ATSIC S06E34 - Have Hope
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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.
This week we started off with a couple big cypher tracks - the first from Ground Beef Records, a label based in the Netherlands that somehow linked up with Calgary’s Self the Bluest Eye, featuring him and an array of guys in an array of languages. After that Deffine’s Tsunami Cypher features a bunch of western Canadian talent, mostly centered in Edmonton, but also featuring a verse from Torontonian MLNY, alongside veterans like K-Blitz, Str8 Gutta, & Deuce Fantastick. After that we cover a lot of ground - some Americans teaming with Fresh Kils for a cut from their Try State EP; a Gavin Copeland soul track that was supposed to feature Pressa but fooled me into buying Gavin’s solo version (which is still dope just not as rap centered as usual); MLNY with a classically styled story telling track that has the protagonist jumping out the window and landing badly; something to cruise to from Mitch Lawler; Moka Only continuing to be different; some funk from Lex Leosis; a heartfelt and relatable ode to Edmonton from Paisteez, Jimmy Burnett, and a newly reemergent Corvid Lorax; a somewhat surprisingly upbeat dance track from Fresh Kils & Myer Clarity featuring some guys I wasn’t familiar with; Sayzee doing what he consistently does on a track that harkens back to one of my favourite blog era mixtape remixes; Imperetiv & Asun Eastwood applying pressure to the fakers; Montreal’s Mike Shabb waving Chuck D’s banner slogan; Slik Jack & Vincent Pryce crashing out; the return of Hardbody Dreams with a track off his new solo album; Troy Dunnit paying homage to Goodie Mob’s “Cell Therapy”; RUNXGUN back in action on a cut from Roshin & Uncle Fester’s criminally under rated “Hi / Lo” album; and an homage flip of a Notorious BIG chorus from Lou Phelps.
This time the “Making of ATSIC” video from Twitch is posted up above, if you’re bored or curious to see my DJ wizardry (this is a joke) or hear my thoughts on the music, take a watch. I’m on Twitch 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 carrying on with weekly episodes every Tuesday until December! I talked with MLNY a while back about his history on the Toronto scene, his recent first time stepping into the ring at an organized league style battle rap event, and a lot more. Go leave a comment on Youtube, hit like, and follow over there if you want to support the show. You can also watch every interview I’ve done up until now on Youtube. Leave a comment, hit like over there, show some love and run up the playlist on a muted tab - it’ll help the algorithm show my content to more people, which will get more Canadian music in more ears.
Tune in every Tuesday for interviews with artists across the country as I learn more about local scenes and artist’s creative processes, talking to the people I play regularly on ATSIC. Come through, hit subscribe on Twitch, skip the ads, and hang out and listen to Hip Hop.
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.
