Bass house specialist Movada and fellow North of England bass head Jae Depz have recently dropped the new single ‘Make U Hot’ on Movada’s long-time label home, Perfect Havoc. A punchy nod to the golden era of speed garage, this nostalgic new release draws inspiration from RnB and rave house classics. You can grab a copy here: https://jaedepz.lnk.to/Makeuhot.
Emerging from the city of Leeds, UK, Movada, aka Noel Wayne, has seamlessly transitioned from crafting sounds for EA Games to working with renowned artists such as Matoma, PS1, Sigala and Becky Hill.
With each and every track from the bouncy floor filler ‘Closer’ with South London rapper BAMY via Love Island Syncs and co-writing credits for The Vamps, Movada always brings an electrifying energy to the stage and dancefloor with his pumping bass and garage beats.
We invited Movada into the hot seat to discuss his journey so far and his artful approach to cross-genre collaboration.
Your collaborations span a diverse range of artists and genres. How do you navigate between different musical styles while maintaining your unique sound?
I have always been a big fan of collaborating with not just singers but also producers. You can get a whole host of new ideas. I generally choose artists of whom straddle my lane but then also bring something a little special to the record.
You’ve had the opportunity to work with some big names in the industry, such as Matoma and the Vamps. What have been some of the most valuable lessons you’ve learned from collaborating with established artists?
I’d say work-rate, belief and dedication are the takeaway things I learned. When I worked with Becky Hill, she was a machine in the studio, she came in with great ideas and sang her heart out. It was the same with Matoma; every day, he was sending great material to work with.
Your latest single, “Make U Hot”, with Jae Depz, has generated buzz. Can you tell us about the inspiration behind the track and what it was like working with Jae Depz?
Jae is an old-time friend, and we always discussed working on a record together; it just needed to be the right one. Make U Hot is great because it sits in a few different lanes. I love the soulful vocal but then I like how we managed to mix the rave vibe with house.
“Make U Hot” blends elements of speed garage, rave house, and R&B. Was this intentional, and how do you approach incorporating different genres into your music?
Both me and Jae are on TikTok, so we see firsthand what kind of songs people click with. Rave is big on TikTok, and so is Speed Garage. So, we wanted to have fun with the bass and bring a soulful vibe but also keep some of the ravey synths.
Your track “Level Up” received significant exposure through BBC Radio 1 and was featured on Love Island. How do you feel exposure on platforms like radio and television impacts your career as an artist?
Having music featured on major outlets is a great feeling and can really lift the profile. And it’s a great marker to show the music is working. It also opens more doors, bigger collaborations and can often lead on to major label consideration.
Collaboration is a recurring theme in your career. What do you enjoy most about collaborating with other artists, and how do you believe it enhances your creative process?
I find that technology allows you to do more-or-less everything yourself, and producing can be quite solitary because of this. So, I think collaborating is important because it expands and opens up the creative process. It can enhance ideas and is great for making friends and networking. It’s all about making a better song, and sometimes, the tiniest creative input from a collaboration can really make a difference.
You’ve been involved in writing and producing for various projects. Do you prefer the two, or do you find equal enjoyment in both aspects of music creation?
I love writing songs and seeing them released; it’s a great feeling. I think up concepts in my head for every song. And writing with the artist is great because you immediately know what’s working and what’s not.
Your resume includes remixes for artists like MØ and Martin Solveig. How does your approach to remixing differ from your original productions, and what challenges do you face when reinterpreting someone else’s work?
With remixing, it’s all about understanding what the artist/label wants to achieve. And then interpreting that in a way that helps open up a new audience for the song but still keeping the original feel and sentiment. I like to workup an idea in my head, and then I get to work.
Perfect Havoc has been a critical player in your career, supporting your releases and connecting you with various artists. Can you discuss your relationship with Perfect Havoc and how they’ve contributed to your growth as an artist?
The guys have been great. I remember meeting both Adam and Rob at a PH writing camp. I wrote a song with Syon which went on to do nearly 30 million streams. After that we stayed in touch and fully came together in 2022. As a label, they have 100% been there for me and have really supported my music. It’s hard to find a long-term partnership these days… unfortunately, an artist needs to release a lot of music before the doors begin to open, so having a dedicated label standing by is amazing. It means if we do have something special, we can move quickly.
Lastly, are there any exciting projects or releases you’d like to share with us in the pipeline?
HAHA, well, that would be telling. Let’s just say I got the green light to collab with an artist whose songs I have always loved. So you should be hearing that very soon :)
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