Who: Villager
Electronic
Villager is a project from prodigious DC-based producer Alex Young, permeating the globe since its inception, with support from Four Tet, Jamie XX, Bonobo, Afrojack, Floating Points, A-Trak, Jacques Greene, Salute, Bicep, and with releases on label imprints including Boys Noize, Pretty Weird, Ninja Tune, and Method808. Now 28, at age 15 Alex Young was performing at EDC and touring with Skrillex, Diplo, and Cashmere Cat under a previous project bearing his name. With six years of releases as Villager, Alex had a breakout year in 2024, debuting in London at Drumsheds and landing a #1 position on Beatport’s Bass/Club Chart. Villager has recently supported Sammy Virji, Barry Can’t Swim, Ross From Friends, Four Tet, Disclosure, and Jamie XX. In a print interview from 2022, Future Music Magazine described Villager’s sound as “taking cues from the richly textured electronica of artists like Four Tet and Jon Hopkins, repurposing club rhythms into detailed, emotive music that rewards closer listening.” In a recent video interview, Jamie XX described Villager’s music as “lively, vital, and inspiring.” Released February 16, 2024, Villager’s EP Sculptor exemplifies this and is a crowning achievement in his young but storied career. The response to the EP included over a dozen editorial playlists across DSPs, #1 chart position on Beatport ‘Bass/Club’, over 10,000 Spotify playlist ads from listeners, and personal co-signs from Flying Lotus and A-Trak. ‘Walk Away Now’ off the EP placed #10 on Keymag’s Top 100 UKG Tracks of 2024. Alex’s tracks, journey, and creative process have been chronicled by The Fader, BBC’s Maryanne Hobbs, Magnetic Magazine, Music Radar, Future Music, and Mojo Magazine. Villager is a vessel whose musical identity knows no bounds – see: writing and production credits on Halsey’s double-platinum Manic, and more recently, a 24-track instrumental project Nowhere FM, produced over a couple weeks in 2023, which spans a range of styles and influences. 2025 will see Villager continue to expand on his sound and debut at more than a dozen festivals around the globe, solidifying his position as one of the most innovative up-and-coming acts in music.