Attis Clopton’s Art Mixtape: pairings to perk up your ears + eyes

May 05, 2018

Drummer, photographer and Brooklynite Attis Clopton has been making music for over a decade, and living an NYC life for nearly as long. In his photography, he gravitates toward the people that pound the Big Apple pavement, going for snaps that give a sense of the soul on the front end of the lens. Clopton clearly draws inspiration from New York City, and that seems to pour into his life as a full-time musician as well. He’s a member of the band AABARAKI, whose sound has been described “like taking a late night subway ride deep into the heart of Brooklyn”. He performed at Carnegie Hall this past March alongside Bhi Bhiman, and has upcoming performances at The Owl and National Sawdust in BK. He's also got something extra special in the works: his first solo project! Stay tuned for that.

Below, a taste of Clopton's harmonies in the form of two print + song pairings synthesized from 20x200 art and the drummer’s own mental musical library...

My pairings maybe only make sense to me? Lololol. As a musician and somewhat of a visual artist myself, imagery and music go hand and hand. Usually when I listen to a song I do see some sort of image and vice versa. Art and music are basically my life blood. They are both constant forms of inspiration and a way of life. A lot of these pairings are somber ... not sure what I was thinking about when I did these. I was in sentimental mood, I guess? — Attis Clopton