Just ANOTR day

Rolling Stone UK enjoys a trip - literally in the Netherlands countryside to explore house duo ANOTR's psilocybin-infused music-making process

- Tara Joshi

IN A STUDIO on the outskirts of Amsterdam, things are a little hectic. ANOTR, the house duo comprising DJs and producers Jesse van der Heijden and Oguzhan Guney (known better as simply "Oz"), are upping sticks to the countryside for two weeks, and it means that when I arrive at the industrial estate where they normally record, they're in a state of chaos. Hefty boxes of equipment - wires, speakers, synths, guitars and more - are all descending down the stairs into the back of a truck in what feels like an overwhelming mass exodus for which they're running behind.

Still, everyone is in high spirits. The sun is shining, and we're heading on the kind of retreat which has become a recurring feature of ANOTR's creative process so much so that a similar stint was the basis for their album, On a Trip, which came out at the start of the year. Essentially, the duo, known best for their warm, relaxed, colourful takes on house music, head out somewhere remote a couple of times a year with as much of their equipment as is possible and try to cut off from their everyday lives - work, friends, even their girlfriends - to make music together.

"We try to stay away from phones, social media stuff," reels off Guney.

Then, Van der Heijden adds: "And our team knows we'll be offline for the most part of the day while we're here, so they respect our time." It means that the retreats offer a chance to just focus on their practice and each other.