Interview: What So Not Chats About his New EP Motions and That Bunnings Rave

What So Not also known as Chris Emerson, is on a roll with the release of his latest EP, Motions, which has been making some big waves. In addition to this, he’s been generating buzz with the much-talked-about Bunnings Warehouse party he’s been organising. We sat down with Chris to discuss the new EP, the rave party, and much more!

Hey Chris, congrats on the release of Motions! How does it feel to be out in the world?

It still blows my mind I get to jump around the world making music with my friends & it has the impact like I’m seeing with this release. Sometimes the actual release of music can feel horrible; things behind these scenes not lining up, unhappy with the form you got it to before running into your deadlines, so I’d say I’m feeling relief that all my ideas around the MOTIONS EP came to fruition in the way I imagined them. A full audio/visual experience. 

Motions is described as a “love letter to dance music.” Tell us a little more about the inspiration behind the EP and how it reflects your personal journey with dance music? 

It feels like the evolution of my understanding of life, where I am with myself and where I am with my craft. I’ve reached 2.0 me. A new playthrough but with everything understood from times before, carried back to the core. So often in our careers as producers, we start to overwork things, judging, changing rather than bettering. I find myself contemplating ‘What does this song want to be? What is this trying to pull out from inside of me?’. I think these records, more than ever, I found that place.

You’ve mentioned that each track on Motions grew from the same garden but bloomed in different seasons. How did this concept influence the creative process and the collaborations on the EP?

I love this concept of Motions growing from the same garden but blooming in different seasons. It allows for a harmonic thread that is not severed by mood. Slow Motion is sombre & grey, Tower In The Woods is lush & optimistic, but they orbit the same nucleus. I wrote a short blurb for each song to help anchor me into a feeling whenever I would channel how to finish the record. 

Lights Go Out

“A sea of faces part as eye’s lock. Engulfed in passion, ecstasy & movement, two bodies are entangled. Rhythm & touch converge before an undue departure. A reciprocal longing resides, howling through the elements, as a call from a mountain top.”

Tower In The Woods

“Morning dew glistens on meadows of shamrock. A fog eases off the lake as the sun peaks the horizon. A forest hosts a small wooden fort scaling up amongst the trees. A haven for imagination & creativity – a retreat for the mind without external interference.”

Slow Motion

“An upheaval of gravities foundation, lucid scenes compound into ambiguity. Motion slows as fingertips slip apart. Beating chests compress through metal & water, emerging formless in new mediums. A pursuit unfolds with uncertain direction.”

Realise

“Love is the fabric of time dissolving. The undesirable engulfed in a golden warmth. Something that can only be viewed by its effect on what it touches. It is not a choice, but a must.”

‘Realise’ is a captivating collaboration with Habstrakt and Maiah Manser. What was it about Maiah’s operatic experimentations that drew you to her, and how did this influence the track’s final sound?

Originally penned as an instrumental outro, it all changed when showed the record to Maiah. I described my ‘garden’ for this song which harmoniously grew into a few melodic runs. The negative space around each phrase allows it to nest into the listener, whilst having a conversation with the lush & sparkly modular synthesis, breathes & delays. Maiah’s angelic delivery of “I can see the sun within your eyes”, paired with the rich androgynous “and I realise” became such a sweet & powerful bookend to the EP. 

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You’ve created cinematic visualizers to accompany each track on the EP. What was involved in the creative process behind these visualizers and how they enhance the overall experience for the EP?

I think every song comes from a moment. I like to build out these moments in my mind – what does it look like, what is the texture, the feeling, what other senses does it trigger? It becomes a place I can revisit to channel direction, inspiration & authenticity for what the song wants to become.  This EP became an exploration of my psyche & what these micro worlds mean to me “A bee lands in a pond. Ripples expand far beyond its small circumference. The sound you hear as one passes is only now visual through a new medium. This is the exploration of the Motions EP. The many surrounding forces we are yet consciously discover. A movement that must be felt to be seen”. 

The Bunnings Warehouse party has generated a lot of buzz. What inspired you to bring a rave to such an unconventional venue, and what can we expect from this unique event?

The idea was initiated by a young producer Kaila & I got roped into it from people tagging me (I think because of all the pop ups & ‘house party protests’ I’d done across the years in support of a lot of our nightlife being shut down). It really could not have timed more perfectly. I think ideas like this keep popping up because the traditional opportunities for young artists are just so scarce. 

You’ve had an impressive run with performances at Burning Man and now gearing up for the Bunnings Warehouse party. How do you approach transitioning between such diverse performance environments, and how does this impact your setlists?

I just performed a ‘Secret Cow Rave’ for my favourite childhood game Diablo at the world’s biggest cosplay/gaming convention – Gamescom in Cologne, Germany, now the Burn, then Bunnings, then a pretty special live show for triple j One Night Stand. It’s a lot to get my head around, but all part of the fun. Setlists are absolutely unique for each, leaning into the space I find myself in always trying to challenge people with what songs I can get away with whilst making sure everyone’s having the best time. 

Upcoming Gigs

31 August – Bunnings Warehouse Rave, Naarm/Melbourne

14 Sept – One Night Stand, Peek Whurrong Land/Warrnambool