Producers are an integral part of music creation, but so few of these sonic gurus get the recognition they deserve. HEAT RISING looks at the best beats by an up-and-coming producer, and talks about where they’re from (ROOTS), what they’ve done (RESUME), and why they’re an exciting presence in music today (REASONS TO WATCH).

ROOTS: Teen Vogue (yeah, MFing Teen Vogue!) is already calling him a “superstar producer,” but if Hemsworth’s rise continues at this pace, in a few months time that might not even be hyperbolic.

22-year-old Halifax-born producer Ryan Hemsworth has been making dreamy hip-hop beats for the last four years, while attending King’s College in Halifax. Ryan started playing guitar in the eighth grade, and even played in a rock band named “Hemsworth,” but when he bought a MacBook for university, his focus shifted to recording and production as opposed to playing live instruments. If you visit Ryan’s Bandcamp, you can check out some of his earlier work, including a record of lo-fi covers (think cheesy, fuzzed-out versions of Alicia Keys, Miley Cyrus, and Natalie Imbruglia songs) with Hemsworth on vocals.

Ryan Hemsworth soon turned his focus to remixes, developing an ethereal sound akin to producers like Clams Casino and Friendzone, putting his own glitched-out spin on popular tracks.

Kanye West – All of the Lights (Ryan Hemsworth Mad As Hell Remix)

As Hemsworth started incorporating hip-hop elements into his original productions, he caught the ear of rappers like Shady Blaze and the Bay-area cloud-rap duo Main Attrakionz. This relationship developed almost effortlessly — Ryan sent Shady Blaze some beats, and he sent them back with his raps within a couple of days. Hemsworth now serves as the mixing and mastering engineer for most of the Main Attrakionz crew’s output, often programming their mixtape tracklistings and putting together album art.

Shady Blaze – Dreamin’ (prod. Ryan Hemsworth)

RESUME: High profile remixes of Grimes’ “Geneis,” Frank Ocean’s “Thinkin Bout You,” and Future’s “Turn On The Lights” are probably Hemsworth’s most well-known productions, but the best way to get a sense of his catalogue is to take in one of his full length mixes. Hemsworth’s “Collected” mix for Fool’s Gold Record compiles the best of his “emo take on trunk rattling beats,” and as we pointed out last year, it proves that he can take a near-perfect song and make it even better.

Grimes – Genesis (Ryan Hemsworth Remix)

Foolcast 035 – Ryan Hemsworth, “Collected” Mix

REASONS TO WATCH: As Hemsworth’s remixes earn him increasing levels of exposure, it’s only a matter of time before he starts placing beats with some of his dream collaborators. In several interviews, Hemsworth has said that he’d love to work with Drake or Future, both of which could be a perfect pairing for Hemsworth’s pensive, often hauntingly emotional production work.

In the coming months, look for a new EP featuring Kitty (Pryde), and a collaborative EP with Charlotte-based rapper Deniro Farrar. In the meantime, you can check out his new mix for Fader, and his excellent EP Last Words, which was released last year via WeDidIt.

Ryan Hemsworth – Colour & Movement

If you’re in Toronto, you can catch Ryan Hemsworth with Daedelus at Wrongbar tonight (February 27th).