Daniel Villarreal

Daniel Villarreal has long been a widely known and beloved character on the Chicago music scene, veering between folkloric Latin music and the city’s flourishing jazz and improvised music scene. Originally from Panama, he fuses his pan-Latin style with influences of psychedelic rock, Cumbia, afro-beat, boogaloo, rock, free experimental jazz, hip-hop, and funk to create an original contemporary soundscape. On almost any night of the week, you’ll find him DJing at at least one spot on bustling 18th Street in his home neighborhood of Pilsen, specializing in groovy vintage Afro-diasporic sounds and showcasing his knowledge of world music, electronica, Tropicalia, vintage Latin soul, Chicha, psychedelic Cumbia, Afrobeat, reggae, funk, and groovy deep cuts beats.  If he’s not there, he’s playing drums with Dos Santos, Valebol, The Los Sundowns or Ida y Vuelta (all bands he co-leads), or sitting in with Wild Belle or Rudy De Anda. All of these instincts merge in his own projects, which employ post-production as an instrument a la Makaya McCraven.