Q: “Run Boy Run” is such an awesome blend of alt. metal, drum n’ bass and cinematic type film music. What was your creative process in making “Run Boy Run”?
GEO: The inspiration for this tune came while watching the Game of Thrones scene where Daenarys burns King’s Landing. The whole idea was to have an intro which inspires film music building up to a dance section blended with metal guitars. After the discussion about collaboration happened, Taylor put these amazing vocals you hear on, I mixed them in the project and boom. “Run Boy” was born.
TAYLOR-GRACE: When Geo sent me the track, it was called “The Face of Fear,” which got me thinking about my biggest fear. The track felt sinister as though I was fighting or running from something I couldn’t see, which got me thinking about when I was with my ex who was abusive. The feeling of the instrumental alone was very atmospheric, so I experimented with that style of vocals.
Q: What did you enjoy most about making this track?
GEO: Programming a Drum n’ Bass drum patterns and slow them down to 120 Bpm (drum n bass usually revolves around 150-180 bpm) while adding distorted guitars on top of a trance type arpeggiator synth was one of the highlights. Moreover, re-creating and mixing a whole choir using only Taylor’s voice was a very creative process/idea, which I bet both of us enjoyed as well.
TAYLOR-GRACE: Definitely recording the harmonies for the choir, I learnt a lot about harmonizing from recording this track. In the end, I think there were 23 vocals layers in total, so I had a lot of fun doing this.
Q: Can you elaborate on how this amazing collab took place?
GEO: It’s pretty simple. I’ve heard Taylor singing and I thought to myself: “Wow, that voice needs to be on my productions.” So, I sent her a message, we started chatting and the rest is history.
TAYLOR-GRACE: We got to talking about music and life in general and then he straight up asked me, “Hey, you want to collab?” I didn’t really hesitate.
Q: In your own words, how would you describe the music that you typically create?
GEO: That’s very difficult to explain due to the multi-dimensional aspect of things I’m involved. The songs I release as an artist revolve around rock music blended with electronic and dance vibes. I grew up listening to Metallica and Iron Maiden, so it’s not easy to get rid of my roots. On the other hand, as a producer, I tend to create trap/hip hop, pop and even reggaetón, which I license to different artists, depending on every individual’s needs.
TAYLOR-GRACE: I always find this a difficult question to answer because, like Geo, I make the music I want to make. It’s mostly rock based but there are a lot of different variations. With Not Now Norman, the music has been described as confrontational, sassy and direct. Blunt is a word I hear a lot, which I rather like.
Q: What has been one of the highlights of your music career so far?
GEO: Making the living out of selling instrumentals and mixing—mastering services has been more than a highlight rather a blessing I would say.
TAYLOR-GRACE: I haven’t been on the circuit for very long. Not Now Norman is my biggest achievement as we’ve progressed in such a short space of time.
Q: If you were stranded on a desert island and could only take one song or album to listen to, what would it be?
GEO: That’s a tricky question because there’s quite a few I would like to have with me. Here’s an unexpected answer; I would pick either the album: Conquest of Paradise from the composer Vangelis or All is Violent, All Is Bright from the post rock band God Is an Astronaut.
TAYLOR-GRACE: Mine would be Ayumi Hamasaki’s GUILTY album. She’s a singer I could listen to for hours and that album sticks with me the most, probably because it’s her heaviest. Still, each track has its own style, so the whole album never gets old in a hurry, much like the rest of her albums.
Q: What’s up next for you?
GEO: Both of us release new songs and have a few releases planned. Regarding collaboration, we have “Run Boy Part 2” “being cooked” and a new song, which comes out on 14th of May. So, there’s quite a few songs to look out for.
TAYLOR-GRACE: As Geo says, we have a few more collaborations planned as well as our own releases. Not Now Norman have just released our latest single “Shut Your Mouth.” In fact, “Run Boy” helped inspire the vocal direction for that track and the focus of both songs are very much connected.
Interviewed by Taylor Berry
