Subdivision Studios is quite possibly the best thing ever to hit Olympia for up-and-coming hip-hop artists - at least when it comes to finding a legitimate place to record music or finding top-of-the-line production. On April 1, Smoke of Oldominion (Matt Smokovich), Booz E Collinz (Rolando Guajardo) and Chonie Diego (Aaron Lopez) combined ideas, efforts and powers to open the brand-new studio just north of Olympia, with the intention of helping improve the overall quality of music coming out of the South Sound. With creators who are all veterans of the music scene in Olympia and outside it, Subdivision seems primed for success. I sat down with Smoke, Booz E Collinz and Chonie Diego at their newly opened venture off Rich Road in Lacey.

"We not only offer top-of-the-line recording equipment with an engineer but we also offer equipment that can be rented for shows and parties, DJs and graphic design," says Smoke, who moved to Olympia six years ago to station himself halfway between Portland and Seattle. As it turns out, Olympia musicians ended up benefiting the most from this.

While Smoke is the head engineer and focuses mostly on production, Chonie Diego and Booz E Collinz are more familiar with DJ-ing. 

Booz E, originally from Austin, Texas, grew up as an electro/dubstep DJ, but says the transition to hip-hop was fairly easy for him. "I didn't really mess with too much hip-hop until I moved to Olympia. When I moved here eight years ago I became friends with a lot of local hip-hop artists and that's when I really started messing with it," he says. 

Chonie Diego, raised in Lakewood and still a resident, has been DJ-ing since his youth. He too grew up spinning mostly electronic/dubstep music, but has always had a sweet spot for hip-hop. "Electronic stuff has always been my thing but I've always been way into hip-hop also," says Chonie. "Honestly my production is a cross between the two sounds."  

One might wonder how three talented, behind-the-spotlight musicians met and decided to make something like Subdivision Studios happen. "I've known Booz E for a long time," says Smoke. "I knew he was a talented DJ and producer from the start."  

"I met both Smoke and Booz E from DJ-ing for Night Fox and LA Swagga.  I knew who both of them were and they just happened to really like what I did so I was honored to start working with them musically," says Chonie. "The idea for the studio and business together came about a year after we were all acquainted."

Right now the studio is fully operational and available for solo recording artists and equipment/DJ rentals, there are plans in the near future to remodel and make Subdivision available for full bands and ensemble recordings.