VA - Atlantics X (2020)

Astro Nautico’s Atlantics X is a compilation celebrating a decade of the label’s existence and fundraising to provide financial assistance for its community members impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

A wide range of beloved artists return to the label, including Photay, Time Wharp, Honey Oat, Michael Beharie, Lee Clarke, IGBO, Tatiana Heuman, Persona La Ave & Baraka, Andre Wiken, Basile3, and C. Form. Label co-founders Paul Jones (P X A), Sam O.B., and Kuhn all contribute new music in the tradition of the original Atlantics Vol. 1-3 compilations (’09-’13).

Astro Nautico’s first all-label compilation since 2013’s Atlantics Vol. 3, Atlantics X serves as an index of the artistic and curatorial development of a ten-year exploration of the interstices of genres, moods, and modes of musical creation.

From Photay’s chirping, thunderous dark mechanics on ‘Sea Urchin’ to Time Wharp’s feather light synth meditation ‘12-31-12,’ dynamic curves traverse a terrain of many sounds at many plateaus. Pop experimentalism in Michael Beharie, IGBO, and Sam O.B. sets a heartbeat that cracks, melts, and is resampled in the shattered electronics of Tatiana Heuman and fragmentary lo-fi trap of Kuhn, while Andre Wiken and C. Form differently treat the dancefloor as a space of reverie and intrigue.

Atlantics X is a crowning jewel of the mutual aid fund and fundraising campaign of the same name. Astro Nautico initiated this fundraiser in spring in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. All sales and streams of the Atlantics X compilation support members of the label's community with financial needs due to Covid-19. Since May, the label has published 12 projects, from singles and EPs to albums and contemplative dance videos, in this series. Astro Nautico has distributed $4,262.65 to date to fund recipients, with priority to BIPOC recipients.