- Words Darcy Culverhouse
Bristol bass-smith NOTION is rising through the ranks of dance music with a high-energy sound that’s filling club floors worldwide.
Somewhere between the sweat-slicked chaos of a 4 AM club set and the melancholy of a sunrise comedown, you’ll find NOTION. The Bristol-based producer has been quietly, and now very loudly, rewriting the rulebook of UK dance music, blurring the lines between subgenres across the electronic continuum with hard-hitting energy. It’s why his remix of ‘The Days’ by Chrystal hit the UK Top 5, turning a tender ballad into a bass-heavy gut punch that still manages to feel intimate.
Since the beginning, NOTION has resisted easy categorisation, weaving between scenes and sounds like it’s second nature. Bassline might be his bread and butter, but his palette stretches across DnB, garage, dubstep, and even a little emo when the mood hits. Tracks like 2020’s ‘Hooked’ are classic UK bassline, while 2021’s ‘CHERRY’ offered a softer, more melodic spin. Then came the sharp left turns: the chest-rattling dubstep of ‘JACK & PLAY’, the garage-glossed sheen of ‘ON IT’. But it’s 2024’s FORWARDS that feels like his most defining statement yet, less mixtape, more manifesto.
Released off the back of a sold-out US and Canada tour, FORWARDS is a full-spectrum snapshot of where NOTION’s head (and heart) is at. There’s ‘TEMPORARY FRIENDS’ with Charlotte Plank, a bass house banger that nods to his Bristol beginnings. ‘TV DREAMS’ beams like a euphoric techno love letter. ‘BACKBONE’ is a gritty, skank-ready stomper. And ‘FEEL LIKE ME’ is nothing short of a late-night house heater that’s already club circuit gold.
It’s this instinctive shape-shifting that caught the eye of CHAOS, the DIY dance imprint founded by ex-Polydor heads and now home to some of the most vital names in electronic music, with whom we threw a party last month. With them, NOTION’s been on a tear; playing Coachella, Glastonbury, Hideout, Outlook, and gearing up for a world tour that feels like a natural next step in his unstoppable rise.
Before he jets off, we caught up with NOTION in the blur of summer festival season to talk Bristol roots, going viral, and why he’s charging ahead with full throttle, no brakes.
How has being from Bristol influenced your music? What makes the Bristol scene special?
I’m actually not from Bristol; I grew up in a village about an hour away, but I moved when I was 18, so I’ve been here for my whole adult life. Bristol’s amazing and there’s a huge music and creative scene here. But if I’m being honest, I’ve always felt detached from it. The sound I was making when I moved here wasn’t massive in Bristol, so most of the shows I played and the artists I was around were based in other cities around the UK. I do love Bristol, though. It’s got an independent spirit, which I can identify with.
What are your early music memories? Did you grow up in a musical household?
My mum and dad are probably the reason I’ve ended up where I am. My dad plays guitar, my mum sings, and my older sister plays piano and sings too. None of them have played music professionally, but I was surrounded by such a range of music growing up. My entry point to playing music myself was messing around on my dad’s guitar as a kid. I started playing drums a bit later, when I was nine or 10. At some point, I talked my parents into buying me a drum kit and stole this little four-track recorder from my dad and started making my own songs with it. I’d record myself playing drums, the guitar, write lyrics and sing. I used to put them on CD and take them into school in year six. I thought it was sick, but I don’t think anyone else was overly impressed.
What sparked your interest in DJing and the sounds you produce?
I was listening to DnB, grime and a lot of bands in secondary school. The early UK dubstep stuff was the tipping point for me. I remember watching this YouTube video of Coki playing SpongeBob at a DMZ night and wheeling it about four times. I was still too young to go to clubs, but seeing people go mad for music like that, I was like, ‘Okay, I really want to do this.’
What’s it like being a DJ in 2025? How do you think the landscape has changed over the years?
Some bits are great and some bits are a bit soul-destroying, but that’s life in 2025, isn’t it? Social media, especially TikTok, has levelled the playing field for up-and-coming artists because it’s taken the power out of the hands of labels, radio, press and that ‘traditional’ route to discover new music, which is cool. However, it’s also made a lot of us feel like we have to cater our music to these platforms.
How would you define your sound? What identifiers make a NOTION set?
