El_Txef_A (pronounced elchefa) is quite the odd moniker. But it turns out to be a play on words based on the last name of its owner, Aitor Etxebarria, which means "new house" in his native Basque -- rather fitting, considering this celebrated young producer's decidedly new house music sound.

Of course, though, We Walked Home Together, El_Txef_A's latest critically acclaimed long player, transcends house altogether, picking up where the genre left off with stark vocal soul and setting out to explore uncharted electronica territory. The album's deep shades of moodiness draw less from the jazz-inflected Chicago house brand of "deep" than from a personal old-world Basque melancholy.

See also: EDM's Five Greatest Delusions