ATSIC S05E42 - BEST OF S05
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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.
When I make a “Best Of” each season, it’s not an attempt at actually compiling some sort of definitive list of the “best” songs this year. To me, art is too subjective for people to rank things too thoroughly. All I do for these is go back through the playlists for every episode, listen to tracks I remember, and try to pick one song from each episode that will highlight a wide variety of talent while maintaining my favourite vibe in Hip Hop - upbeat head nod boombap and bars with some weight. This mix has plenty of those elements, and DJ Dice handles the mix duty for the first 90 minutes, before handing the torch to me and my Ableton editing skills. He said he didn’t like the rest of the tracks, but I bet he was just bored of mixing or got busy. I liked the tracks, and I’d been billing this mix as one track from each episode, so it had to happen that way.
Fly in Formation will be back to new episodes in 2025. Tune in every Tuesday for interviews with artists across the country as I dive into local scenes and creative processes. Tuesday Jan 7 I talk to J-Reds & Poltergiest OD, who are the hosts of an Edmonton based emcee showcase event called Diss or Daps. We’ll talk about that and a bunch of other important stuff. 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 cent 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 cool—just spread the word! Shoutout to everyone already supporting financially, by sharing the show, or by coming through in comments and chat to help build community.
Stay up.
