Motu

Motu is a group described as an electronic trance music project, active from 2003 to 2004. The act is also associated in the provided material with indie, jam band, blues rock, rock, delta blues, acoustic, gospel, guitar-led and trance-related music, indicating a broad stylistic range in its output and presentation.

Recording history and releases

Motu builds a profile around self-produced releases and direct-to-fan distribution. The project is said to have issued more than ten self-produced CDs, with a tenth self-produced CD appearing in 2009. That release is noted for spending over four months on CD Baby’s Recommended CDs list. Motu also releases a two-disc CD/DVD set that includes a 32-track high-definition live DVD. The material also states that Motu’s self-produced CDs and DVDs are available through iTunes, Rhapsody and other music stores.

Performance, musicianship and collaborators

The project is centred on guitar-driven performance, with repeated emphasis on electric guitar, slide guitar and harmonica. Motu is described as a blues guitarist and singer, and the material refers to Dr Richard Michelson as the artist behind the project. The two-disc CD/DVD release features a backing band made up of well-known musicians who have played with many major artists, although no individual names are given.

Recognition and activity

Motu is identified as a semi-finalist winner in the International Blues Challenge and as a winner of two Billboard World Music Awards. The project also receives praise for music-based charity work. Its fan club is described as worldwide and growing, and the act is said to have drawn substantial online attention, with more than 145,000 song plays on MySpace and more than 75,000 self-produced CD sales.

Affiliations

Motu is a member of ASCAP, the Long Island Blues Society, and other music-related organisations. The project is presented as New York-based.