AIRGLO: “Drum & Bass is My Obsession. I Love Everything About It”

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**For the July edition of the Drum & Bass Devotions series, we chatted with AIRGLO about the US DnB scene, his evolution as an artist, and what’s next.**

AIRGLO is part of a new wave of US drum and bass artists helping drive the genre’s presence stateside amid its renewed popularity in the 2020s. Born in Eastern Europe, he’s been a musician all his life. He was classically trained in piano starting at eight years old before trading the keys for DJ decks at 25.

The drum and bass producer’s life has always been tied to music. Growing up, AIRGLO devoured a wide range of genres, from metal to jazz to house and techno, all the while mastering the piano. It wasn’t until he graduated from the University of Southern California in 2010 that he dipped his toes in music production.

“I enjoyed the depth of classical music, but I never enjoyed the performances. I wanted more from my performances,” AIRGLO told EDMID. “As a classical pianist, you are not really expected to make your own music. I always wanted to make and perform my own music.”

He spent his post-graduation months exploring different subgenres of electronic music. But it was at a drum and bass show when he found his heartbeat in the 174 BPM realm. Since then, he said, he couldn’t stop obsessing over making tracks and listening to the music. Like many DnB heads, he had the genre consume him completely.

Drum and bass is my obsession. I love everything about it. I love how versatile it gets, I love how DnB artists are at the forefront of music and production. I love that it’s hard to make DnB well, that it shows who’s fake and trying to jump on the hype, and who’s actually in it for the love. The DnB genre is a marathon, and only those who actually love the genre and the music last long.

AIRGLO

Like his different phases as a music consumer, AIRGLO has also experimented with producing a variety of DnB subgenres. He said he started off mainly as a foghorn producer, then dabbled in dancefloor for a bit, “trying to make my own version of it.” He is currently in the middle of a jump-up phase, he said he’s “enjoying profusely,” and he expressed a desire to make a liquid EP in the near future.

“I am genuinely in love with the genre, and I’ve tried every genre. For some reason, I don’t find it interesting making anything but drum and bass,” AIRGLO confessed.

Interestingly, AIRGLO said his background as a classically trained musician didn’t help him much when he switched to producing. He said it felt like starting from square one because drum and bass is more focused on the drop and mixdowns than chord progression.

He nonetheless credited his classical training for giving him the drive to write and finalize a lot of music. According to AIRGLO, 80% of his tunes come from his “farming sessions,” where he builds ideas by looping a drum and bass beat and improvising with presets, chords, melodies, and sound design until something sticks.

“You probably could say classical music actually helped me,” AIRGLO clarified. But he added, “I just wish I didn’t spend so much time on being a pianist and jumped on the DnB wagon earlier.”

He said the US drum and bass scene is in an exciting state right now, but he emphasized the importance of recognizing artists like Gridlok, Evol Intent, and Quadrant & Iris. They all spent years championing the genre stateside long before it fully took off and found a broader audience.

When asked where he sees it headed, he predicted the genre would become more mainstream. “I see the future having more drum and bass producers playing arenas,” AIRGLO said. “Drum and bass in commercials, in the movies, in video games, incorporated into other genres.”

DnB is already well on the way there. Chase & Status played a virtual DJ set in the recent James Bond game, 007: First Light. WORSHIP is embarking on an arena tour in the fall. DnB melodies were even heard in popular 2026 TV shows like Off Campus and the new season of Love Island.

On July 17, AIRGLO and Teddy Killerz will drop their collab, “In My Heart.” AIRGLO is also actively working on the upcoming Re-Directed EP, which will feature remixes of songs off his 2025 debut album, DIRECTIVE.

AIRGLO’s exclusive mix for our Drum & Bass Devotions features his current collection of bootlegs, recently released tunes, and dubs. Give it a spin on SoundCloud, and follow AIRGLO on social media to see what he’s up to next.