Those who frequent the Eighteenth Street Lounge in Dupont Circle, might recognize the name Federico Aubele—or are at least familiar with his mix of Argentine tango and electronica that’s often played at the lounge. Aubele’s sound certainly grabbed the attention of Thievery Corporation DJ and ESL Music co-founder Eric Hilton. Back in 2001, Aubele was a DJ in Berlin and played Thievery Corporation tracks during his sets. That year, Aubele sent Hilton a demo, and was thrilled when he heard back from Hilton via e-mail.

“He gave me a pretty thorough critique of the demo,” said Aubele in a sit down interview at LAMC. “Eric gave me pointers on what to do, how to improve tracks, what tracks to keep, which ones to cut. And shortly after, I began touring with his band, Thievery Corporation.”

Now that Aubele is an accomplished performer himself, he’s been touring non-stop worldwide as a headliner for the past few years. He occasionally performs small, intimate acoustic sets at Eighteenth Street Lounge and plans to play the 9:30 Club in October.