Recover from Life | About | Michael Cucchiara

I'm Michael Cucchiara. I'm a music producer, a skateboarder, and a human being who's been clean from hard drugs for nearly four years. This site is a response to the chaos. It's a space to speak honestly about what it means to recover when the world doesn’t stop turning just because you decided to heal.

I’ve dealt with addiction, OCD, burnout, and all the versions of help that get peddled online. What actually helped me? Movement. Creating. Skateboarding until my brain finally got quiet. Writing music that didn’t need to sell. Learning how to sit still, breathe, feel my nervous system scream — and stay anyway.

I got sober in a world where the culture around me still glorified escape. I studied recording arts and realized that the studio environment — filled with late nights, drug use, and grinding — wasn’t healing me. It was baiting relapse. I left the scene and started building something quieter and more honest from the ground up.

This site is where I share how I did that, and how I’m still figuring it out. You won’t find quick fixes here. You’ll find stories, tools, questions, and maybe something that resonates with you if you’re navigating your own version of the same mess.

I believe recovery isn’t about going back to who you were. It’s about building something entirely new — and choosing to do that again and again. If you’re here, you’re probably already doing that too. So welcome.

This is How to Recover from Life.

This is where I explore sound. Producing, writing, mixing—it's all part of how I process what I’m feeling and what I’ve lived through.

What you’ll find here is a mix of instrumentals, beats, and song ideas that stuck with me. I’m always trying to get closer to the sound in my head.

Tipping Point@michaelcucchiara

00:00 / 04:05

July 12, 2025 - Tipping Point

A Pluggnb beat. This past month I’ve been focused on this sound. I played the chords for this one on piano first, then brought the idea into FL Studio using an electric piano to build it out.

Flag That@michaelcucchiara

00:00 / 03:28

July 1, 2025 - Flag That

A beat inspired by the first Wilt Chamberlain mixtape. I’ll always have a soft spot for that era and style of production—it’s what first made me want to try making music myself.

July 4, 2025 - OTS by Otrdolo (prod. Michael Cucchiara)

I was deep into making Flint and Detroit-style beats during the back half of 2023. This one stood out early, so I stashed it on my hard drive and was just waiting for the right artist. A few months ago, the homie Otrdolo hit me up asking for some Flint-type stuff, so I sent him a ten-pack. This beat was in the batch. It ended up on his final tape as an artist, and he knocked it out the park.

Church in Detroit@michaelcucchiara & @1wavyjay

00:00 / 03:40

August 20, 2023 - Church in Detroit

I made this at the start of my Flint and Detroit phase in 2023. It was one of my first in-person collabs—cooked it up with the homie, and we snapped. I wanted to highlight this older beat to show where my sound really started taking shape. This was about a year into producing, and one of the first times I made something I actually enjoyed listening to. The mix is a little rough in hindsight. Definitely clipped the low end too hard, but that was all a part of the process.

Corner Pocket@michaelcucchiara

00:00 / 02:48

Nov 9, 2024 - Corner Pocket

This was one of the first beats where I played all the MIDI out on my keyboard. I’d been teaching myself piano the year leading up to this, and I finally got to the point where I could play a melody I was actually hearing in my head. It was a game-changer for my workflow. This beat helped shape what would become my sound. Everything I’ve made since has built off the foundation I laid on this one.

Skateboarding’s been part of my life for as long as I can remember. It’s how I process, how I move, and how I connect. These clips are a mix of sessions, edits, and moments that meant something to me.

I’ve figured a lot out on the board — through trial, error, and repetition. What’s here is just a glimpse into the way I move through life.

June 9, 2023 - Bs Bigflip Tail Shuv Out

Favorite trick I’ve ever landed, and easily the “hardest.” I was living in Orlando for school, only skating this wooden park (Yucatan) since it was close. Small transition was all they had, so I was focused on doing tech tricks at the time. Cheese and crackers trick selection. It took thirteen days to stick this one.

June 15, 2025 - Alley-oop Bs Melon & More

Threw this edit together from a chill Sunday session. I skated for about an hour and filmed what a usual quick sesh looks like for me. I made the music for it too. Favorite trick in here is the backside ollie to nosepick bash-in. This is at my local park, Reid Menzer in York, PA — my favorite park and the one I’ve spent the most time at.

April 7, 2025 - Bs Tail to Fakie

Another edit I cooked up with my own beat as the background music. I was at the park and learned the last trick in this line, the backtail to fakie, and decided to throw it into a line. The ditch ramp I did the backtail on is one of my favorites at the park because of it's unique transitions. Its a two-three foot steep quarter that transitions into a normal bank. Fun one.

March 18, 2025 - Alley-oop Fs Air

For the longest time I could not keep the board on my feet when I would try any alley-oop frontside variation. I spent the week leading up to landing this toying with where I put my weight and eventually figured out the sweet spot. It was satisfying finally adding this one into my bag of tricks.

February 6, 2023 - Bs Tail Bs Bigspin

I tried this trick on and off over the years. I would always squeak out a sketchy landing and just stop trying it. I sat down this day and tried to break down the bigspin out. I figured out how to land in the back tail so my back foot was ready and it was game over. +1 in the bag of tricks.

March 11, 2024 - Kickflip Pivot to Fakie

Pivot to fakie and fs blunt are my two go to tricks on most things. So kickflip pivot fakie made sense to learn. I never learned em prior to this day because I could never balance the 5-0 properly. Did a couple with no tail press and solid fakie entry, then called it a day. I haven't done one since.

Skateboarder doing a frontside air on a quarter pipe at Reid Menzer Skatepark

September 23, 2020 - Fs Air

I love this picture of myself because I had just figured out how to blast frontside airs. This quarter pipe is about 6 foot tall with some wonky transitions. It gets steep out of nowhere, but it's perfect for doing airs, as it shoots you out versus up, preventing any scares of hanging up. Worst case you might go to flat. I actually learned most of my airs on here due to this. The bar at the top was an added bonus to track my height. Once I started going past the bar, I got the picture.