The song 'I Hear Motion', from the album 'The Pleasure Of Your Company' by Australian band Models, was released 40 years ago.
To celebrate the song's success and perennial groove, the band are jumping aboard the tour bus to reignite their inventive and authentic approach.When listening to 'I Hear Motion', it is impossible not to pulsate and move from the track's first growl. The opening synth riff bubbles through the speakers, the bass roars into gear, delayed guitar pops, and that famous phat-gated drum tone of the '80s pushes the beat into 100bpm of ecstatic groove. It is 1983 with attitude.
Synthesiser exponent and core member of Models Andrew Duffield was enlightened as he discussed the behind-the-scenes recording techniques of yesteryear that produced this epic track.
"It was a very different time, of course. We were still recording to tape and it was our first venture with Nick Launay."
For those of you not in the know, Nick Launay remains one of the most sought-after studio engineers in the world, and he has produced an unbelievable catalogue of albums for the likes of Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds, Kate Bush, Midnight Oil, Talking Heads, INXS and countless others.
"Nick would travel with his own set of tapes that would have samples of different drums – they weren't called samples in those days.
"They were just quarter-inch tapes that he would travel around with containing his favourite kick drum or snare or whatever.
"We would record extraordinary drummer Barton Price playing the track live, and then track by track; Nick would replace those drums with sample drums. And this was really the start of Solid State Logic mixing desks."
Solid State Logic mixing desks allowed bands to bring instruments in and out of the mix in real time to create a more dynamic and interesting recording.
The combination of Duffield's synth riff, the heavily gated drum sound with the funky four-on-the-floor kick pattern, textural variations and pulsating tempo ensured 'I Hear Motion' would be a dance-floor gem.
"I think if you can get people onto the dance floor and dance, that's a real win," Duffield says.
The funkiness of 'I Hear Motion' is reminiscent of Herbie Hancock's 'Rockit' which was actually released in the same year. Both Hancock and Duffield were experimenting with synthesisers such as the Prophet 5, the ARP Odyssey, MS 20, Saturn 5 and Moog synthesisers at the same.
In conjunction with their 2023 tour, Warner will release 'The Pleasure Of Your Company' on blue vinyl. Get ready for the real deal.
"It's not about reinventing the wheel – we go and play it as it was intended. There's no backing tracks and no sequences playing in the background or anything.
"It's all hand play. So we have a lot of fun and a lot of loyal supporters, you know, over the years that have stuck with us. It's gonna be great."
- written by Nick Aggs
Models 2023 Tour Dates
Fri 6 Oct - Sooki Lounge (Melbourne)Thu 12 Oct - Espy Basement (Melbourne)
Fri 13 Oct - Paddington RSL (Sydney)
Fri 20 Oct - Miami Marketta (Gold Coast)
Sat 21 Oct - The Zoo (Brisbane)
Fri 27 Oct - The Gov (Adelaide)
Fri 3 Nov - The Croxton Bandroom (Melbourne)
Sat 11 Nov - Barwon Club Hotel (Geelong)
Sat 18 Nov - Theatre Royal (Castlemaine)
