Alejandro Ayala is a curator, organizer, educator, and dedicated Chicagoan. Known to many by his DJ name King Hippo, Ayala hosts shows on Lumpen Radio and Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide FM. For two decades he’s been a highly active event producer and promoter, having produced events for myriad artists across Chicago’s diverse landscape of venues. Currently Ayala works as Head of Marketing + Events for the International Anthem record label, where he’s been a creative engineer behind album campaigns for Damon Locks’ Black Monument Ensemble, jaimie branch, and Junius Paul, in addition to acting as photographer-in-residence, and co-producing three albums by Makaya McCraven.