ANOTR

The five letters in ANOTR rearrange to spell No Art, the name of the record label, event series, and creative collective that Jesse van der Heijden and Oguzhan Guney built around their partnership. Pronounced "another," the Amsterdam duo emerged in 2015 when their debut track "Strobe" landed on DFTD, an imprint of Defected Records. Annie Mac championed the release, naming ANOTR one of her six artists to watch in 2016 through Mixmag. International bookings followed quickly.

Jesse and Oguzhan grew up in the same part of Amsterdam and started hanging out as teenagers. They first made music together under the name Piotr & Zahn before reshaping their sound into something harder-hitting and more dancefloor-focused. Early releases on labels like DFTD, Avotre, Material, and Snatch built momentum, but the pair wanted full control over their output. In early 2017, they launched No Art as a way to release music on their own schedule without compromising on sound. The label quickly grew beyond a simple imprint. Today No Art is a five-person collective including friends Bora, Ruud, and Omid, operating as a label, event brand, and fashion line.

No Art events avoid conventional club bookings. The team stages shows in churches, galleries, riding schools, and industrial spaces. A 2024 No Art party at Amsterdam's Gashouder sold out during the pre-registration phase. Their "On A Trip" tour in 2025 filled AFAS Live in Amsterdam, one of the city's largest indoor venues.

Musically, ANOTR draw from disco, funk, soul, and jazz while keeping their productions locked to the groove. Their debut album "The Reset," released on No Art in November 2022, was born during the pandemic shutdown when clubs went dark and the duo turned inward, exploring the records they grew up with. Collaborations with vocalist Abel Balder produced tracks like "Relax My Eyes" and "Vertigo" that circulated widely through DJ sets and streaming playlists. A second album, "On A Trip," followed in January 2025, a 14-track record featuring collaborations with Leven Kali, Erik Bandt, Cimafunk, and others.

The duo record much of their music during retreats, working collaboratively with live instrumentalists and outboard gear rather than relying purely on software. Jesse handles the bulk of the production work while Oguzhan contributes on the creative and performance side. They describe their process as intuitive, rarely disagreeing on musical direction. What started as two friends making tracks in Amsterdam has expanded into a self-contained operation spanning records, touring, merchandise, and large-scale events across multiple continents.