Rolling Stone writes: "His debut album, Sonorous Present, goes deep, offering an intimate reflection of borderlands, memory, and both literal and figurative passages.”
An immersive poetic and musical passage, Alex E. Chávez's debut album, Sonorous Present, extends sonic meditations on loss, migration, and mourning across America’s borderlands, as physical place and liminal space. What began as an improvised performance in 2019—inspired by the music and poetics of Chávez’s award-winning book Sounds of Crossing (Duke 2017)—has been reimagined as a studio album in collaboration with Grammy Award-winning producer Quetzal Flores.
Chávez’s first solo album is a tour de force marking a crucial moment in the career of an artist fully integrating all dimensions of his work and talents to reimagine the creative horizons of what a studio album can sound like and the multi-modal forms scholarship can take, all while boldly exploring the sonorous politics of borders.
Limited Edition 140g "Bone" Color Vinyl inside a heavyweight gatefold jacket. Pressed at Belu Music Press in Los Angeles, California.
Dimensions: 12.5 x 12.5"
Materials: Vinyl LP
Alex E. Chávez
(West Loop / West Town)
Artist, scholar, producer, Alex E. Chávez has recorded and toured with his own music projects, produced albums for Smithsonian Folkways, composed documentary scores for Emmy Award-winning films, and collaborated with acclaimed Grammy Award-winning artists. While he has experience in an array of musical styles—ranging from R&B to traditional Latin American folk—he is most active in the Latin Alternative music scene, having shared the stage with Latinx artists across the U.S., including Natalia Lafourcade, Ana Tijoux, Los Angeles Azules, Celso Piña, Bomba Estereo, Los Amigos Invisibles, and Monsieur Periné. His musical collaborations have been featured in Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, NPR Music, and Remezcla. He is the author of the multi-award-winning book Sounds of Crossing (Duke University Press, 2017).