ESL Music

With a distinct global-centric sound, Washington, D.C.-based electronic duo Thievery Corporation has changed the face of downtempo music for more than a decade, taking a worldly approach to chilled-out jams and transcending cumbersome genre constraints. Over a decade and six albums later, Rob Garza and Eric Hilton have finally encapsulated their extensive body of work with the arresting and aptly titled retrospective It Takes a Thief. Featuring the sultry, internationally minded grooves that helped define the musical landscape of the early aughts, this carefully curated compilation pays homage to an aural point of view that has since changed the face of electronic music. The sitar-infused bossa nova favorite “Lebanese Blonde” still shimmers with mesmerizing charm, while the celestial unreleased track “The Passing Stars” leaves you longing to hit repeat.