iTunes]

GTA continues to push boundaries when it comes to the music they create. The bottom line is, they just want their fans to have a good time, whether it's listening to their original songs and remixes, or catching them at one of their shows on tour. So what better title to give their album, but Good Times Ahead? The guys explain:

On the meaning behind their album title Good Times Ahead

"We kind of wanted to make a statement, like, this is what we're about. We finally made this whole piece of work that's taken us such a long time. We battled back and forth with a bunch of different names, but we just thought that Good Times Ahead was such a good statement for what it is. We just wanted people to have good times while listening to our music, and good times when they come to our shows."

Good Times Ahead may include 10 tracks, but the duo tells us that they had about 40 tracks lined up for their debut, and another five or six songs that they had originally planned to put on the album. "We probably have 40 other tracks that are still not on the album, and probably another 5 or 6 that we were planning on putting on the album, that we just took off to make it more concise." 

And that concise track list includes some really great collaborations with singers and rappers like Tinashe and Vince Staples, as well as production collaborations with Wax Motif and What So Not.

On how they decided on who they wanted to collaborate with

"It was just through listening to a lot of people. For example, Vince Staples is one of our favorite rappers right now. We're just fans of everybody's work. So, for us, it's just a really great honor to be able to work with people like Tinashe, or Vince Staples, or Iamsu!. And even producer-wise, like Wax Motif or What So Not, all those dudes are super talented and influences to us."

One thing you will definitely notice about Good Times Ahead is that the music spans across multiple genres, pulling in influences from R&B, Pop, and more. And GTA tells us that the entire album really drove them outside of their comfort zone, and pushed their boundaries.

On stepping outside their comfort zone on Good Times Ahead

"A lot of the whole album was trying to get us outside of our comfort zone. It's really pushing us. That's what we try to do with our music when we're creating it. [We] try to push our boundaries and see how we could incorporate some of these other styles with what we try to do, and the whole album is like that. 'Get It All' is the song that is the most familiar with what we've already done, and everything else has just been very, very different. Some songs are just straight R&B songs, or some songs are just like a pop song."

Because of their heavy touring schedule, Julio and Matt made the majority of this album on the road, and the duo says that they recorded and mixed most of it themselves, something they are extremely proud of.

On the recording process of their new album

"We literally recorded a lot of it ourselves, mixed all of it, and pretty much made everything just from one little laptop in a room. It's pretty cool to [us]. A lot of artists these days work with tons of people, and tons of different things, but probably 90% of the album was directly from us, from our fingers. We worked really hard, creatively, I think that we've really crossed a lot of boundaries, especially just for ourselves. This whole album, [we're] super proud of it, and I feel like people should know that we put a lot of GTA love in there, and a lot good times."

Of all of the songs on their album, "Pressure" featuring RKCB and "A Little Bit of This" featuring Vince Staples are only two of GTA's favorites. They describe "Pressure" as "very R&B, chill, [and] very sexy," while on "A Little Bit of This," they enjoy "the mixture of the dark club vibe that [they] have on the song."

Fans who have been to a GTA show lately, may have heard some of their unreleased new music -- the songs that didn't make the album -- which the guys say may be released at a later date. "We're still trying to get all that music out," they tell us. And these include collaborations with artists like Skrillex, among others.

On plans to release more new music

"We have a lot of cool collaborations that are coming out with other producer/DJs [also]. We've been working with Dyro, talking to Diplo a lot about it. A bunch of unreleased stuff we had with Skrillex and a bunch of other cool producers. Hopefully in the near future, we'll be able to put it out."

Fun Fact: The Good Times Ahead album cover art, which features a hand making an OK sign with "Good Times Ahead" tattooed on the pinky, ring, and middle fingers, is actually the hand of GTA's creative director. And yes, he really has that tattoo.

On the meaning behind the Good Times Ahead album cover art

"We've been thinking with our creative team for a long time about something very simple to kinda convey a 'Good Times Ahead' message, like a sign or something. And we just thought that the 'OK' sign conveys the 'Good Times Ahead' message in a very simple form. It conveys positivity. People want to have a good time, everything's OK."

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