Sydney musician J Motor has his fingers in many pies. For the last ten years, he's worn many hats as a writer, performer, storyteller, creative consultant, and video director. "I've always loved to write original music," he says, "And in many ways, I've always been influenced by the records I heard in my dad's record collection. I love the psychedelic sounds that bands like Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, and The Doors produced."
After assisting The Griswolds creatively with their first video ( Heart
Of A Lion"), J Motor continued his work across the visual landscape, working as creative director on "Beware The Dog", which was recently nominated for Music Video of the Year at the 2015 Rolling Stone Awards (Australia), then moving up as director on their most recent video for "If You Wanna Stay".
And after collaborating on other artist's projects, Motor is now devoting his time to his own project, and a sound he defines as "boho/hip hop."
J Motor started working over a year ago with acclaimed local producer Dennis Dowlut, who's been producing prolific material under the Deutsch Duke moniker. "I contacted him through a friend and I walked into the studio and I played him this melody and a bassline for a track I had, and he jumped out of his seat!"
While the songs' loose structure was already laid out, J Motor explains, "I had a vivid dream, and in it, I was riding an elephant. I woke up from the dream in a sweat, and then I brushed it off. The next day, however, I was at the zoo to see a gig, and this elephant was there staring me in the eyes, and it just clicked. I went down to the studio and I said to Dennis, 'We need to put an elephant sound in the song!' He grabbed a sample of an elephant, put it in and it's still there today."
That song is his first single "Jungle Daze", which lyrically, places humans and elephants in the same context through subtle storytelling and a hypnotic sonic landscape. "We're so alike, and I respect them so much. I love their playfulness and the sheer size of them is incredible. You really feel like they're creatures that really connect with people. And what does it say about humanity if we're letting these creatures go extinct? It doesn't say much for us at all." Harnessing his passion for the many disciplines he dabbles in, J Motor's longterm goal is to constantly create content and develop an immersive, multimedia live show, which will also feature local artist L.O.L.A who sings harmonies on "Jungle Daze".
Sonically, J Motor also has a clear manifesto for his future work. "We spent a over year on "Jungle Daze" to get the perfect sound, and after creatively sharing the workload with my close friend and collaborator Benjamin Feederman, I have a solid reference now for what I want the rest of my material to sound like. I want to plug into the elements of hip hop, alternative, and psychedelic sounds that I love on each of my songs."
While he aims to raise both awareness and financial assistance for elephants with the release of "Jungle Daze", he also wants to ensure that each of his projects reflect his desire to celebrate a more meaningful connection through his music. "I want people to feel alive and inspired, and I want people who are inspired to be even more inspired!"
