A QUICK CHAT WITH HI MOTIVE

Can you talk to us about the process behind making ‘Stranger’?

We wrote ‘Stranger’ during lockdown, at a time where we were experimenting with different approaches to writing our songs. Previously, it used to be that Ed would create a rough track idea, then Matt would add in some vocals once the track had developed to a stage that we thought it would make a ‘releasable’ song - of which a lot would never get to that stage.

With all the time that came to us during lockdown to be in the studio together, we started writing our songs like how some of the best producers in the world do it, which is to go into the studio with absolutely nothing to start off with and seeing what you can come out of the room with by the end of the day. We started off with some basic piano chords and talked about what we wanted to be the song about. At some stage, we came up with the concept of the line “I’d rather be a stranger”, which is what kickstarted it all.

By the end of the first day of writing, we’d written the piano, the verse and hook vocal along with a basic bassline and very rough drums. We then spent the next couple of weeks teasing out the finer aspects of the production and went back and wrote the full lyrics. By the end of this phase, we thought the song was done but just needed one more ‘feature’ element. We were up late at around 2am on a Friday, having just had a few beers with each other alone in this remote town where we didn’t know anyone else, and decided last minute to try and polish the song off. We were processing some of the vocals and put one of the vocal lines through a favourite plugin of ours, SoundToys Alterboy, and as a result came out with the main hook’s vocal sample in the chorus which we felt tied the whole song together. When we found it, we were jumping up and down in the room and were going completely bonkers, it was the best feeling. 

How has your musical journey been since its inception? Any major obstacles or turning points that made you realise this was how you wanted to make music?

We first started off playing music together in college in a rock band, where we were very different musicians to what we are now. Back then, it was all about our craft in playing live instruments, as well as Matt’s ability to remember the lyrics to the various hits - think Kings of Leon, The Killers, Queen. But as we moved more into the electronic space, we had this long period of upskilling in sound design and electronic music production, which is a completely different beast.

What we love so much about electronic music production is the ability to create completely unique sounds. When we played in a rock band, we were limited by how well you could play physical instruments and there was of course a certain upper limit to how many ways you can play a guitar or hit the drums. With electronic music, you can create sounds that are kind of out-of-worldly and combine sounds together that in a real-world context wouldn’t be possible.

The best part we’ve found with electronic music is the ability to be able to write anywhere. We’ve written songs on planes, on the back of a tuk tuk, during lectures. The versatility to write electronic music is unparalleled.

What’s the most important element or aspect of a live performance for you as an electronic duo?

The most important aspect that we focus the most on is bringing energy to our performances. If people love the energy you exude during your performance, they’re going to keep wanting to come back. It’s undervalued how much the energy of a performer can influence your interpretation of the music. The energy is almost as important, if not more, than the music itself being performed.

What’s been your greatest career highlight so far?

Getting played on triple j was always a major goal for us, as it’s something we grew up listening to and where most of our music tastes were grown from. To get played on the radio where our friends and family could tune in across the country felt so surreal to us and made us think how incredible it is that you can write a song together in your bedroom, and then have it end up on national radio for all to hear.

What’s next for HI MOTIVE after ‘Stranger’?

We’re keeping it under wraps for now, but let’s just say there is plenty of music to come this year. We can’t wait to show everyone.