ATSIC S05E16 - Plan B

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Tonight’s episode is an hour-long mix for the lovers. I’m eternally grateful to have found a partner as perfect for me as my wife, and I hope you all have someone in your life to appreciate this mix with too. If you don’t right now, I hope you’re at least having fun being single. This hour of music should serve you well either way—it’s all love-themed.

Ghostface kicks off the mix with “Plan B” from his new album, where he’s got a few tracks blending in the R&B vibes. This "Plan B" track was one of them, and it was also an apt name for the episode since I ended up being the backup DJ this week when Dice was busy with other stuff.

Before we get into the rest of the show though, I’ve got to climb onto my soapbox for a second. As I play one of the only songs about abortion I can remember, I have to say: don’t vote conservative. No matter what Pierre Poilievre and his provincial cronies claim, their agenda threatens our nation’s abortion rights. Trudeau’s push for nationalized birth control could benefit many, even if unfortunately those of us in backwards Berta are going to miss out under a UCP government, led by a premier with an anti-Trudeau stance, who has made no hesitation to reject federally supplied free birth control, among other healthcare initiatives. These zealots refuse progressive solutions and then whine about being left out.

After the traditional Wu-Tang starter, we head north of the border, featuring artists from both coasts to spread the love far and wide.

Roshin goes back-to-back with “Y don’t She” from his latest album “Underthinking,” followed by a feature on Mickey O’Brien’s remix project with “Lilith (The 555 remix).” I’m prepping for my May 28 interview with Roshin on Fly in Formation and loving his new album.

Calgary’s Tinywiings delivers a dancefloor filler with “Moonlight,” one of my favorite drops from her in a while. This pop-tinged aura is a great lane for her.

“Naomi Campbell” by longtime collaborators from Vancouver Junk & Massiah sings praises to women and raises a toast to queens. They’ve been dropping singles like crazy and bundled them into a new project.

Out on the East coast, “You” by Wolf Castle and Zamani Folade, a singer new to me, is a classic singer/rapper ballad. Wolf’s versatility is shining, and I hope he’s cooking up an album.

GABI. from Montreal delivers “1 800 Love Talks,” a mellow track with sing-songy delivery over a sparse, spacey piano instrumental.

BANDT, collaborating with Halifax’s Aquakultre on “LEARNING HOW TO LOVE,” caught my attention. A driving drum line and smooth saxophone accompany AquaK’s thoughts on love.

Kxng Wooz’s “Say To Me” features a beautiful chorus and background vocals from Leila Dey. It’s a modern take on a classic love song trope.

Toronto’s pHoenix Pagliacci checks in with a track that sounds like it should be a super hit, breaking into a sultry, addictive hook explaining her unending loyalty.

Tachichi’s track with Electric City Underground (it’s just one dude?) is big and atmospheric and fun. The Halifax OG’s usual dexterity and precision shine through.

Deena Theodora and Young Stitch bring a disco flair with “Gamble on Love,” showcasing Stitch’s adaptability to a poppier style.

Spitty’s “PBE” features Siren Sav, Achante, and BeatCave, with bars from both female and male perspectives and a nicely sung chorus. I think Beatcave is an artist summit sort of thing that people pay to attend for a weekend. Seems like a good get a chance to network and see speakers and stuff like that, and I think it includes studio time when songs like this are likely put together.

Montreal’s Maky Lavender goes acoustic on “Trippin’,” serenading his favorite OnlyFans entertainer—don’t go into debt for love.

“Short Girls” from Moka Only and Victoria based emcee Ishkan’s re-released album NOWFOLK is fresh out, again for the first time digitally. “Short Girls” is a fun lil bop appreciating littler ladies with a xylophone and bouncy bass line providing the backdrop.

Team Omega and Rel McCoy’s “Just a Feelin’” rides high on reggae rhythms and horn stabs, creating space for Rel’s rhymes to shine.

The mix finishes with Toronto’s Jon Kabongo, who makes sports metaphors about his lady being the real MVP in “Top Recruit.”

I find a lot of love songs cliché, so it takes a while to accumulate enough that I like for a mix like this. But as I put this one together, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I hope you do too.

This episode is followed by another episode of my podcast interview series Fly in Formation, this time featuring Zhe the Free, an emcee who roams Treaty 6 and 7 territory back and forth on a regular basis. We talked about cyphers and freestyling, her recent music, community building, and a lot more. Check the FiF playlist for an archive of all the past guests. Mixcloud is the only spot to listen to the audio only interviews each week, grab the app, it’s free and there’s all sorts of dope DJ mixes from curators who care about the music much more than an algorithm cares about your playlists on streaming platforms.

Every week, I buy every song I play, unless the artist sent it to me, saving me a buck. I believe in buying music to support independent artists. Making music is time-consuming and expensive. Streaming doesn’t pay much at all, and since streaming has become the way most people consume music, it’s even more important to make sure to buy tickets, buy music (physical or digital), and buy merch from artists you want to hear more from. Streaming pays next to nothing, so if you want artists working on more music instead of working more shifts at their day job, you need to show them love by opening your wallet and giving them financial support.

Season 3 of my interview series Fly in Formation is soaring along in style, and I’ve double booked June. The most up to date schedule is posted below and June’s schedule will go online as soon as I have it. I’m trying to accelerate the momentum with twice weekly live streamed interviews next month, adding Saturdays to the regular Tuesday weekly rotation for a month straight to build up some momentum to carry through the summer. Make sure to hit follow on Twitch or subscribe so you don’t have to watch the ad breaks during interviews too. I love seeing the community pop up in chat to say hi during interviews.

Independent shows like After the Smoke is Clear also need support. If you enjoy the music; if you enjoy learning more about artists; if you want to see the Canadian Hip Hop scene documented; if you enjoy discovering new artists without digging and navigating the algorithms yourself; please consider supporting the show.

If you don’t have the funds to support right now, that’s fine. You can listen for free because other people who do have the money have donated. You get a free weekly show, I get paid for the work I spend the hours of my week doing.

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Stay Up.