Manchester, UK-born and now Melbourne based, MC / producer Motley certainly has something of an established background amongst the UK hiphop scene, having started his first forays into DJing and production as a teenager before going on to score support slots with the likes of De La Soul, Stereo MCs and Dilated Peoples. Back in the UK, his production skills have been sourced by Dynamite MC and Stereo MCs, and more recently, Motley’ also worked with Australian artists Figgkid, DJ Peril and Bliss & Eso, producing and appearing on the latter duo’ successful “Party At My Place’ single. Two years on from Motley’ independently released debut album “Separated At Birth’, this follow-up nine track EP on Hooded Ink represents his first locally released material since his relocation to Australian shores, with Motley himself handling productions on all the tracks except one here.
Throughout there are immediately noticeable recurrent lyrical themes of relocation and new beginnings apparent here on tracks such as “M.A.N.C.H.E.S.T.E.R.’ and “UK’, a sitar sample-laced ode to the violent tendencies of his former home that includes the line “If you don’ smoke / well, you will when they torch you.†There’ also a hint towards a troubled past on the relationship trouble-themed “Save Some Time’, which sees Motley collaborating with Weapon X on production (“she knows about my past / and she really doesn’ care’), but on the whole, the overriding down-to-earth, humble delivery reminded me of Roots Manuva (a comparison perhaps convenient because both artists are UK-born, but one especially apparent on the bouncy “Catch Up.’). As for Motley’ beats, the production is certainly solid rather than overly flashy throughout, veering capably from opener “My Level’ synth-y stylings, through to subtly-employed jazz trumpet samples and glittering, electro-informed drum machine patterns. An engaging EP from Motley that proves well worth investigation.
