ATSIC S05E21 - Solstice

I’ve started a mailing list. If you want to get an email each week when a new episode of #ATSIC goes onto Mixcloud so you don’t forget, sign up at the bottom of the page or hit me with your email on IG and I’ll make sure to keep you up to date.

The longest day of the year has come and gone. What does it have to do with this hour long mix of the best Hip Hop I could find? Not a lot, but these artists.. shine like the sun, or something. New music, as always, and I never play anything twice.. except sometimes by accident.

There’s a “Making of #ATSIC” video below, which shows me putting the episode together from the comfort of my own home. I don’t do these things in real time because I’m not that good of a DJ, I’m just a guy who puts in the effort to make a finished product that people can tap in and enjoy if they want to keep up with new releases from across the country each week.

There’s also a spreadsheet below with the entire track listing, along with my best guess at which city each artists is repping. It’s an easy way to see what you’re hearing, but so is having the Mixcloud app.

The music is followed by another episode of my podcast interview series Fly in Formation, this time I talked with Myer Clarity, an emcee/producer/engineer based out in Toronto ON. I’d been impressed watching his music since I saw him speak during an online artist summit during COVID. He shares a studio with Fresh Kils and King Jus in Toronto. We talked about the Toronto scene, his recent and upcoming music, and a bunch of other stuff. 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 schedules are posted below, including the new one for June. I’m trying to accelerate into summer 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. 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.

Telling a friend is another great way to support the show, I appreciate everyone who helps spread the word immensely.

To support financially, you can donate through PayPal. It’s safe, requires no recurring sign-up, and puts money directly in my pocket. I use these funds to purchase the music featured in the show. Supporting ATSIC is supporting indie artists, including me. Thanks to everyone who helps out.

Stay Up.