For those who haven’t been tuned in, Amsterdam based not yes has been on the steady rise since their formation in 2020. Over a series of self-releases, they established their distinct wonky halftime infused club beat sound and began to make their presence in the scene known, becoming quickly picked up by the tremendous curators over at Intrinzic for an EP and a very special vinyl pressing with unique merchandise accompaniment. Since that feature, they’ve been driven to continue their growth constantly producing fire tracks one after another, releasing projects with titans of the underground like Subp Yao and DJ Ride, exploring the diversity of their sound with a wide range of heaviness, shifty rhythms, along with varied compositions and narratives all while sticking to their guns and maintaining their own vision.

Interestingly enough, their wonky halftime-infused breakdance style beats set them apart from most of their Drum & Bass oriented local scene, and have caught the most attention across the seas in the US, where most of their listening audience resides and where glitch-oriented bangers are always in demand. not yes seems to be becoming one of the names people are apt to rattle off when speaking about new talents emerging in their listening circles, even though they’ve yet to make their official stateside debut. They’ve cemented their presence with the US audience even further with their nod heads EP released on The Rust Music’s imprint out of New York City, an established label with a fine ear for talent. Following this collection of downtempo bangers was a head-rattling collab with Los Angeles based producer Saka, another producer on the rise in the states with numerous bookings this last year. not yes’s signature sound has been making its way into the community and one track that's especially been doing numbers across the US bass scene has been of 'Don’t Do Math'; a monstrous behemoth of a tune, and also of their earliest productions first heard on Noisia Radio back in 2020 finally finding its home on a VA release compiled by the mighty Inspected. Taken as a whole, the refined development of their intriguing sound and consistent level of quality releases demonstrates precisely fans around the globe wanting for more, as well as booking agents clamoring for a US tour someday soon.

One part of their appeal is certainly their lighthearted approach to making music— they have fun with it and in an industry where everyone seems to be fighting for the spotlight, that’s an important part of what makes their distinct sound so refreshing. Their personality and playful energy shine through more than anything else. They’re grinning ear to ear at us as we listen along and take in the audiovisual experience they’ve spent so much time meticulously crafting in the studio.

not yes: For us having fun is very important when working on our music. We think if it wasn’t fun then it wouldn’t motivate us to work on it. It also represents our characters a bit more, we’re quite goofy. We think if we would try to pull off a very serious image it would feel unnatural to us. I mean Alix Perez looks so cool, always, if we were to try that we would just look like idiots. We think we can better own that character of who we are, and represent that in everything we put out, from visuals to music. That’s also how we like to play our livesets. Energetic and loud, but still full of fun to create a party energy. Even though our music is quite technical for us it’s less about the sound design and more about the concept of the music and making you smile a little bit when you listen to it.

Yes, part of the joy for not yes is certainly the creative process itself, and letting the surrounding vision of their project be transmitted through the exploratory sketching phase of their production. Their experimental approach to crafting tunes and weaving narratives in a spontaneously absurd way has lent itself to utilizing videos to further express their theatrical visions and antics.  For those wondering, not yes are no strangers to video productions, longtime fans are keenly aware of their earliest inceptions and mock up video clips on Instagram as well as their bizarrely unique performative Intrinzic live stream. These two have unintentionally created a bit of a meme of themselves, as ridiculously hilarious videos accompany most of the tunes in their catalogue and the two have become inseparable.  As we scan their discography and behold their comedic creations, one might question how serious these producers are, but upon listening must admit the track bangs and the video is in fact, very cool indeed.

not yes: When we’re working on a track a concept surrounding it usually follows quite naturally. With every track we like to make it a bit more than just a club banger; ideally, it always has a short story or theme that elevates the track in a way. The video is just as essential a part of it as the quotes in the song which refer to the story.  It adds an extra layer of fun. We recently had a few scenarios where we found the video with the track was better than the track on its own as a release, which is an interesting turn in perspective.

Today they presented us a mysterious floppy disc containing their (self-proclaimed) Oscar-winning submission, 'put it in my hand', an energetic audio-visual display featuring a talented movement artist Bjoley.  For the first time, these artists have had the opportunity to take a project forward with upgraded production quality utilizing some professional film equipment, long hours of editing in Premiere Pro, and the support of an incredible actor, they were able to finally bring their absurd vision to life in his new single.

not yes: We’re super excited about this video cause this is the first time we’re not only relying on just visual FX and videos we find online. This time we went out with a camera, a short story and a proper actor and shoot something of our own. We collaborated with an incredibly talented model and performance dancer Bjoley. I think if you would conjure not yesin a dancer form, you’d get Bjoley. He’s super talented, uniquely weird and completely out there, but then has this dancing personality which is really captivating. When we explained the slightly absurd idea we had for the video we kinda expected some questioning but he was like: “ok, this is cool, makes sense, let’s go.” That’s when we knew we found the perfect guy for this."

