Over these last few years, London-based outfit Near Death Experience (NDX) have quickly established themselves as one of the more passionate names on the rise. And with their profile continuing to grow ever larger, they recently returned with their breezy new single ‘Present’.
So with the new single now doing the rounds, we joined the band’s Ian Whiteling to find out more about his background and where they plan to take their sound next.
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Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you got started in music?
Born in Manchester, I started playing guitar at school aged 13. Ever since I picked up the instrument I always wanted to write songs, so that’s what I did. That meant bands tended to form around me, first at school, then at university (I studied Geography at Hull), then in London, where I moved to with a band soon after leaving college.
My love of music came from my dad, who was a sound engineer and one day brought home an old flip-top record player with a bunch of 60s singles, including Lady Madonna by The Beatles. I was only six, and loved playing the singles so much I was soon buying them myself, starting with Black Skinned Blue-Eyed Boys by The Equals, led by the legendary Eddie Grant. Dad also gave me old microphones, which I used to sing into. So, the seeds were sown very early on.
Near Death Experience was formed when a covers band asked me to sing for them. It was something I’d never done, but I’d taken a break from music, so it was a good way to get back into it. However, I was still reluctant, but they talked me round. I agreed to join them for an initial jam and discovered they rehearsed in the heart of a beautifully restored church in Ealing. The setting was amazing, so I stuck around. Once they found out I wrote songs and heard a couple, we were no longer a covers band! And we became NDX.
Who are your biggest musical influences and how have they shaped your sound?
My musical taste is rooted in the late Sixties and early Seventies. Not just rock, but also soul and funk. I love everyone from the Doors, Love, the Stones, the Beatles, Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Bowie and Roxy Music to James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Stevie Wonder, Gil Scott Heron and John Martyn.
Plus, I’m a big fan of the psychedelic Sixties – I love the classic ‘Nuggets’ collection of one-hit wonders from that period. The song craft was just amazing and inspired me to write the songs I do today. That’s the rich tapestry of music I draw upon that creates our funky rock’n’soul sound.
Was there a specific moment or experience that made you decide to pursue music seriously?
I don’t know whether I ever ‘decided’ to pursue music seriously. From my teens, I’ve just always written, sung and performed, so it’s essentially what I do and always wanted to do. I’ve never given a thought to stopping doing it. I will continue to do it until I can’t do it anymore, and then feel free to shoot me in the head! Becoming hugely successful would simply be a bit of a bonus. Am I getting there? Who knows?
Can you walk us through your typical songwriting process?
I don’t have a typical songwriting process. I like to mix it up by using as many different techniques as I can to keep things fresh and creative. My multiple techniques range from simply writing lyrics and singing melodies acapella or strumming through some chord ideas on my beloved acoustic guitar, to improvising melodies and lyrics over beats or instrumental dance or ambient tracks. A lot of my songs come melody first and lyrics second. Once I’ve got the initial idea, I sit down and build the song around it, usually on my acoustic guitar.
How do you find inspiration for your music and lyrics?
Using the different techniques I’ve described above is good at creating a spark. But generally, I don’t draw inspiration from a particular source. I frequently get melody lines and lyric fragments in my head. This can be at any time. Sometimes in bed at night.
Where possible I capture them in some way. Scribbling down lines or typing them into my iPhone. Singing melodies and recording them on my iPhone. I then go back to them and if I like the ideas, I develop them further. But inspiration generally comes out of the blue – BOOM!
That’s why my lyrics can be quite abstract as I rarely sit down and write a complete set on a particular topic or theme. It’s generally playing with words that sound good together and seeing what meaning comes out of them. Melody-wise I just love a good hook, so creating that is usually my starting point. I tend to build songs around multiple hooks.
What themes or messages do you hope listeners take away from your music?
My lyrics can be pretty opaque, so really it’s about listeners interpreting them for themselves in the context of the music and arrangement and deriving their own meaning. I just hope to connect on an emotional level, to resonate in some way, to move people with the vibe and the groove, for them to enjoy the overall sound and lose themselves in it.
What challenges have you faced as an emerging artist in the music industry?
Right now my biggest challenge is finding a regular drummer! So if anyone out there is up for joining the psychedelic rock’n’soul superheroes, please get in touch! The biggest challenge has always been finding great gigs and playing to bigger audiences, and that’s particularly tough right now with the current live music situation in the UK.
As I write and record all my own music, I’m lucky that’s never really been a problem, unlike it is for many artists. Making money out of music also remains a challenge, but there’s no point doing it if that’s all you’re in it for. Challenges are there to be overcome. Success never comes to quitters!
What has been the most rewarding aspect of your musical journey so far?
For me the most rewarding side to music is performing and that feeling of love you get from an audience that’s into what you’re doing. Engaging an audience to pull them into your music and performance is an art in itself. If you really work at it, you’ll feel the love far more than if you don’t. For example, showing that you’re passionate about what you’re doing and working hard to make the performance good for them. Essentially, perform like you mean it! It’s also down to song selection – can you take people on a journey, play with their emotions, get them involved?
The other rewarding element for me is looking back on a growing back catalogue of releases that I’m increasingly proud of. And even more, creating new songs that still cut the mustard and the amazing feeling when you get a great reaction from a crowd when you play them live for the first time.
How do you stay true to yourself and your artistry in a constantly evolving industry?
Focus on your own music, performance and values, not on the industry and what’s going on in it. Yes, go out there and try to reach as many people as possible with your music as much as can and can afford to do, using whatever techniques you need to, but don’t get caught up in trends or industry noise. Ultimately, they are just distractions you don’t need.
What can fans expect from you in the near future? Any upcoming projects or tours?
We’ve had a great 2024, finding a way to self-record and produce pretty quickly thanks to our current ‘studio’ drummer Joshua Van Ness. Josh is based in New Jersey and has access to a full drum recording set-up, which means I can simply send him basic forms of new songs and he builds the drumming around them, sending back perfectly mixed drum tracks. As you can imagine, that supercharges your output.
So, with three singles (Soul, Trance, Present) and an EP (Thousands) released in 2024, and making are shift towards a more psychedelic funk and soul sound, thanks in no small part to our fabulous saxophonist Jack Dawkins, we’re flying right now.
As for 2025, we have another song, Shake, nearly complete, which we plan to launch in February, then another, Flight, that’s a work in progress. Plus, several songs awaiting the NDX treatment. So, we should be ready to release our third album in spring/summer.
Gig-wise, we’ll continue to play across London, and we’re hoping to join Josh in 2025 for a tour of New York and New Jersey. Can’t wait! There’ll be lots more happening too, so watch this space!
Where do you see yourself and your music career in the next five years?
A bigger back catalogue of music we’re proud of, gigging to bigger audiences in bigger venues so we can connect with more people, and hopefully making a much bigger impact across the music world. Come along for the ride! Should be fun!
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Listen to Near Death Experience’s new single ‘Present’ below.
