MOTi
Origin: None
While MOTi’s origins are shrouded in mystery, the upstart Dutch artist has wasted no time in ascending the peak of the current progressive house paradigm.
The enigmatic DJ/producer first emerged on the scene in 2012 by releasing two high-profile collaborations, “Circuits” and “Kinky Denise,” with fellow Dutch DJ/producer Quintino for Afrojack’s Wall Recordings.
After Tiësto added “Circuits” to his Dance RED Save Lives compilation in 2012, MOTi reached out and offered to send some more tracks his way. The Dutch megastar liked what he heard, and it wasn’t long before the two found themselves collaborating on a track that would eventually become the 2013 smash Musical Freedom single “Back to the Acid.”
“Tiësto has a really good feel of what he likes and there’s a lot of studio tricks on that track that people who don’t produce won’t even understand or hear,” he says. “It was an important project to show my technical skills and, of course, a big audience got to see my name next to his.”
“Back to Acid” marked the crown jewel of MOTi’s superlative 2013 campaign, which also featured three chart-climbing singles on Spinnin’ Records and a collaboration with Alvaro on Bingo Players’ Hysteria Records imprint. MOTi’s chugging Spinnin’ debut “Krack” was followed by the festival-oriented “Heat it Up,” and “Dynamite,” his tremendous third outing with Quintino, which peaked at #10 on the Beatport Top 100.
MOTi’s stylistic versatility and savvy for donning divergent genres also found him shape shifting at times to explore new sounds, including trying his hand at a booming trap-inspired remix for the Stafford Brothers and Lil’ Wayne on Cash Money. That remix occupied the #1 spot on Beatport’s Hip Hop chart for more than two months in validation of the artist’s freewheeling production approach.
“I’d never made a hip hop or trap track in my life,” he says. “But I like to make all kinds of music and I think you can learn a lot from making different subgenres and experimenting.”
MOTi capped off his whirlwind year by signing with Tiësto’s Red Light Management and playing for more than 15,000 people alongside Tiësto and Calvin Harris at an Amsterdam Dance Event Heineken showcase. While MOTi is acutely aware of how fast he’s come so far, he exudes calm confidence when discussing his meteoric rise.
“That gig was the big turning point where it got serious,” he says. “It felt natural. It felt like I’m meant to do this.”
There’s no shortage of evidence to support that sentiment. With plenty of new productions waiting in the wings and marquee performances set at main stages from Ultra Music Festival to Creamfields, expect to hear even more noise from MOTi in 2014.
