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Coming Together While Staying Apart

It all started off as an impulsive post on the hyperlocal social networking service Nextdoor.com. In the early days of following COVID-19’s entrance into the U.S. with all day job work and all gigs cancelled to promote my band Surround Sound’s new album, I wrote the following on a whim—not really expecting much to come […]

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Proletariat Work Ethic In The Lab

Illastrate, the founder of Atlanta’s Working Class Music record label, discusses his production, key collaborators, and refining his musical voice among the thriving Atlanta underground scene. This “Midwest Kid” hailing from Ft. Wayne, IN has been making genuine hip-hop down South for almost 2 decades. Armed with a mini disk player and a head full […]

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The Making of Abstract Architect

When Beat Studies set out to produce our debut album Abstract Architect, I knew I wanted a distinct sound that was consistent throughout the track list. I started off with a jazzy Rhodes piano loop on almost every track to set the tone for the album. I’ve been playing piano for over 30 years, and […]

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Record Store Day 2017

As the 20th century—and the golden era of the record industry—was drawing to a close, the door was slammed on it with the advent of file sharing sites and MP3’s rise in popularity; where sonic quality and artistic packaging took a back seat to convenience and (free) cost. It’s hard to compete with that in […]

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Atlanta Activism and Art

Awareness is essential to activism, but how can one build a tangible resistance to things that they KNOW in there heart is wrong… by themselves? The answer is easy. They can’t. Atlanta has certainly realized this during the past year as local music fans become more involved with community activist organizations who use their art […]