Artist Profile – notAgain (Spain)
26 year old notAgain hails from Madrid, Spain. He is making in interesting hybrid of guitar infused drum and bass and has a brand new single out on October 7th.
He reached out to us to share his vibe and we liked it so much we thought we’d have a chat with him.
Here are the results!
notAgain, welcome INSIDE!
So, you’re a Spanish native living in Madrid. There are a lot of interesting DNB artists in the country. How have you found becoming a part of the community in your homeland?
First of all, thank you for having me! Here in Madrid, there isn’t a bass scene as there is in another parts of Spain, but little by little, small promoters are bringing it to the capital. I am part of one organisation called Poisonous and we’ve had a couple of sold-out shows, but it has been really difficult.
There are lots of smaller gigs popping off though, right?
Yes! It’s quite uplifting! Although we have a lot of work to do to have the same scene as other countries.
Your latest music has a distinct metal element to it. It’s not what we’d call neuro, but more of a direct blend of both DNB and metal influences. Where does the guitar fit into your past and now into your music?
I’ve been playing the guitar since I was a kid but nowadays it’s more like a hobby. I used to attend lots of metalcore and hardcore gigs some years ago, and that kept me playing a lot. Basically, being into punk and metal all my life has influenced me a lot and obviously the way I approach music.
You’ve also studied sound design, and this seems to be quite common now amongst younger producers. They seem to want to gain a deeper understanding of the mechanics of sound. Would you agree?
I totally agree. I think it’s quite important to know what you’re doing, and it’s taken me a lot of time to learn! So yes, having that deep understanding is what makes the difference.
You have a distinct 90’s skater look about you, and you cite both metalcore and hardcore (the guitar based genre, not the rave namesake) as distinct influences. There is room out there for a pure DNB/Guitar crossover? (and by this we mean analogue guitars and digital drums and bass as opposed to neuro?). Many DNB drum patterns are taken directly from rock music anyway, right?
Of course! We’ve already seen it the past with Pendulum Live sets to name one. It gives another perspective of a DNB set to the people and it’s a quite an experience. In fact, I remember my first DNB gig was in Antwerp seeing a Netsky Live set and it was fire.
You use a Macbook Pro and it seems that this is the number one choice for a lot of producers. What is it about the machine that you like so much?
I love it because it’s pretty easy to use and it usually doesn’t give any kind of problem. Some friends have changed from Mac to Windows but at this moment I am so happy with it.
You have a collective of friends who produce as well. Do you find it helpful to bounce ideas off of them and vice versa, and are their any collabs on the cards?
Absolutely 😊 It’s pretty helpful to share track ideas with the others and to have this honest feedback. We may see some collabs in the following months…
In terms of musical tastes, you straddle a number of genres, including both the digital genres and punk and metal. This means that you enjoy nights out on both sides of the musical spectrum, so who are your favourite guitar bands and why?
My favourite band is blink-182. I started listening to them when I was a kid and since then I have the exact same feeling whenever I listen to their music. Most of their songs are very happy and energetic so it’s kind of impossible to be in a bad mood. I also have to mention Bring Me The Horizon and Your Demise, as they have influenced me a lot while I was a teenager, and I still have them on repeat.
And what about gigs you’ve performed at? Tell us a bit about those?
These gigs were organised by our promoter, and they were awesome. It’s so cool to be sharing the decks with the same artist you’ve grown up listening to and also with others you admire a lot. Most of them were in Madrid, but we also had another in Gran Canaria. One of the best moments I remember was the first big gig we made, it was my first time performing for lots of people and all of my friends were there supporting me, so this day has a special meaning.
Live DNB has been tried many times before, but mostly always with the back-up of digital technology. Do you think there is any scope for an analogue only DNB band? I mean, with enough FX equipment, it could be a possibility.
Why not? Maybe it could lose some of its “essence” but there are lots of analogue synths that have been there for a long time.
This new single then, tell us a bit about it. What inspired it and how long did it take you to write?
It is a DNB track with influences from metal music as it has distorted guitars with organic drums which predominate during the song. It is a very energetic and danceable song whose intention is to bring this music to all kind of public, using a very friendly vocal to achieve that.
As we’ve talked before, my musical background is what inspired me to make this track and I’m so happy with the result. Once I had the idea the rest of the process was really quick. I don’t remember how long I’ve been writing this song but the enough time to make me feel good with the result.
And in terms of signing to a label, how’s that journey been so far? You’re operating on Soundcloud for now?
I’ve been doing all by myself until now. My first tracks are on Soundcloud because they aren’t official remixes, but the last two I’ve released are in Spotify.
So finally, what are your main objectives for the foreseeable future?
The main ones are to continue releasing music and have festivals and club dates here and outside Spain.
FIND OUT MORE HERE:
Stream notAgain music | Listen to songs, albums, playlists for free on SoundCloud
Borja Fdez (@notagainmusic) • Instagram photos and videos
