Talk to enough people in the Seattle hip-hop scene and inevitably the name Sabzi will come up. DJ Sabzi, born Alexei Saba Mohajerjasbi, is most associated with local acts Blue Scholars and the now-defunct Common Market. His off-kilter production is almost immediately identifiable as “underground hip-hop,” which mainly stems from an ear for down-tempo rhythms and obscure samples instead of radio bangers. Well, that and his inclination to work with rappers with a mind toward drawing out narratives and spitting socially conscious messages (like Das Racist, a group he was involved with while living in New York).

Now based in L.A. (“I realized that I needed to live somewhere sunny for a while,” reads his online bio), his new project, Made In Heights, with vocalist Kelsey Bulkin, might be the best shot he’s had at crossing over. The pair has been releasing music slowly since their 2010 debut EP Winter Pigeons (Songs to Raise Your Dead Spirits). Yet calling Made In Heights mainstream or pop gives the wrong impression. Sabzi’s not selling out to work with Katy Perry; he’s still delving into hip-hop’s obscure depths, and the project’s latest self-titled album opens with a Sufjan Stevens sample. But the tunes are far more accessible with Bulkin’s dreamy yet eerie hooks.

Sabzi has largely been ahead of the curve or taken the “path less traveled” throughout his career, and Made In Heights sees him at the intersection of trends in the larger indie scene. It’s easy to draw comparisons between Made In Heights and acts like Purity Ring or R&B siren Banks, but Sabzi’s fingerprints are still all over the beats. A standout track like “Marguerite” channels the same melancholy fans heard on Blue Scholars tracks like “No Rest for the Weary.” You know what they say: You can take the man out of Seattle… With Blue Scholars. Showbox, 1426 First Ave., 628-3151, showboxpresents.com. $20 adv./$30 DOS. 21 and over. 9 p.m. Fri., Sept. 12.

music@seattleweekly.com