Ηard hitting Bass music capturing our times in isolation and uncertainty
Meet our clients who trusted Mind The Wax to press their music on vinyl!
Not Now is a team of DJs, producers and friends based in Thessaloniki. They started organizing parties in 2015, promoting their favorite sounds of UK Bass, Grime, Club and everything in-between, hosting nights with guests like Sinjin Hawke, Zora Jones, Om Unit, Last Japan, Etch and Kutmah to name a few.
In 2019 they started Not Now Records, releasing a compilation of tracks by their core members Radio Etc and George Next and close friends of Not Now, people who have previously been a part of our club nights.
Akito’s “Undercurrent” is their second official release, released on November 27th 2021, after more than a year in the works, shaping further the sound of the label.
“The record was inspired mostly by a small selection of Japanese ‘70s & ‘80s City Pop records, the duality of bitter & sweet co-existing sonically was a sound I tried to replicate while writing this record. A few examples of what I was listening to were Hi-Fi sets ‘Sky Restaurant’ & Takako Mamiya ‘Mayonaka Joke’ – I really warmed towards the melancholic undertones and how they are paired with fleeting glimpses of hope, which soon became the concept behind the EP.
I maintained a balance between the hard-hitting percussive sounds and softer melodies that caption the repressed feelings of aggression, self-doubt and melancholy that the last period of isolation and uncertainty have elicited.”
“Opener’s “Coal Mine Canary” bouncy 97 BPM beat is complimented by distorted strings and heavy stomps, while “Double Gin & Mood Swings” follows, smoothly combining ghostly xylophone harmonics with a half-time, dancefloor-ready beat and layers of percussion. ‘Sliding Shadows” embodies the contrasting feeling of the record, the inner battle between serenity and undercurrent anger, where comforting steel drum chords and warm pads alternate with a menacing square bass over a hard drum riddim.”
“In “Turbo Sprog”, the UK producer and frequent collaborator Noire steps in, bringing his rhythmic drum patterns against a haunted keys loop and a heavy, chorused bass, elevating the track into one of the most DJ-friendly moments of the EP. “Residual Feels” follows the same path with detuned keys, gliding sub and an icy square synth riding a percussive, tribal beat, recalling my earlier work and my love for both club music and Grime.
In remix duties of the “Undercurrent” EP the bass heavyweight Last Japan takes the opening track into a whole new dimension, progressing a single loop from the original into an anthemic UK Drill instrumental.
“We’ve been fans of Akito as a producer and a DJ for years and we first met him by inviting him in Thessaloniki to play one of our parties, 2 years ago. We clicked immediately and he liked the idea of releasing an EP through our, then, newly-founded label.
After that he started sending us demos and ideas, in order to find the sound, concept and the final track list of the record. We decided that we wanted to work on the whole project as a label so Akito visited again and we hit the studio for a week in August 2020, where we finished some of the tracks and mixed most of the EP. During the next months, George Next perfected the mixdowns, while Akito hit the studio back in London with his long-time collaborator Noire and blessed us with the EP’s final track.”
“All tracks were produced on Ableton with various VST’s, and were mixed by George Next on Pro Tools & Ableton. Additional production by Noire, Radio Etc and George Next.
Tracks were mastered by Stardelta Audio Mastering studio in Devon, UK.
The “Undercurrent” EP is available on 12’’ 140gr Record with a Pantone Silver/Black printed cover, designed by Loic Dupasquier.
Akito’s “Undercurrent” EP is available via https://notnowrecords.bandcamp.com, selective record stores in Greece and across Europe, with worldwide distribution available soon and on all digital platforms.
Do you want to know more about Not Now?
Click on the below links to stay connected and support their music!
Do you want to know more about Akito?
Click on the below links to stay connected and support their music!
Photos courtesy of pitch_athens and Not Now
Vinyl pressing by Mind The Wax