Upon hearing the music he’s immediately overcome, exploding into convulsions. The possibility that he is not okay flitters before us, but no, the convulsions, they’re rhythmic. He is okay. He will not die. Quite the opposite.

Perhaps this is destiny. Seriously though, Bjoley is a phenomenal dancer. This breed of rhythmic halftime-club friendly music lends itself to a kind of free, dynamic expressivity, and his style seems born of this. He contorts with explosive erraticism, on the brink of what feels like a loss of control, but don’t worry, he’s done this before. His aggressive, improvisational style is well complemented by quick and dirty editing, oblique camerawork, and intense (but tastefully punctuated) use of effects. Such effects too often feel like a crutch, but the video’s producers have a good sense for when and where to make use in order to accentuate, rather than attempt to carry, the piece’s other elements. Bjoley emerges from this dissociative dance-fugue having traveled some unknown distance. With this brief wherewithal he registers his surroundings, a park of some sort, before being mercilessly sucked back into his trance. A vocal sample begins to insist: “put the fuckin’ drums in my hand.” It loops. A call to the maniacs of the world. Excite the system. Only inertia is worthy of fear, and inertia threatens us more and more every day.

The crux of the video is the mondegreen (that we of course now can’t unhear), the mishearing of the vocal loop’s “drums” as “drugs.” But the not yes lads recognize the hollow core of this demand. Mere drugs alone will not nourish the soul.

Bjoley knows this, and now wanders the park looking to share the music with an unsuspecting public. He selects his target: a wayward unabomber-esque figure ostensibly awaiting some kind of illicit transaction. Bjoley seizes the opportunity to assail him with a barrage of floppy discs as if to say “you know not what you do!” But this is no corny, sermonizing message, it’s fun, lighthearted, and we can’t help but recognize its kernel of truth.

Even still, we must respect the reckless confidence of the demand, and of the music itself. Put the drums, or the drugs, or both in their hands. Give the people what they want, or better yet, what they don’t yet know they want.

As for the track itself, it's a fierce, incisive approach from not yes on this one. It feels a little more serious and aggressive in light of their most recent releases yet it remains playful and light as well, their goofy personality bleeds through their compositions. A suspenseful building intro with barely legible vocals distorting their way to the gut wrenching drop.  Someone’s excited about something.  Leaping into an explosive mid tempo foray, one is bombarded by a tapestry of audio elements that quickly claim dominion over one’s physical body as one submits their nodding head to the beat. Intricate percussives combinations accented by shaking bells occupy the high end, first to grab one’s attention and tantalize one to their cerebellum.  The snapping sub and wicked kick drum groove are enveloped by incredible pockets of low end bass movement, creating perplexing patterns of guttural furnace growls blasting from below one’s feet. With head shaking insanity, we’re overcome with this accursedly addicting floppy disc.

The endlessly rolling groove on this rap-centred midsection is irresistible, this may be the longest vocal feature for not yes in their discography. an exploratory first within this tune. The masterful use of sampling, the beeps, bangs and brraaps coupled with catchy phrases and unique vocal modulations lends to the narrative quality of this hip hop infused track. The bones of the unique beat harkens to some of their phonk listening sessions, while being upgraded and  modified with uncompromising halftime textures, queues and immersive low end wobbles. The type of beat that can light up a dancefloor or collapse a houseparty. And we of course need to shout out their signature synth melodies, haunting and evocative of some eerie madness that seems to have seeped in from the boys’ brains, surely deliberate.

A fine addition to their ever-increasing arsenal of lethal club friendly artillery, sure to infuse your soul, take control of your body, and send you into some kind of frenzy. This track will be released April 8th on all platforms.

We have much to look forward to from these guys. With the success of this video we’ll be sure to see more in this vein as the not yes project continues to manifest. Lucky for us they’ll soon be making an appearance on Saturate’s next Various Artists vinyl release alongside other producers such as Bukez Finezt, Dead End, Maysev, Starkey, PRESTUS, and many more. As the heap of dubs accumulate in the studio, the finer bits will slowly be released over the next few months. Keep your eyes peeled for these lads, with the way their fanbase is expanding it's only a matter of time before their live circuit begins. Here’s to hoping they’ll eventually make it overseas to meet the growing demand in the states. But with this kind of personality and this kind of hype that seems almost inevitable.

Keep it locked for more not yes, coming soon to a Rendah Mag near you

And special thanks to Bjoley’s wild contribution! We hope to share more dance related artforms like this in the future.