Growing up in the West Midlands countryside, Robert Penny began DJing with drum and bass before moving to Bristol, where he built his work as NOTION, a producer and DJ. Penny’s music spans drum and bass, UK garage, bassline and UK funky. His first releases as NOTION came in 2012, including the EP Digits, released on Champion’s Formula Records. Penny launched his own label, N Music, in 2017, adding label work to his production and DJing. He later moved from Bristol to London. His work has also appeared on Project About.
A 2015 single, “In The Air”, came out on Four40 Records. NOTION later released the album Outsider in 2022, which includes “Found Love” featuring Carrie Baxter. His collaborations also include Charlotte Plank and Olivia Rose. In 2024, the mixtape Forwards brought together tracks featuring Plank, Cameron Hayes and Rose. That year, NOTION’s remix of Chrystal’s “The Days” brought wider recognition. His label releases have also included White Peach and Crucast, alongside 877, Four40 and N Music. Other collaborations with Charlotte Plank and Olivia Rose include “Temporary Friends” and “Backbone”, respectively.
NOTION’s 2024 single “Was It Enough” was released on Eljé with Eljé. A separate collaboration with Charlotte Plank, “Burberry”, followed in 2026 on Black Butter. That year also brought “GET OUT MY HEAD”, a single on Chaos with Redlight, and “PSYCHO”, a single on Polydor Records with IRAH. “U KNOW” arrived as a 2026 single on NOTION.
Penny has also developed Dance Dubs, a project for live edits and bootlegs. NOTION played Roxy in Prague on 2 October 2026. Earlier that year, festival and club appearances included Beat Herder Festival at The Ribble Valley and a performance at Shed 10.