Zavala

Chicago-based Alexander Zavala is best known for producing moody, intricate hip-hop instrumentals drawing from jazz, psychedelic rock, and other genres, using analog synthesizers and samplers. He also makes urgent, energetic dance tracks that are equally reminiscent of his city's house scene as well as U.K. garage. Zavala (usually billed by just his last name) rose to prominence during the late 2000s. He remixed songs by Aesop Rock, Busdriver, and Sister Crayon, and worked on solo material. His 2015 EP, Memory Traps, was a venture into lush, slightly melancholy dance music. He expanded on this sound with the full-length Fantasmas, released by Fake Four in 2017. ~ Paul Simpson