“Traffic” by MOON AND ARIES
“Traffic” is a captivating song that fuses jazz, R&B, and pop elements to create a musical journey through the challenges and joys of life. It features the talented duo of Moon and Aries, who work together across oceans to make music that is both sensual and sublime. The song also highlights the skill of saxophone player jokomagic, who adds a touch of elegance and flair to the track.
The voice of Jordana Moon is mellifluous and emotive, articulating the sentiments and musings of the storyteller. The refrain is captivating and unforgettable, echoing the phrase “Keep on moving” as a chant of tenacity and hope.
Moon and Aries achieve with “Traffic”, as so often, a more than compelling release, which not only has the ability to astonish, but also exhibits tremendous quality.
“Traffic” is a stunning song that blends the vibes of Lisa Stansfield and Sade, as you aptly put it. It has a smooth and jazzy feel that evokes the late 80s RnB scene. How did you come up with this amazing track? What is the story behind it?
First of all, thank you for all you just said. Sade and Lisa Stansfield are massive influences of mine (and Tom for musical style) and with a song titled Traffic, we just went with the style / vibe that we felt best reflected the essence of that concept.
Tom's instrumental is so spot on for exactly how I wanted to express myself in this song. Picturing myself driving to New York City with Tom, and all of the feelings we would have.
What motivated you to choose this musical direction?
Tom and I always pick a title for our songs first. So whatever style comes from that and the full concept behind it, is what we go with.
With this latest album, we don't have a set style! Each song is its own unique theme song that fits into a big picture. So having Traffic be in a more soulful style, felt good and right.
Do you plan to explore more of this style in your future songs?
absolutely! We had a lot of fun creating a more upbeat funk soul RnB song. Especially alongside Jokomagic 🎷 My musical background is in jazz, and Tom can compose anything and everything.
I also love the type of storytelling that goes into this sort of genre. It's fun for us to explore this realm and we will keep doing so.
Your soundscape is always impressive. What are some of the tools or techniques that you use to produce your music?
Tom not only has a classical piano education but was also fortunate enough to have his father teach him how to write full orchestra arrangements. Later, with the influence of groups like Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode and the sound of the 80s, the electronic synthesizer world was added to his compositions. During his composition time for video games and short films he combined these two worlds (classical/musical and electronic). Since we both love movies and film music so much (like Inception or Interstellar) you can hear in our song arrangements exactly the love for cinematic soundscapes and full storytelling in music, lyrics and vocals.
What is your opinion on “AI-music” and its potential for innovation or disruption?
It's definitely an interesting gimmick. I don't know how far it can go, but it can't simulate human emotions in deeper, more meaningful ways that we can all connect to. But people will gravitate to whatever they like ! Real or fake, we don't know how people will respond. All we true artists can do is create as much musical magic as possible to theme the current culture, feelings and times we are in.
How do you balance the time-consuming aspect of being an indie artist with other aspects of your life?
Tom and I are both naturally disciplined people. Moon and Aries motivates us like crazy because we feel such a strong sense of purpose within this musical mission we have accepted. Having said that, yeah, we are always seeking balance.
We both have families, other things that take up our time, but I feel like Moon and Aries is always on our minds. It's the battery that charges us, and reflects in all we do. Finding time to actually sit down, write a song, create a song… we don't force it. We stay in a healthy flow state of divine timing.
What are some of the upcoming projects or plans that you are working on or looking forward to?
We are currently releasing our album, Resolutions and Revolutions. Traffic marks our 4th song of about 12. So this is our main focus right now ! But we always keep our space open for new opportunities and potentials on our path.
And we always look forward to meeting each other and playing live one day. Playing live many times !! Thanks so much for having us today! Was a pleasure for us.
