ATOMO, or Tyler Termini is his offstage form, is one of my favorite Louisville Music-Makers and dearest co-workers at the Mayan Cafe. 
	(And yes, that was a shameless plug for Mayan Cafe. In these trying times, small businesses need you. Please go get a burrito to go from Mayan if you live in Louisville and have the resources to do so. They are truly the best employer I could have asked for, and I’m so grateful to Anne Schadle and Bruce Ucan every day for their leadership and just for letting me hang out in a building full of amazing people like Tyler Termini over the course of this past year). 
     
ATOMO creates music that makes it nearly impossible NOT to dance. Yet beneath the persistent, danceable rhythm, there is nearly always a layer of subtle socio-political observation that leaves me taken aback, and confused as to how I have yet to stop dancing and start calling my congressmen. But that’s the magic of it. He is artfully able to revel in the delight of being a human while genuinely and seriously addressing the tragedies and injustices that accompany human life. This juxtaposition is quite succinctly expressed in the only artist bio he offers on his internet profiles, “You have no choice. You were born a sacrifice…so look alive.” This statement, and ATOMO’s emerging oeuvre as a whole, feel relevant now more than ever. In this episode of CLOSESOUND, Tyler talks abut his upcoming album “Limelight,” the value of dance parties, and the natural surround sound (amongst many other things). At one point, he delves into an incredibly well thought out profession of his respect for the lost art of being bored. As those of us with safe places to live retreat into our homes during this trying universal crisis, Termini’s observation that, “being bored is a privilege,” becomes more pertinent than ever. 

I invite you, in this challenging historical moment, to listen to this podcast and ask yourself how you might reform your listening habits, and come to a place of earnest and equal respect for both your joys and your trials. How might we build artistic community in the face of a universal tragedy? These questions feel particularly important for young folks at the turn of this decade, seeing as we will likely be faced with similar challenges over the course of our life due the state of our climate. Without clear vision of the utopia, the dystopia is all we have. How do we, in Termini’s words, “operate under the assumption that the world is burning,” and still manage to spend our energy solving problems and envisioning solutions. I can tell you one good way to start: turn on ATOMO’s music, dance like you mean it, and for goodness sakes, “look alive.” 

Cover Photo by WG Rickel 

Listen to ATOMO here: https://atomo-cares.bandcamp.com/

Other Resources:
Mayan Cafe: https://themayancafe.com/
Future Killer https://futurekiller.bandcamp.com/
WG Rickel https://www.wgrickel.info/
Red Ted
Inspector Norse/Todd Terje
	Whateverest: https://vimeo.com/58444378
“Last Night a DJ Saved My Life” Bill Brewster
Billie Ocean 
The SOS Band 
Some Thing
Meow Wolf

ATOMO on Dancing, Boredom, and the Natural Surround Sound

CLOSESOUND is a podcast featuring conversations with creative people about music. CLOSESOUND is created and produced by Kentucky artist Grace Ann Rogers. 

Thumbnail design by Elijah Ervin (from a photo by Grace).

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