A little over a month ago, on Feb. 14 and 15, Green Velvet brought his LALALAND tour, named after one of his most career-defining tracks. The show brought some of the hottest names and rising stars of house music to Warehouse 215, with the Relentless Beats-promoted lineup featuring the likes of Dombreskyy, Layton Giordani, Jackie Hollander, and more.
One of the opening acts of the night, Not Yurs, is a DJ duo based in Arizona. At the end of March, the duo will be performing at Miami Music Week, a hotspot for EDM. We talked with the members of Not Yurs, Nathan Kallen and Garrett Pedicini, about the origins of the group, their involvement with LALALAND, and what the year holds next for the friends and collaborators.
How did the two of you meet?
G: We met in 2017 when we were both attending ASU (Arizona State University). We ended up just running into each other at a Seven Lions show at the Van Buren and we ended up hanging out all night. Music has certainly been the focal point of our friendship.
When did you get into production/DJ-ing?
N: In 2020, 2021, I was interning, doing digital marketing at Night Bass (Records) and I ended up (getting to) go to some afterparties and meeting a bunch of artists. After that, we ended up buying a small DJ set-up.
G: We did that for a while at our house in front of friends, typical bedroom DJ set-up. And after doing that for a while, we were like ‘you know what, we could do this in front of people.” We knew (someone) who helped with Darkstar and Sunbar bookings, and he gave us our first shot to perform live, around 2023.
Where does your group name come from?
G: So when Nathan and I met (in college), we were both single, but after a few months, Nathan and I got into long-term relationships and we ended up living with these women for years, and then breaking up with them in the span of two months. And that was kind of the catalyst for us getting into music because we were like “we both need a place to live, we’re best friends, let’s move in together.” So the name comes from not being attached to other people, we’re “not yours.”
How would you describe your sound?
G: It’s changing consistently. We’re still trying to figure out what our sound is, but recently we’ve been really inspired by Brazillian tech house, like really groovy, very drum-heavy type music. Like Manda Moore, Sirius Hood, Beltran, Illusionize.
N: Yeah, those are some of the big ones recently. Just something people are able to kind of groove to for a while but is also super interesting sounds that keep the listener engaged is the biggest thing we are focused on.
How long have you been involved with Relentless Beats?
G: Early 2024, we opened up for Golf Clap at Dark Star and then we performed at the silent disco at PHX Lights Music Festival in March.
N: Once you get on their radar and you show that you can perform, you start to figure out what your sound is and they start booking you on similar shows.
How did you get involved with Green Velvet’s La La Land?
G: It felt really good to be put on the Green Velvet lineup because we feel that he does really emulate where we want our sound to be and who we want to be grouped with in terms of a lineup. So it was nice that Relentless was like “yeah we agree, and we will book you for it.”
What work went into creating your set for Green Velvet’s La La Land?
N: For a bigger set like that, we try to prepare all of it, but we try to be cognizant of the time slot. So for an opening set, we wanted to start off slow and build the energy toward the end because if you start the night off playing just bangers, it’s hard for someone to play their own music after.
G: Just trying to build the energy of the dance floor the proper Chicago way, if you will. And then just mentally preparing. We don’t really get nervous for our sets, more excited than anything, but we definitely make sure that we are prepared.
Who was your favorite set/artist at Green Velvet?
N: I mean, we’re both originally from Chicago, so being able to meet Green Velvet and talk to him for a bit was super cool.
G: It was such an honor to be included on the stage lineup with him and to be the only local playing on the stage that day. And then of course, Layton Giordanio, we’re also big fans of him: we saw him in Chicago in October and we were very excited to see him again. And then we know Jackie Hollander as well, because she;s released multiple music labels that we aspire to release on as well.
What were your thoughts on Warehouse 215?
N: Our favorite kinds of events are at warehouse-type venues so Green Velvet (LALALAND) was perfect. Smaller stages are where we thrive right now, it kind of forces the crowd to be a bit closer, but we would love to get on some of those larger festival stages eventually.
What’s next for you in 2025?
G: This weekend (March 14-15), we are playing a desert rave and then at the end of the month, we have our Miami Music Week show. We also have a single coming up on Black Lizard Records with Dhuss, so that will pretty much be our biggest record release coming up. We’re also playing for Arizona Cannaland in April, which is a large marijuana festival.
N: Yeah, pretty much. After that, we have a couple official remixes coming out on Angry Dogs in April and May and (over the summer) we have some singles and an EP coming out.
G: So we have a nice little healthy release schedule going.
N: Certainly, and we feel like it’s still early (in the year), so still a lot of room for a lot of other stuff to come around.
Edited by Pedro Rojo
