Balam Acab

Originating from Ithaca, New York, Alec Koone launched Balam Acab—a name taken from a Mayan demigod who formed rainbows by shooting arrows through clouds—as an experimental noise project during his time as a high-school student in Pennsylvania. Years afterward, while studying music at Ithaca College, he revived the moniker and blended dubstep, U.K. bass, and R&B textures into his atmospheric productions, prompting comparisons to Grouper along with drag/witch house acts like Salem and White Ring. Tri Angle issued the project’s critically acclaimed debut EP, See Birds, in 2010. That EP saw a reissue early the next year, and Koone’s first full-length album, Wander/Wonder, followed in September 2011.