Moutaiz Al-Obaidi, known professionally as Motez, is an Australian record producer, musician and DJ. Motez was a refugee born in
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
and moved to
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
in 2006. Motez's Song "The Future" featuring
Antony and Cleopatra was certified Platinum in Australia. He has won several South Australian Music Awards for Best Solo Artist (2021) and Most Popular Electronic Artist (2016, 2018, 2020 and 2021)
Touring
Motez has performed at many festivals including:
Splendour in the Grass
Splendour in the Grass (commonly referred to as Splendour) is an annual Australian music festival held at the North Byron Parklands in Yelgun, New South Wales. Since its inauguration, the festival has also been held in various locations near ...
,
Falls Festival
Falls Music & Arts Festival (commonly known as Falls) is a multi-day music festival held annually in Lorne ( Victoria), Marion Bay (Tasmania), Byron Bay (New South Wales) and Fremantle (Western Australia), Australia over the New Year's Eve an ...
,
Warehouse Project and
Electric Forest Festival
Electric Forest is a multi-genre music festival produced by Madison House Presents and Insomniac Events with a focus on electronic music and jam band genres. Original named Rothbury Festival in 2008, it is held in Rothbury, Michigan at the ...
. He embarked on his own headline tour in 2017 with Tigerilla and
Mickey Kojak as supports.
Soulitude
In the wake of lockdown restrictions and the cancelation of live events due to the Coronavirus pandemic, Motez released an introspective, ambient EP called Soulitude
which was conceived as a "response to the global mindset of isolation". The project was touted as a "raw, minimal and emotive ambient work, encompassing his own experiences and the natural human responses to seclusion." To commemorate the release of Soulitude, Motez played and recorded a live set of the entire EP in Fleurieu Peninsula, South Australia which was streamed online through United We Stream, the event was a set up to raise funds for Support Act. and garnered over 25,000 plays in the first day and won Best Video and Best Release at the 2020 SA Music Awards.
Live Show
Motez debuted his live show at
Womad
WOMAD ( ; World of Music, Arts and Dance) is an international arts festival. The central aim of WOMAD is to celebrate the world's many forms of music, arts and dance.
History
WOMAD was founded in 1980 by English rock musician Peter Gabriel, w ...
Festival on March 12, 2022. The show featured live instrumentation by string and brass sections, kids' choir as well as guest vocalists including
George Alice. The show was subsequently broadcast on
Triple J
Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greater emphasis on broad ...
as part of their 'Live at the Wireless' series which aired in May 2022. The show was dubbed as "a spectacular combination of powerful dance beats with a stunning light show" by the AU Review. In an interview with
Roland, Motez said "I first attended Womadelaide soon after moving to Australia and I dreamt of playing there one day. I understood that the stakes were high, the calibre of musicianship and showmanship was incredible, so I thought if I ever put on a show there it must be more than just about music. It has to be an audio-visual experience matched with a lot of live instrumentation. I am a musician first and foremost, and so presenting my live show for the first time at Womadelaide I had go all out."
Discography
Singles
* Raves Are Dead (2010)
* A Trick Or Two / Makes Me Itch (2010)
* Hard Times (2011)
* Ride Roof Back / Take Off (2013)
* Promise Me / Bodyrock (2014)
* Own Up (2014)
* Down Like This feat.
Tkay Maidza
Takudzwa Victoria Rosa "Tkay" Maidza ( ; born 17 December 1995) is a Zimbabwean-born Australian singer-songwriter and rapper.
Biography
Maidza was born in Harare, Zimbabwe. Her parents are metallurgists. In 2001, her family moved to Australi ...
(2016)
* Praise / Fire Burning (2017)
* The Future feat.
Antony & Cleopatra (2017)
* Roll Out (2018)
* Steady Motion feat.
KWAYE
Kwayedza Kureya, mononymously known by his stage name Kwaye, is a British-Zimbabwean singer and songwriter based in Los Angeles, California. He has released two EPs and his songs have been featured in Netflix's ''Topboy'' and ''On My Block''. He ...
(2019)
*Toggle (2019)
*Where Have You Been (2019)
* Patience (2020)
* Slow Down (2020)
* Give Your Heart Away (2020)
*Andes (2021)
*Give Me Space feat.
The Kite String Tangle (2021)
*ReSet (2021)
*Submission (2022)
*Get it Done feat.
Scrufizzer
Amary Lorenzo, better known as Scrufizzer, is an English musician, MC, singer-songwriter, and record producer from West London. He first gained recognition as a grime producer before building a reputation for his bashment-influenced flow and ...
