* En anglais uniquement
Diego Bernal is an instrumental hip-hop producer from San Antonio, Texas. Associated with the San Antonio-based Exponential Records label, he cites influences that range from Latin (e.g.,
Trio los Panchos,
Joe Bataan) and jazz (
Charles Mingus,
McCoy Tyner) to hip-hop (
J Dilla) and R&B (
Bill Withers). While working as a civil rights attorney for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund,
Bernal made his Exponential Records debut with "Father's Son," an inclusion on the various-artists compilation Wait Til the Ice Melts. In 2009 he released the two-track Bring It on Home single (featuring a remix of the title track by
Mexicans with Guns) shortly before unveiling his album debut, For Corners, a collection of left-field hip-hop beats in the mode of
J Dilla's
Donuts. For Corners was made available for free download on the Internet. Almost exactly a year later, he issued his follow-up,
Besides..., a half-hour set in a vein similar to that of his debut. While serving his hometown as a city council member, he collaborated with
Ernest Gonzales on the cinematic Atonement, released in 2013. All of the proceeds went to San Antonio Music Production Lab, a non-profit program for the city's youth. ~ Jason Birchmeier