ATL's Digital Underground: Remembering AB+L Radio's Legacy in Atlanta's Creative Culture
- D.J. InvertTheWorld
- Apr 8
- 5 min read
Updated: Apr 9
Atlanta. The Terminus City. The ATL. This place has a certain transformative alchemy, a way of taking something familiar and flipping it on its head, injecting it with a unique, undeniable soul.
That's the very essence of what happened with AB+L Radio. It wasn't chasing trends; it was setting them, born from the digital ether that now connects us all, yet deeply rooted in Atlanta's fertile creative culture and underground.
Old enough to have witnessed the city's evolution, yet still burning with a youthful, unapologetic fire, AB+L Radio blasted that unfiltered creativity straight through your speakers and screens. Innovation wasn't just a buzzword; it was the lifeblood that kept the signal strong, always locked onto what was next in Atlanta's ever-shifting cultural landscape...
We weren't trying to be the same old entertainment; we wanted to crack the window wide open on a different world, a world buzzing with untapped creativity. Hip, engaging, thought-provoking, entertaining, accessible, conscious, innovative – that was the damn blueprint. And we stood firm behind the indies, the underground, the real voices that often get drowned out. AB+L Radio? It wasn't just a station; it was a damn multi-tool for the culture.
In 2013, Jabari Graham from the Art Beats + Lyrics traveling show connected with Mach Diesel about starting an internet radio station. Mach, already five years deep in the digital trenches building platforms, understood the vision: a sonic mirror to the Art Beats + Lyrics Exhibit vibe, a space where artists could unleash and push the damn culture forward.
AB+L Radio was born with that goal. It launched lean – Day 1 Radio, and Digital Good Times – but soon housed over 20 podcasts and curators slingin' the hottest indie sounds.
By 2015, Mach expanded the brand's reach, evolving the website, ABLRadio.com for original content and broadcasting the real Atlanta nightlife. I was installed as the Director of Operations and and Bri Simpson facilitated Creative Direction & the digital growth.
We partnering with AB+L party starters DJ Wally Sparks and the WERC Crew to broadcast their monthly fire events live on ABLRadio.com. These moves propelled listenership to over 100K monthly.
The airwaves reflected this ethos. AB+L supported the independent podcasters and music creatives – artists who were musicians and or writers to the bone, birthing sounds and commentary for the next generation. The DJs were innovators, culture curators, their sets raw reflections of our times.
Shows and podcasts tackled the real shit, the conversations that mattered. Soundbites – comedy jabs, raw poetry, freestyle explosions – punctuated the stream, understanding that effective music curation encompassed storytelling, rhythm, the human experience uncut. The format? No commercials. Pure content, accessible everywhere, offering an experience that just hit differently.
That energy permeated everything. The blog was a written echo of the underground and its roots segmented through the categories of Arts, Beats, and Lyrics. Artist spotlights, exhibit breakdowns, new music drops, nightlife deep dives, and the lifestyle that connected it all. Live events were our domain: live bands at The Early Show, the energy of A3C, the raw vibes of The High Concert, The Groove, and Flava. It felt like our finger was on the pulse of the city.
AB+L Radio amplified the voices of the city's innovators, featuring Day 1 Radio with Brandon LSK and Maurice Garland as our flagship podcast. We proudly showcased a diverse lineup, including The Eye of Rah Show, You Can't F*ck Me Show, Ceez the A&R, Comedy Hype, Automajic/Black Noize Media, and the sounds of our resident DJs: DJ Wally Sparks, who served as our flagship DJ featured on Day1Radio as well, alongside the talents of DJ Empress Ray and Life As a Socialite's DJ Reggie Bishop.
Our commitment extended beyond the studio, forging a cornerstone partnership with DJ Wally Sparks and the WERC Crew to live broadcast 'The Groove' from East Atlanta Village. Furthermore, AB+L Radio recognized the importance of community, providing coverage for significant events like the Black Wall Street entrepreneur pitch competition in Durham, NC.
There was a palpable sense of an intentional effort to build a digital and, to some extent, physical space where artists and enthusiasts could connect and engage.
What we wanted to make evident was our commitment to platforming local talent. AB+L Radio allowed us to recognize the wealth of artistic innovation within the city, providing exposure to emerging visual artists, musicians, and DJs alongside more established names.
For visual artists like myself, this created a sense of solidarity and a feeling that our collective contributions were being acknowledged, utilized, and amplified. It was like all hands on deck for one creative goal. Representation, as always, held significance, and AB+L Radio attempted to understand this importance by providing and fostering a vibrant and inclusive creative environment.
The expansion of AB+L Radio TV pushed visuals and music that hit you in the gut: abstract shots, global urban vibes, in-scene grit with vlog series like Mad Fresh In These Streets. The motto was "New Rules. New Radio." Mach Diesel put it best: "New Rules, New Radio. We are the platform for some different sh*t." That was the core – building our own platform for the sounds and voices breaking that were no long waiting to be heard.
AB+L Radio was old enough to mentor the millennial generation but still young and rebellious enough to be unapologetically expressive through visual and audible arts. Its existence was due to technological advancements, and its continued growth relied solely on consistently researching and utilizing such advancements.
AB+L Radio wanted the world to see a different, more creative side of entertainment, understanding the world's inherent creativity and aiming to be the window to it. It was hip, engaging, thought-provoking, entertaining, accessible, conscious, and innovative, firmly backing the independent/underground cultures and communities – a multi-useful platform.
Through its heartbeat from that corner of Peachtree and MLK in Atlanta, AB+L Radio's influence and reach resonated across the national and even into the global creative landscape. We operated on a core set of principles: champion authentic voices, push the boundaries of innovation, provide a platform for unapologetic expression, elevate the creative underground, and foster a strong sense of community.
Our greatest rewards were contributing with other artists we supported in the making of something pure and authentic, the excitement of listeners discovering new sounds and perspectives, and the raw energy of our live broadcasts – all underscored by that iconic Pimp C letter in our studio, a constant reminder of the realness we stood for.
Ultimately, AB+L Radio's legacy lies in its early embrace of the digital audio revolution, its commitment to Atlanta's independent creative scene, and its dedication to amplifying the diverse voices that shaped our culture
That's the story. Raw and uncut. AB+L Radio wasn't just a moment; it was a movement.
Check out some of our shows from the archives below
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