"As they round out their second decade, Not Not Fun’s sound is still fiercely independent but has gradually morphed into an outlet of offbeat ambient and experimental electronics."
With its inaugural release in 2004, California based Not Not Fun was born as a bedroom operation documenting a growing scene within the greater Los Angeles area. Beneath the glitz and glamor of Hollywood was a sound that reflected the darker edges of the region.
The small collectives operated in the smog-drenched Valley and apartments of Chinatown, in living rooms, makeshift warehouse venues, and DIY spaces such as the Smell. Anchored by Britt Brown’s and Amanda Kramer’s respective projects Robedoor and Pocahaunted, most early Not Not Fun releases featured burnt out psychedelic sludge, bad trip jazz, and tar pit folk. A handful of bands, including No Age, Peaking Lights, and Weyes Blood, to name a few, nabbed the attention of larger publications and labels.
The label’s aesthetic became the subject of academic music conversations with their feature in Simon Reynolds’ 2010 work ‘Retromania‘ and its focus on hypnagogia. While the wider coverage and acceptance from upper level publications and scenes brought larger audiences, Not Not Fun works best when you drop the classroom analysis and embrace the vibes.
For a time, it seemed like Not Not Fun was poised to break off from the underground, DIY spaces from which it originated, and become the LA version of Dischord Records, Thrill Jockey, or Sub Pop Records. While their success allowed the label to shift from cassettes and CD-Rs to the occasional larger vinyl run and distro deals, they remained a boutique operation by choice. As they round out their second decade, Not Not Fun’s sound is still fiercely independent but has gradually morphed into an outlet of offbeat ambient and experimental electronics.
They’ve navigated parallel to trends rather than capitalise off of them, offering an outpost for the loners, outsiders, and sonic journeymen. With ‘Alley of the Sun’, Not Not Fun is less of a victory lap than a guidebook for where they’ve been and what lies ahead. The label’s early days culled sounds primarily from Los Angeles; recent years have showcased micro-scenes from across the globe.
One of the last decade’s most formidable ambient artists, X.Y.R. opens ‘Alley of the Sun’ with “Wind Chimes Voices”, a near eight minute encapsulation of Vladimir Karpov’s sound and mission statement: gentle, humid synth lullabies themed around adventure, whether that’s deep sea diving or swashbuckling chapter books. That track’s gentle introduction leads into a steady synthetic beat tied together by Karpov’s beloved keyboard arsenal.
Florida mystery navigator Wave Temples has become one of the most beguiling entries in the label’s catalog. His music can often be classified as chill-out tracks, with found and synthetic field recordings mixed with keys and scattered percussion. One of his works was advertised as being attuned to sleep cycles. But beneath it all is a mythology that acts as a star map for the philosophies and moods of the project, reflecting a fascination with lost oceanic cultures and that connection to the natural world that’s lost the more we continue giving our lives over to the virtual world.
With interviews on Inverted Audio and other publications, I’ve often read his responses and wondered, “is this for real?” Wave Temples’ contribution “Side Quest” includes all and none of that, depending on how deep of a listening groove you find yourself. It’s an intoxicating mix of the real and the imagined, of warped audio samples giving way to faulty memories that wash away with the tide.
Two other entries on ‘Alley of the Sun’ come from long-time label acts and DIY lifers: White Poppy and Robedoor. Crystal Dorval’s White Poppy crafts dream pop with a touch of shoegaze and sun-soaked guitar lines that evoke lazy summer sojourns along a mossy forest path. Her sound hasn’t diverted much in her decade plus journey, but each release is an evolution and step in the odyssey of the project.
Consistency is an underrated quality in music, and Dorval delivers. As ‘Alley of the Sun’ moves from the light to the sludge, Robedoor are Not Not Fun’s longest tenured act due to it being Britt Brown’s band alongside Alex Brown. Other members, most notably M. Geddes Gengras, have come and gone but the core duo keep churning out acid trip apocalypse doom metal. Appropriately, they close out the compilation with “Drainage”, a searing jam that is as hypnotic as any of the more soothing tracks that precede it, but an eternal dread hangs overhead. Its droning synths and pummeling percussion reverberate long into the darkness as the record fades out.
As we drift further into dystopian sci-fi realities where our lives are governed by algorithms and artificial intelligence, Not Not Fun remains a beacon of human centred curation. You may not connect with everything on offer, but ‘Alley of the Sun’ is a cohesive collection that doubles as a primer for the unfamiliar listeners and a reintroduction for longtime fans.
‘Alley Of The Sun’ is scheduled for release on 4th October via Not Not Fun. Order a copy from Bandcamp.
TRACKLIST
1. X.Y.R. – Wind Chimes Voices
2. Frunk29 – Journey In Search Of The Holy Gray
3. SiP – Grand Avenue
4. NEW MEXICAN STARGAZERS – HEADLIGHTS IN REARVIEW
5. White Poppy – On Love
6. Essential Key – Cold City
7. UNKNOWN ME – Mirage of Ocean
8. Magnétophonique – V50 tone transfer
9. David Edren – Vienya
10. Andra Ljos – Silver wings and a drop of blood
11. Wave Temples – Side Quest
12. Golden Hallway Music – Evening Sky People (Yaman Dream)
13. Vague Imaginaires – VI: La Corniche
14. Filthy Huns – Bleached Skull in the Desert Moonlight
15. Severed+Said – Flesh Tectonics
16. Robedoor – Drainage