Were you ever bullied? Did you ever feel like you do not belong somewhere? Are you an introvert? Have you lost loved ones, a job, or your sense of connection since the world seemingly shut down over the last few years due to the pandemic? Did you enjoy going to Raves back in the mid to late 90’s – early 2000’s? Are you a performing artist yourself? Do you lose yourself in the music and let it purge your thoughts, feelings and emotions? If you are anything like us . . . you may have answered a resounding “YES” to some (if not ALL), of the aforementioned questions. Once upon a time, Underground Music events were a sanctuary for those who had no home, felt socially awkward, had no sense of belonging and provided an escape. It was a place to “put that 9 to 5 up on the shelf and just enjoy yourself.” It gave us an opportunity to be part of something we had no idea we were building! It gave us the chance to say, “Let’s make a rendezvous.” We would shake off the cubeville life, don colorful makeup, handmade “kandi” jewelry for trading, pick out our favorite pair of Kikwear/JNCOs/UFOs, throw on that new Liquid Sky D-sign teeshirt and top off with a dope fuzzy Kangol . . . while not caring what our day life would say or think because THIS, this was where we felt at home! We built our own villages, and the events we attended grew as did those tribes. Corporate stepped in and made the subculture get thrown full force into the mainstream. Technology made it easy to share these events and maintain those relationships, seemingly shrinking the previous vastness of the globe. Generations began to overlap. Performing artists shifted from strictly being DJs to Producers or event organizers (substantially upping their game), and the torch not only got passed on but began to morph into places we never thought we would be. Mega-clubs, major festivals that would run for a week at a time, globe trotting tours and eventually . . . the META-VERSE! Then, the pandemic hit and the world grind to a full stop. People became isolated, unemployed, depressed, frustrated and many lost loved ones. We could no longer hug it out. We could no longer see those friends. We had to come up with alternatives. We created work arounds. We had to salvage what we had worked so hard and long to build without losing the momentum. We almost forgot how to act with each other in day to day activities as (for many that were lucky enough to), home became our workspace and studios. Our Peace was disrupted because the Love was not there to give or receive due to Unity being removed and Respect becoming almost absent from our lives. Flash forward . . . the world began to slowly reopen and life had shifted. Something hit the “reset button” and hit it HARD! Recording Artists had new music, people had new dance moves, promoters had new plans and production crews had new tricks up their sleeves. People began to remember what was truly important. People were grateful to get back to gathering because humans are social creatures by nature. Enter Alexis Samaan and Amber Long with “Heavyweight.”
The track starts off with a progressive build in the first minute that makes us want a huge speaker stack. The silky smooth voice of Amber Long comes in stating, “I spent a lot of time thinking about everything that was lost and it became a heavy weight to carry.” THAT is when we grabbed our headphones to listen to the message she had to deliver and does she EVER! She touches on love, loss, unity, thankfulness, and the community built around the ONE thing that brought us all here . . . the MUSIC. The production that went into this track is jaw droping amazing. There are rolling chases from left to right speaker. There are low undertones that any Speaker Freaker will enjoy. The mids and highs make us feel uplifted and hopeful that we can make a new normal. Alexis does an amazing job of taking us on Amber’s vocal journey as a melodic partner. This simple yet profound mix is one that deserves (dare we say NEEDS), to be played over FM radio, at festivals, in the club, during car rides, basically wherever you find your sonic cleanse. Too many tracks focus on the superficial, which is ok and can be fun however, this is just the type of music the scene was founded on. Take “the time to check in on” this cut and make sure to share it with others if you loved it as much as we did because “I think we can build something greater than before.” The best part is this is a free download on Soundcloud: https://bit.ly/3yZRlFH
