not without friends on Taking Their “GrooveJet (If This Ain't Love)” Remix to Beatport #1 [Q&A]

Some records come with built-in danger. Touch them too heavily and the whole thing falls apart; treat them too politely and there’s no point showing up. For not without friends, the Melbourne-formed trio of William Kiss, Luke Alessi and Jordan Brando, remixing Spiller and Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s stone-cold house classic “Groovejet (If This Ain't Love” meant finding the sweet spot between reverence and lift-off.

Now, after taking the remix to #1 on Beatport, the trio talk about handling the original with care, the first crowd reaction, how not without friends came together, and what’s coming next.

Hey fellas, congrats on scoring a Beatport #1 with your remix of the timeless “GrooveJet”  – how's it feeling, and have you all had a chance to celebrate yet?  

Thank you! Honestly was quite a shock coming up against some monster records. I think we’re all just stoked to see so many people resonating with the remix. The three of us are spread out across the globe right now so the celebratory beers have been rain-checked (not for long).  

You’ve just taken on one of house music’s most beloved records. No tiny assignment there. What was the first thought when the idea of remixing “GrooveJet” landed in the group chat?  

It was always a 100% yes, but honestly, all we thought was ‘we don’t want to fk this up’. The original tune is without a doubt one of the all-time house classics, so we really wanted to approach it thoughtfully with care and not overdo it.  

“GrooveJet” has lived a lot of lives since 1999, from Miami club moment to global number  one to stone-cold dance classic. How did you approach making it feel fresh without messing with the magic?  

Nothing will ever rival the original mix, and we think that’s the way it should be, it wasn’t about reinventing the wheel or modernising it; it was more about giving it the energy so it can be played in a different part of the night to the original. We didn’t stray too far from the stems of the OG and  just found creative ways to reuse them. They’re some of the best and most tasteful stems ever, putting super modern clean synths/drums on top would’ve just made it feel cheap to us.  

The remix was first teased at Rippon Lea Estate in Melbourne. What do you remember about that first crowd reaction? Did you know right away that you had something?  

It’s always nice to get real-time feedback. That event was very special to us, and we loved the way it felt on the dance floor. Our main objective was to not give too much of the original away too early in the record by teasing stabs and vocal chops, so by the time Sophie’s iconic vocals drop in, it’s a big ‘oh fk it IS GrooveJet’ moment. Again, full props to the original for being just so recognisable.  

You’ve each built your own lanes as artists and producers. How did not without friends  first come together, and what made this project feel worth building as a trio?  

We’d talked about it for a long time, having all been mates for nearly 10 years. It happened super organically one night in Thailand, around a JBL speaker in a hotel room, just mucking around on  Ableton. We’ve always sent each other our records for feedback, worked collaboratively together,  listened to the same tunes, played many afters, so it just made heaps of sense to do it property together.  

With three creative brains in the room, how does a not without friends track actually  come together? Is it organized studio democracy, beautiful chaos, or someone secretly steering the spaceship?  

A lot of coffees, cigarette breaks, and often one of us saying ‘this is shit’ until it’s not!

What is not without friends looking forward to the most this summer? 

We’re taking NWF to the US for the first time with the Raw Cuts guys, which will be heaps of fun,  and maybe a few things dotted around Europe before we head back to Australia for a very busy summer. We’re sitting on a bunch of new records that you’ll hear in all of our sets, too.