A match made in drum and bass heaven, AIRGLO and Sammie Hall deliver the perfect anthems for your post-COVID season.
Los Angeles-based D&B producer AIRGLO and UK vocalist Sammie Hall have teamed up to deliver a powerful one-two punch on their debut EP on Play Me Records. These two were already familiar with each other’s work having been featured on the Programmed series from RAM Records, so when Sammie Hall responded to AIRGLO’s hunt for a new vocal collaborator they quickly found chemistry. And the result was the creation of the angst-filled “Know Me” as well as the titular “Back to Reality.”
Back to Reality / Know Me is a two-track project that perfectly ushers us into the post-COVID festival season. With AIRGLO’s high-energy growling basslines and Sammie Hall’s empowering self-written vocals, each track feels like a gritty take on the stadium liquid sound. As vaccines roll out at higher rates and we find ourselves returning ‘back to reality,’ this EP encapsulates our simultaneous feelings of this nostalgic return to pre-COVID ‘normalcy’ contrasted with our acknowledgment that some changes from this year, whether internal or external, are wholly irreversible.
This EP is the ideal companion for all your upcoming adventures. Whether it’s en route driving to that first in-person concert you can finally safely attend, or staring out at the vista while you evaluate where the chips of your life have fallen this year, the depth and emotion brought on by these tracks is the catharsis you need.
Listen to Back to Reality / Know Me on Spotify below, purchase or stream it on your preferred platform, and read on for more insight on this new release from Play Me Records!
AIRGLO & Sammie Hall – Back to Reality on Spotify:
Both tracks embody forward-thinking sound design and biting lyrics that fill you with a sort of dystopian, high-paced energy.
“Back to Reality” uses a captivating, atmospheric introduction to drop you into a futuristic, cyberpunk setting that will have you feeling those old-school raver vibes and some real deja vu. Through punchy, textured basslines contrasted with classic synths and ethereal vocals, the sonic aesthetic is reminiscent of that ’90s sci-fi feeling of being futuristic and retro.
“Know Me” also makes use of a more somber, piano introduction to juxtapose against the intense emotions brought on later in the track. Taking an angsty, more serious tone, Sammie Hall lets an anonymous individual know: “You don’t even know me. You came in and out of my life, but I’ve changed now.”
While “Back to Reality” felt nostalgic and hopeful, “Know Me” is defiant and spunky. Rather than going ‘back to reality,’ “Know Me” tells us that it’s also time to move onto a new normal. This song stands out to me in particular from this project. The strength of the emotional weight behind AIRGLO’s basslines, sometimes even quivering and having its own melody, captures you and does not let you go until it’s good and ready.
If this is not the poster child for the power of online collaboration to erase borders and allow for new forms of technology-driven music magic to happen – well, I don’t know what is. We can’t wait to see what sonic joy this powerhouse duo will bring to us next.
Follow AIRGLO on Social Media:
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | SoundCloud
Follow Sammie Hall on Social Media:
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | SoundCloud
