I discovered Atmosphere in the fall of 2001. (Everything we experienced in the months following 9/11 were loud and potent. The intensity of those autumn leaves bordered on violence.)

I was riding back to campus in my friend Ariana's beat-up, old Saab. We cruised down Rt. 7 from Williamstown to Bennington on a Sunday afternoon, talking about love and relationships. When the conversation broke, Ariana jammed a mix tape into the tape deck. The following songs came thumping and tumbling out of the speakers. (Both are off Lucy Ford: The Atmosphere EPs)

"Between the Lines" - Atmosphere
"Woman with the Tattooed Hands" - Atmosphere

I was instantly hooked, and still listen to these tracks today, six years later. Each time I listen, I'm instantly transported back to that surreal time. The music is appropriate--lacing my memories of that season with Slug's artful lyrics of anxiety, frustration and anger.

"Get Fly" - Atmosphere (album info)

The short of it: Atmosphere sprung from the underground hip hop scene in Minneapolis in the 1990s. Slug and producer ANT have been churning out music for well over a decade. For an introduction to the group, I recommend Seven's Travels, which is often regarded as Atmosphere's strongest, most consistent album to date.

Atmosphere's Myspace page.

Atmosphere on Wikipedia 

Bonus Track: "Sound is Vibration" off Atmosphere's 1998 album Overcast