A WhatsApp interview with Motions

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Two years ago, Montreal based DJ, promoter and producer Motions released his debut EP on Skream’s OFUNSOUNDMIND, marking the birth of the record label which contiued a steady outpour of quality house and techno material. The melodic project showcased beautiful tunes such as Fading which hailed from Motions time living, working, and raving in London.  

Motions has now relocated back to Montreal and is focusing his energy on creating a whole new body of work. The first exertion of the Canadian producers new direction is Makin’ Me Wait – a weighty house tune which carries a compelling vocal. Ahead of the full EP release on August 25th via OFUNSOUNDMIND, we caught up Motions for a WhatsApp chinwag, plus a cheeky premiere of the tune we just mentioned…

Listen to Makin' Me Wait below and read an interview with Motions after the jump.

I just checked my music library and it's going to be two years to the day since you dropped your debut EP on OfUnSoundMind. What's been going on Motions?

Motions: "Yeah, it's been a minute! At that time I was living in London but my holiday visa ran out so I headed back to Montreal. I was sad to leave London, but it's a really exciting time back home. There's a lot of young crews making great music and throwing parties, and it's been awesome to work on our own 00:AM events. I spent a really long time working on an album but eventually scrapped it and started fresh. The restart over the last six months culminated in the new EP coming out this week."

What kind of education did you gain from hitting parties in London and how did you utilise this for your own 00:AM events in Montreal?

Motions: "I think the biggest thing was getting to see so many incredible artists play and catch a lot of new faces as they were just starting to break through in the UK and Europe. It really broadened my tastes and has influenced our first year of bookings a lot.

I also spent probably far too many late nights getting a feel for all the different factors that really make a party special, from the people there to the time and effort spent on design and production, and we've slowly but surely been trying to create that vibe here."

Your second EP sees you link up with the lovely Skream once more for another release on his OFUNSOUNDMIND record label. Was it always your plan to release on the label?

Motions: "Absolutely! Olly has been one of the biggest supporters of my music since day one. It was just matter of waiting to produce the right music, and after he stopped by Montreal this summer we locked everything in."

Walk us through the night out you guys had in Montreal? 

Motions: "Of course. It was a tough one because Olly was on crutches and wasn't super mobile. We had our 00:AM 1st Birthday Party with Prosumer and Olly was actually playing the same night at a different club, so we didn't know if we'd even get to see him. But being the hero he is, he rushed over to us in a cab after his set and a big crew of us continued the night on a rooftop from there. After so many years coming though Montreal, he's a big part of the family here now."

Makin Me Wait is a personal favourite off the EP and it's also the track we're going to share on Dummy. Can you tell us how this tune has been going down in the rave?

Motions: "Being a resident for our parties has really allowed me to road test all my new music and then tweak it before it goes in for mastering which has been awesome. Makin Me Wait has been a favourite to play over the past six months and whilst I usually bury my tracks in atmosphere and reverb, I really forced myself to stay away from that on this one and aim it straight for the floor. After some great reactions in the club and a few friends trying to get the ID on it mid set, I knew it was good to go."

Right, now for the big questions. Can you describe the surroundings for your perfect disco nap?

Motions: "There's no better place to relax than my cottage in rural Ontario. It might not be the most effective place for a disco nap in the true sense of the term, as it's three hours from Montreal, but there's no where better in the world to get some shut eye."

Very snazzy and snug. Finally, what is Motions ideal pre-gig meal?

Motions: "The guests of our party are probably catching on to this but without a doubt it's a large helping of Chinese soup dumplings and a couple Tsingtao’s to kick things off."

Motions' 'Solstice Symptoms' EP is out August 25th on OFUNSOUNDMIND.