To sit at a table set with the sounds of 214 (aka J. Alvarez) is to be served Hungry-man portions of honey-buttered electro beats, side dishes of synth-line treats, and dollops of IDM-get-down.Like most musicians, Chris Roman’s path is rooted in a veritable melting pot of sounds. Some of the influences are obvious. Others not so much so.

His Puerto Rican birthright and Miami upbringing ring apparent when he’s pumping out sci-fi roller disco sounds, but when his vibe turns to the cold dark comfort of Detroit-esque minimal mind funk, it would seem this man forgets from whence he came. It’s a memory lapse that sounds like a lapdance in the side room of a space ship. More importantly, it’s a memory lapse that works. It’s not so much a lapse then as a love of diversity, a creative finesse with a variety of good tastes.

214 effortlessly blends lush Latin roots with robo-transformer trips, always maintaining a skillful balance between the nasty, the not-right, the cold, hard, and just-right — all at the same time. He’s got plenty of tricks up his proverbial record sleeve. And he’s been pulling them out for years now.