Meet Smookie Illson

As a big fan of Smookie Illson I couldn’t wait for the day for him to formally introduce himself to the listeners. From the moment I heard the trap bootleg “Molly” there wasn’t one doubt in my mind that his tunes wouldn’t be what got everyone shaking there asses, droppin’ it low, taking there shirts off, and perkulating all over the the dance floor. With his range of genres throughout his production (electro, moombahcore, breaks, and trap) anyone is bound to find the tune that hits their musical G spot. ;) You  might have even heard the Smookie Illson mix of “Take Your Shirt Off” at Chicago’s hottest party, Porn and Chicken. Smookie also just released two original tunes with Potty Mouth Records, “Butta Scotch” and “Drop it Low” that are both available on Beatport. Now that you have heard my two sense, MEET SMOOKIE ILLSON…..

Coming of age in 90’s inner city Chicago, Smookie grew up on Crucial Conflict, Do or Die, and Twista. That is, until he got his first taste of dance music from an older cousin who was a fixture of the era’s warehouse rave scene. With his old hip hop mixtapes soon gathering dust, Smookie fully immersed himself in this newfound world of music. Even though he was too young to attend these raves himself, he instead spent hours at the public library on internet message boards seeking out DJ sets and educating himself on the rich dance music history of his city.

Cobbling enough money from his summer jobs (and other, less than legitimate means) he was soon able to afford a computer and a midi controller. He taught himself the ins and outs of music production, spending days on end tapping away in his bedroom studio. Soon enough he was making ends meet by selling beats to aspiring rappers and vocalists, all the while trying his hand at crafting his own dance tracks on the side.

His beat-making talent soon caught the attention of a neighborhood “businessman” who noticed a lot of promise in young Smookie. He agreed to sponsor the budding producer’s dream to have a better equipped studio in exchange for some beats. It was then, that an ill-fated event almost put his aspirations as music producer on hold, when he was implicated in a large-scale money laundering conspiracy against his would be benefactor.

Barely escaping a charge (mostly due to “insufficient evidence”), our hero decided to relocate to refocus on his musical goals. First to Brooklyn, NY, where he was welcomed into a community of like-minded creatives, then to Atlanta, where he spent time as an intern at various music studios, further honing his craft and networking in the scene. Armed with new knowledge and insight, he was ready to embark on a new phase of his life: the quest to introduce the world at large to the sounds of Smookie Illson.

Smookie Illson Soundcloud:  http://soundcloud.com/smookieillson

Get the “Drop it Low” EP on Beatport : http://www.beatport.com/release/drop-it-low-ep/966389

“Like” Smookie Illson on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Smookie-Illson/334061073354580