Ulterior Motive

Ulterior Motive was the Bournemouth, England, drum-and-bass duo James Davidson and Greg Hepworth, brought together in 2003 by their shared interest in futuristic drum and bass. Their early releases appeared on Subtitles and Critical before Goldie signed them to Metalheadz. Their 2010 single A Wondering Journal LP Sampler, released on Critical Music with Sabre, brought one of their collaborators into the picture early. Davidson and Hepworth also worked with Jubei, Rockwell, Zero T and FD. They later released music on Shogun Audio and CNVX, as well as their own Guidance imprint.

Metalheadz released the duo’s album The Fourth Wall in 2014. The album includes the track “Sideways”; its release followed a 2013 single, Timekeeper, made with Calyx, Judda and TeeBee for Subtitles Music. Davidson and Hepworth issued The Real - EP on Shogun Audio in 2017, the year they launched Guidance. They also released 001EP in 2017. Their releases on the imprint included the single Trip Hammer / Intuition, made with Quadrant, and the 2019 Ulterior Motive EP on Guidelines Music, featuring “The Ripper” with Judda and “Walnuts” with Jubei. They also collaborated with Future Cut on an EP released through Guidance Music.

In 2018, Davidson and Hepworth worked with Goldie on the Metalheadz single I Adore You (feat. Natalie Duncan & The Ensemble) [Live at Roundhouse, London]. That year they also teamed with DLR for the CNVX single Dredger / Unforgiving. Davidson later collaborated with Goldie on the Subjective project, following their work together on Goldie’s album The Journey Man.

Ulterior Motive split in 2021 after 11 years. Davidson carried on with his Submotive project, while both members pursued individual work.