Atmosphere Strictly Leakage

Often recognized as one of the most consistent and prolificduos in independent hip-hop, Atmosphere hit a stride ofextraordinary output from July 2007 to April 2008, even by theirown standards. Within those 9 months, they released afull-length album, four EP's, and a 42-minute mixtape ofexclusive material, altogether totaling 48 new songs released, allwhile they were consistently touring as well. This rapid-fire stringof releases introduced some of their most popular songs to dateand showcased their dynamic range, from moody and reflective,to upbeat and optimistic, to a boom-bap throwback style of rap,the latter of which was most prominently displayed on themixtape. Introduced on Christmas Day 2007, the mixtape was a"gift" to fans in the form of a free download, aptly titled StrictlyLeakage - a nod to both eschewing standardized industrypractices in favor of giving the music away, and to anotherprominent album title from the era that inspired them andperhaps more specifically, these recordings.Strictly Leakage surprised fans and critics alike, not justbecause the download invite appeared in their inbox withoutwarning, but also because the project sounded so uniquelydifferent from Atmosphere's typical recordings. Ant was diggingdeep into the funk & soul crates, favoring samples over liveinstrumentation, and producing tracks that sounded as if theywere birthed alongside late '80s and early '90s hip-hop classics.Slug was rapping with a renewed passion, yet somehowsounding more casual and carefree delivering endless wordplaywith more technical rhyme patterns than other Atmosphereprojects. Together, they created 13 exclusive songs that soundedas if they were just having fun making them, without thepressure of any album expectations - undoubtedly as rewardingan exercise for themselves as it was for the listeners.Early on, Strictly Leakage had been pressed on a limited run ofvinyl and CD, but it wasn't long before they sold out, and fanswere left chasin...