Internationally-renowned artist Motez has a new EP. The Adelaide producer will release 'The Vibe' soon; it features collaborations with West London MC Scrufizzer, Sydney's Wax Motif and fellow Adelaidean Tkay Maidza.
“The EP is a work that has been happening for a very long time. We’ve delved into more than 15 tunes, and have picked 4 out of them. And [we’ve] compiled them in a way that not only makes sense to the audience, but also for me, for my career, where I am. It kind of represents where my head is at. It’s like compiling a portrait that’s really good, that’s different.
“The tracks that I’ve picked are not your regular house tracks; they’re a little bit different, they’re a little bit more interesting. They have a little bit more musicality to them. I've got the lead single coming up and it’s just fun... and that’s the angle I was going for.”
Motez says making an EP is often a more difficult process than creating an album. "You’re condensing rather than expanding what you have, and condensing is always a lot harder because [the tracks] are like all of your kids. You can’t pick a favourite. But we picked four and so hence why the EP has been delayed a little bit, 'cause I'm refining it even more.
“The idea of an album is kind of a little bit lost these days… nowadays the shelf life of genres is really, really short, so by the time you make a track at the start – and the process of making an album is really, really long – pretty much by the time you release it – it might be next year – that track is not as fresh. Whereas producing an EP keeps it relevant.”
Motez has played some stellar gigs all over the UK and Europe. “There is an instant satisfaction when it comes to the dance music scene. In Europe it’s slightly more experimental because people trust you and you're telling a story. You can prolong it: you can’t just make an impact with a short story compared to having an impact in a longer way. They have that patience and they have that culture, don’t get me wrong.
“But when you go to the UK and even some places in Germany, and you turn on the radio a lot of pop music is going on. And that dance music culture, in the underground, has a little bit more prominence than what we have here in Australia, and probably America too.”
Motez received a ‘Best Producer’ and ‘Best Male’ nomination at the 2015 South Australian Music Awards. “It was really good 'cause everyone was trying to take out Best Producer. Conventionally, I think [Adelaide] has been a rock & roll city. [But] electronic music is doing a lot better now. It's really cool to have that kind of confirmed, that electronic [music] fits within that category.
"Electronic music is doing really well in South Australia. It's been great, I celebrated with Sky, Flamingo, all those guys; we had a bit of a drink.”
Motez is certainly setting the benchmark for others, and while he doesn't always get the time to relax, he says taking a break is beneficial to his creativity. “You need that healthy perspective on what you love doing and what you love doing for a living. You need time to think, otherwise it will consume you.”
Motez Tour Dates
Fri 6 May - Fat Controller (Adelaide)Sat 7 May - Oxford Art Factory (Sydney)
Fri 20 May - Old Mates (Melbourne)
Sat 21 May - Oh Hello (Brisbane)
Fri 27 May - Mr Wolf (Canberra)
Sat 28 May - The Argyle House (Newcastle)
Fri 3 June - Jack Rabbit Slims (Perth)