This is always the hardest question to answer, but I think the music I make is a mix of all the stuff I grew up listening to: bassline, garage, jungle, DnB, but also some rap, grime, and dubstep influences. I don’t think any of the music I’ve made in the last four-five years has fit into any scene properly, which is a blessing and a curse. It used to stress me out a bit because it definitely makes it harder to fit in somewhere when you’re trying to make a name for yourself, but I actually think it might be one of my strengths as an artist now. I don’t know if you’ve seen how many people are arguing over what genre my ‘The Days’ remix is, but I feel like the fact that people can’t put their finger on it proves my point. As far as my sets go, though, they’re basically just me trying to fit in as much high-energy clubby stuff from across all those genres as I can. I’ve never really been a five-hour extended set, take you on a journey kind of DJ, which I know some people think means you’re not a proper DJ, but I tend to mix pretty fast, and there’s something in me that wants to make crowds go mad for an hour.
What’s your favourite memory from a DJ set?
It’s so hard to pick a favourite because there are loads of different things that make sets memorable, but I played at Love Saves The Day in Bristol last month and I think it was honestly one of the best crowds I’ve ever played to anywhere. There’s something about playing a show like that around the corner from my house, especially as Bristol’s historically been a bit hit and miss for me, that felt like such a sick moment. I had a little cry on stage, hearing everyone belting out ‘The Days’ remix, and then I literally walked home afterwards.
How do you prepare for sets?
It depends on the show because sometimes I fully go in and plan sets out tune by tune with a whole playlist, especially if it’s a filmed set like the DJ Mag one earlier this year. If I’m on a tour, I might put together a rough set that I can switch up as I go along. Sometimes, you need to read the room, so I’ll be a bit less organised and just wing it on the day.
A large part of electronic and dance music is about collaboration. What do you look for in a collaborator?
I think it is for most people, but to be honest, I don’t think that’s ever been the case for me. I’ve obviously made music with friends, but I’m a bit of an introvert by nature and also quite picky about how stuff sounds, so making music has always been a bit of a solitary experience. I think the best collabs are the ones where you understand each other’s sounds really well. There’s a bit of an art to making something that still feels like both of you musically, whilst also feeling new.
What does your creative process look like? How do you know that a song or set is on the right tracks?
One of my favourite things about making music is sitting down with a blank canvas and not really knowing where I’ll end up. I pretty much always start with drums, but beyond that, I’ve never really been one of those people who wakes up with some big conceptual idea. If a tune makes you want to dance, cry or break the speed limit – or all three – then that’s usually a good sign for me.
What’s it like to go viral as a DJ? How does it make you feel?
It was definitely a bit overwhelming for the first couple of months. It’s weird, because everyone’s like ‘Oh, you must be gassed’, which is partly true but my first thoughts were, ‘Is this going to change everything? Will everyone want me to make the same song over and over?’ But it’s been really positive so far, and I’m very grateful that my music has reached some more people because of it. It’s quite an interesting thing to navigate as an artist because you could definitely go down the route of cashing in and making the same tune over and over again, but I’ve honestly got no interest in making 10 more ‘The Days’ remixes – I want to keep pushing myself creatively as an artist.
You rounded off your US tour a few months ago. How do UK and US crows differ?
I only started playing shows in the US last year, so I’m still trying to figure out the answer to that, but I feel like the UK is more scene-focused. People will be into garage, jungle or dubstep, whereas in the US, it feels more like people are into a specific artist. The UK is becoming more like that, though. In the States, they also expect a bit of a performance. We’ll happily watch some bloke stand behind the decks as long as they’re playing good music, but that doesn’t really run in the US. It’s definitely something I’m trying to be conscious of, but I still don’t think you’ll catch me standing on the table shouting ‘3,2,1, let’s go’ anytime soon.
Can you tease any upcoming music/collaborations? What have you been enjoying making in the studio lately?
I’m sitting on an embarrassingly large pile of unreleased music, and I’m working out how to get it all out into the world at the moment. I’ve got a tune with a rapper called Slew, which is hopefully gonna be dropping later this year. He’s so sick, I’m really excited about that. I also made a tune with Willow Kayne that’s been floating around on TikTok recently, which I’m also super excited about, because I’ve been a fan of hers for ages. I’m also about to bring back my ‘Dance Dubs’ series, which is my home for all the fun stuff I make for my sets. I’m gassed to get that moving too!