Left-field hip-hop producer Lee Bannon (born Fred Warmsley in 1987) hit his stride in the late 2000s/early 2010s as he began working with some of the biggest names in underground rap, including Curren$y, Del the Funkee Homosapien, Talib Kweli, and Inspectah Deck. He began producing numerous beat tapes and instrumental solo albums and EPs, and 2012's Fantastic Plastic was released on the Los Angeles label Plug Research Music, home to Exile and Flying Lotus. Following this, his work became far more experimental, all but abandoning hip-hop. He signed to Ninja Tune in 2013 and released the jungle-influenced Alternate/Endings. Subsequently, his sound shifted into more of an ambient/drone direction with the release of 2015's Pattern of Excel. ~ Jason Lymangrover