Ulterior Motive

Ulterior Motive were a UK drum and bass production duo from Bournemouth: James Davidson and Greg Hepworth. Working primarily in drum and bass and jungle (with strong ties to liquid-funk aesthetics), their output also crosses into dubstep, breakbeat, bassline and other bass-driven styles listed in their catalogue and press descriptions.

The pair began releasing around 2009 and built a profile across specialist labels and the vinyl/digital circuit. They issued music on labels including Subtitles and Metalheadz. Their debut long player, The Fourth Wall, arrived on Metalheadz in October 2014. In 2017 they launched the Guidance label. Ulterior Motive announced their split in January 2021; after the split James Davidson continued as a solo project under the name Submotive and went on to work with Goldie on the Subjective project.

As producers Ulterior Motive’s work foregrounded the production techniques associated with modern DnB and jungle: edited breaks and tight drum programming, focused low‑end design and layered atmospheres. Across releases for Metalheadz and Subtitles they blended chopped and processed breakbeats with warm pads and mid‑range motion common to liquid styles, while allowing room for heavier, dub‑informed subweight and half‑time textures where the tracks called for it. Their palette ranged from rolling jungle edits to sparser, dub‑lean mixes — a versatility that matched the variety of labels and scenes they engaged.

The duo’s concrete contributions to the scene are traceable in their label and release activity: steady single and EP work that led to The Fourth Wall (Metalheadz, October 2014), plus the establishment of Guidance in 2017 as a platform linked to their output. Their track record on Subtitles and Metalheadz placed them on two labels known for technical production standards and heavy DJ play, and their Guidance imprint signalled a move into label management alongside production.

Public statements about direct musical influences are limited; the clearest documented connection after Ulterior Motive’s split is James Davidson’s ongoing work as Submotive and his collaboration with Goldie on the Subjective project. Beyond those named facts, available public biographical detail on individual influences and unreleased collaborations is scarce.