Article by: Ryan Hood
Colorado-based NotLö is one of the hottest acts in bass music. After making a name for herself with incredibly deep dubstep releases on Deep, Dark & Dangerous, she’s seen massive growth for her project. She recently wrapped up performances at the iconic Bonnaroo and Electric Forest festivals. Fans of hers were in for a treat in the forest, as she played not only her scheduled set at Tripolee, but also a downtempo renegade set and a b2b set with the equally badass Khiva and A Hundred Drums at Wreckno’s Big Gay Soirée. After getting off the stage on Sunday, she talked with me about the past, present, and future of her project.
Ryan: After not one, not two, but THREE sets this weekend, how are you feeling right now?
NotLö: “Tired! But seriously, I want to make a community and do things for the culture. I didn’t have to walk miles to play an RV late at night or stay until Day 4 to play a set on two hours sleep, but it’s what I want to do. I want to give back to the people and create an amazing community around my music. It’s always sound, not hype for me, but there’s a point where you need to balance both.”
R: Your Electric Forest booking is no doubt the biggest of your career so far. Did you ever think you would get here?
N: “No, not at all. It was four or five years ago when Kyle from Mean Mug wanted me to play the RVs and I couldn’t make it because of a medical issue with my mom. I was really bummed, and he looked at me and said ‘It’s okay, you’ll be playing here on the real stage soon,’ and I thought it was really funny. This past November, my agent Mary emailed me on my birthday saying we got an Electric Forest offer, and I still haven’t processed being here because of my music.”
R: Most would know you from your deep dubstep tracks and releases on Deep, Dark & Dangerous, but your most recent releases branch out to some different styles. We got a huge glimpse into your downtempo and liquid drum & bass dubplates at your renegade set. What can we expect from your project in the future?
N: “I wanna incorporate all vibes if possible. I want moments where you break free from your pain but also moments where you throw the f*** down. It’s hard to do, and it’s been hard to find my sound that balances both of those, but after finding basslines that can be universal in my music, it’s an amazing feeling.”
R: Your first Electric Forest is during Pride month, and you were able to play Wreckno’s Pride celebration. Wreckno themself wasn’t able to make it but you still got to play an amazing b2b with A Hundred Drums and Khiva. What was that like?
N: “Before I got started I always looked up to A Hundred Drums and Khiva. I was putting out music with no traction or attention at all from anybody. I was sending Khiva music just because she inspired me, and she forwarded it to Truth saying ‘check her stuff out.’ So once I started sending them emails they really started to give my stuff a look, since they get so many submissions it’s tough to stand out. They ended up blindly putting me on without playing any cool festival bookings or anything, it was really about the sound and supporting me for who I am. I wouldn’t be with my team now without them. Makes me want to start my own label someday.”
R: It’s great that you’ve always had their unwavering support as you’ve grown and branched out.
N: “I’ll also be working with Deadbeats soon, I can’t say much more besides that but it’s gonna be a lot of fun. It’s dope to work with everybody. It’s like an assignment, I want to send stuff to specific outlets and make all kinds of music.”
R: What has your experience been like not only as a woman, but also as a member of the LGBTQ+ community in the male-dominated bass music industry?
N: “It’s tough to get taken seriously. A lot of girls don’t make heavy music. I saw Khiva and Zia but very few girls doing it. I’ve seen women thrive in lighter, poppier music but never heavy, scary music. It sucks feeling like you’re never given the chance to be put on, but if you keep screaming someone’s gonna hear you.”
R: What’s been your favorite part of Electric Forest?
N: “Sherwood Forest is so amazing. I didn’t expect it to be so expansive. You could stay here for hours, I still haven’t seen everything.”
R: You have the support of some legendary producers in the scene. Have you been starstruck meeting any of them?
N: “It’s still CloZee. Seeing someone with that much power do so much good is so impactful on someone like me who’s still growing.”
R: Who is your dream collab with?
N: “Well, two of my dream collabs have already been started, but one that hasn’t been started would be with Alix Perez.”
Keep up with the latest from NotLö using the links below, and follow along with Moon Lvnding’s New Music Friday Heat playlist on Spotify for each week’s freshest dance beats.
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