Meet Marcos Alvarado: the talented artist behind John Summit’s debut album cover

The brilliant, eye-catching visual art of Marcos Alvarado is a match made in heaven for the bold, captivating music of John Summit.

As if the dance music community needed another reason to be excited for the debut John Summit album, “Comfort in Chaos,” dropping this summer, the staggeringly beautiful cover artwork has provided just that. Revealed last week, the cover art drew attention from many fans in the comments, including Oliver Heldens, James Kennedy, and SAYMYNAME. So who exactly is Marcos Alvarado, the man behind the masterpiece?

According to his official website, Marcos Alvarado was born and raised in Puerto Rico where he began drawing and honing his craft at a very early age. His work is found in a number of mediums, including paintings, tattoos, graffiti, and even clothing designs – he serves as the creative director for a clothing brand called Spiritual Vices. In 2016, Marcos launched his own imprint MGM (Miracles, Beliefs, Mysteries) where he sells prints, home goods, accessories, and clothing featuring his distinctive artwork.

His album cover piece for John Summit stays true to many recurring motifs in Marcos’s artwork, featuring a skeleton and a snake in saturated colors over a checkerboard platform and against a dark background. Marcos wrote in a Tik Tok that the idea for the cover “came to mind immediately” when John told him the name for the album, “a figure in the midst of a chaotic life, meditating to find comfort within it.” The chaos certainly comes from all angles and in many forms in the piece – fire, water, lightning, devil, snake, and more.

John Summit also recruited Marcos Alvarado for the cover art for a few singles leading up to the album: “Shiver” with HAYLA, “EAT THE BASS,” and “Go Back” with Sub Focus and Julia Church. Each piece is uniquely creative in the way that it captures the energy of the song, and all three are unmistakably in his signature style – skeletons, stars, checkerboards, and colorful figures against dark backgrounds. John must have been very happy with the results for these singles, entrusting his one and only debut album cover to Marcos.

This collaboration is far from Marcos’s first venture into the world of music – his work has previously been commissioned by the likes of Trippie Redd, Juice WRLD, Lil Durk and even The Grateful Dead. Naturally, he’s been very successful away from music as well, producing work for the great Virgil Abloh, prior to his passing, and going on his first exhibition tour this year, with stops in Los Angeles, Chicago, Paris, New York, and Dallas.

With endless talent and creativity and a knack for networking, it’s anyone’s guess where Marcos Alvarado’s artwork will show up next. The dance music community should certainly their fingers for more collaborations with John Summit and beyond.

Featured Image: Instagram / Marcos Alvarado

Gus Johnson

Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, I’ve always had a passion for writing and was introduced to the EDM scene in 2017. Since then, I’ve attended countless shows and several major festivals including Tomorrowland, EDC Las Vegas, Decadence CO, Hard Summer, and Shambhala. Some of my favorite artists are Seven Lions, Zeds Dead, NGHTMRE, Trivecta, and Jason Ross.

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