(2022)
EPs
* Call My Name EP (2013)
* No Need To Panic (2014)
* Vancouver (2015)
* The Vibe EP (2016)
* Late Thoughts EP (2018)
* Soulitude (2020)
*ReSet (2021)
Remixes
*
Flume
A flume is a human-made channel for water, in the form of an open declined gravity chute whose walls are raised above the surrounding terrain, in contrast to a trench or ditch. Flumes are not to be confused with aqueducts, which are built to t ...
feat.
Caroline Polachek
Caroline Elizabeth Polachek (born June 20, 1985) is an American singer, producer and songwriter. Raised in Connecticut, Polachek co-founded the indie pop band Chairlift while studying at the University of Colorado. The duo emerged from the late- ...
- Sirens (Motez Remix)
*
Client Liaison
Client Liaison are an Australian indie pop duo made up of vocalist Monte Morgan, and keyboardist and producer Harvey Miller. The pair first came to prominence in 2012 after the release of their first music video "End of the Earth", and went on ...
- Elevator Up (Motez Remix)
*
Icarus (band)
Icarus are a British band from London, England, specializing in electronic drum and bass with elements of experimental jazz and rich instrumentation. Formed in 1997 by cousins Ollie Bown and Sam Britton, the band's music has been described by ...
– Sirens (Motez Remix)
*
Northeast Party House
Northeast Party House is an Australian electronic band formed in Melbourne in 2009. The band's six members are Jack Shoe (guitar), Malcolm Besley (drums), Sean Kenihan (synth), Zach Hamilton-Reeves (vocals), Mitch Ansell (guitar) and Oliver Packar ...
- Shelf Life (Motez Remix)
Tensnake - Rules (Motez Remix)The Kite String Tangle - North (Motez Remix)
* Karma Fields - Colorblind ft. Tove Lo
Ebba Tove Elsa Nilsson (born 29 October 1987), known professionally as Tove Lo (), is a Swedish singer and songwriter. She has been called "Sweden's darkest pop export" by ''Rolling Stone.'' She is known for her raw, grunge-influenced take o ...
(Motez Remix)
* Peking Duk
Peking Duk are an electronic music group made up of disc jockeys and music producers Adam Hyde and Reuben Styles. The pair first garnered attention in 2012 with the release of a Passion Pit bootleg remix. Their biggest hit "High" reached 5 on ...
– Wasted (Motez Remix)
* Allen French – Nova Vida (Motez Remix)
* Flight Facilities
Flight Facilities is an Australian electronic producer duo that also performs as Hugo & Jimmy. In 2009, they began mixing songs by other artists before crafting their own original material. The duo consists of Hugo Gruzman and James Lyell. Th ...
– Sunshine feat. Reggie Watts (Motez Remix)
* Sam Smith
Samuel Frederick Smith (born 19 May 1992) is an English singer and songwriter. After rising to prominence in October 2012 by featuring on Disclosure's breakthrough single " Latch", which peaked at number eleven on the UK Singles Chart, they ...
– Leave Your Lover (Motez Remix)
* Disclosure
Disclosure may refer to:
Arts and media
* ''Disclosure'' (The Gathering album), 2012
*Disclosure (band), a UK-based garage/electronic duo
* ''Disclosure'' (novel), 1994 novel written by Michael Crichton
** ''Disclosure'' (1994 film), an American ...
– Omen (Motez Remix) eat. Sam Smith* Panama – Jungle (Motez Remix)
* Flight Facilities
Flight Facilities is an Australian electronic producer duo that also performs as Hugo & Jimmy. In 2009, they began mixing songs by other artists before crafting their own original material. The duo consists of Hugo Gruzman and James Lyell. Th ...
– Clair de Lune (Motez Remix)
* Owl Eyes – Open Up (Motez Remix)
* Tyler Touché – Heart in Motion (Motez Remix)
* Madison Avenue – Don't Call Me Baby (Motez Remix)
* Gary Richards – "All Nite" ft. E-40 & Too $hort (Motez Remix)
* Rufus Du Sol – Desert Night (Motez Remix)
* Ellie Goulding – Beating Heart (Motez Remix)
Awards
South Australian Music Awards
The South Australian Music Awards (previously known as the Fowler's Live Music Awards) are annual awards that exist to recognise, promote and celebrate excellence in the South Australian contemporary music industry. They commenced in 2012.
References
External links
*
on SoundCloud
SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming s ...
* Motez on Instagram
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Australian musicians
Living people
Australian electronic musicians
Australian house musicians
Australian DJs
Electronic dance music DJs
Year of birth missing (living people)