ATSIC S06E19 (Independents)
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Below this write-up, you’ll find the track list, complete with artists and their hometowns. You can listen here and follow along, or if you’re using the Mixcloud app, hit the “…” to check out the track list while you listen. There’s also a video below from the stream where I slapped this mix together. I’m having fun week to week.
I really liked this week’s mix. It’s just a random assortment of new tracks, but the vibe evolves throughout — building up until the last four or five songs hit a kind of fever pitch.
I called the episode Independents because, in the intro, I rant a bit about how the Diddy trial has made it harder for me to enjoy some classic music. Some of the revelations have been genuinely shocking, even if the broader picture — that wealth and power often protect the worst behavior — isn’t new. It’s not just this one trial that’s changed my outlook, though. It’s a culmination of a lifetime of watching the rich hoard more than they could ever use, while the world falls apart around us.
We have the tech to solve so many problems. I honestly think that. But instead of funding climate solutions or basic services for the poor, we get billionaires blowing money on private island sex parties. People are living on the streets in growing numbers, while our forests burn every summer — and we still don’t have drone water bombers with heat vision? There are projects that could revive coral reefs and help restore ocean oxygen levels, but apparently that’s too expensive. We’d rather let it all collapse than touch the wealth of a few.
So yeah, I’m done supporting the ultra-rich. If they’ve really got all the money they’re always rapping about, they’ll be fine without my streams. There are thousands of indie artists working hard every week to fill that space, and I’m happy to support them. At least I know their music isn’t coming out of some corporate algorithm designed to sell me stuff. Even when they’re chasing trends, indie artists are still coming from a real place. They’re observing, reacting, creating. I can hear the difference.
This week there’s another “Making of ATSIC” video from Twitch, so check that out if you want to see my learning curve as I spin records and try to keep the vibe alive. In these Twitch videos it mutes out anything the algorithm recognizes - so congrats to anyone who has their business in order well enough to tell the big corporations to not allow me to promote your music, I guess. You can hear the audio if it’s live, so tap in on weekdays over on Twitch, I’m on all the time either working on ATSIC, listening to the new releases each week to make picks, or working on my own music.
Fly in Formation is flying high. On the episode attached to this ATSIC, I talked with Stephen Hero. We talked about his last project “The Squeeze”, and a bunch of other important stuff. Tune in every Tuesday for interviews with artists across the country as I learn more about local scenes and artists creative processes, talking to artists we play regularly on ATSIC. I’m looking forward to my next interview for FiF, Epic on Sunday June 8! He and The Deadly Stare dropped a new project last month, so we should have plenty to catch up on. Come through, hit subscribe on Twitch, skip the ads, and chat live while we stream.
I buy every track I play on ATSIC unless it’s sent to me directly. Streaming barely pays, so it’s essential to support indie artists by buying their music, tickets, or merch to keep them creating. Listening to #ATSIC on Mixcloud is free for you, and makes sure that each song you hear pays the artist at least SOMETHING. Spotify pays 0.006 CAD per stream, and only if the song hits 1000 plays in 3 months. Assuming a song gets 1000 spins, that means it takes around 125 Spotify plays to earn an artist the same .76 cents they earn from my 1.29 purchase on iTunes.
Shows like After the Smoke is Clear also need support. If you appreciate discovering new music without the algorithms, or if you appreciate my efforts to get indie artists music in more ears, consider donating via PayPal to help me buy the tracks and keep the show going. Every dollar helps indie artists and ATSIC alike.
If you can’t donate, that’s all good — people who can afford it are paying, and you get to enjoy a free show while I earn a living. Do me a favour though, and help spread the word to other people who love Hip Hop! Shoutout to everyone who is already supporting financially, by sharing the show, or by coming through in comments and chat to help build community.
Stay up.
