Morgan Page has performed at sold out shows around the globe, has been recognized at not only the Grammy’s (twice) but also at the International Dance Music Awards (five times), and continues to dominate the Billboard charts with his unique and infectious sound album after album.
It’s been over a decade since Morgan’s modest beginnings mixing for a local radio show in Burlington, VT, and despite his unparalleled success since then, Morgan remains humble as ever as he sits down with WRR for an exclusive interview.
In our meeting, Morgan divulged unannounced details regarding the 3D visuals of his upcoming tour, his personal stance regarding the recent wave of drug related tragedies at shows, and the formula or lack thereof for composing those feel good tracks we’ve all come to know and love.
The interview took place in his quiet tour bus parked behind Echostage in Washington, DC after his recent performance with Dirty South. There was no sign of wild parties or scantily clad groupies as you might imagine. Just a fridge full of coconut water and some outdated furniture to comfort the Grammy nominee during his days on the road.
This was my first experience seeing Morgan Page perform live, so from a fan’s perspective I didn’t have much to compare with this concert beyond SoundCloud recordings and YouTube videos. After mentioning that to Morgan I asked…
How do you modify your sets when playing individual concerts versus large festivals? Does it make a difference to you knowing that the crowd came specifically to see you perform or that you are only one of hundreds of artists on a lineup?
You gotta make everybody happy somehow. I think it’s interesting because some artists are purists and they refuse to play other artists’ music at festivals which is (I think) crazy. You have to please some of the more casual fans that come in that weren’t even planning on seeing you, they just kind of show up and that’s how you get new fans.
To make as many people happy as possible (you never make everybody happy) I try to mix big songs of the moment and big “banger” tracks with the beats of my songs and the lyrics of other people’s songs but usually it’s other people beats and my vocals and production.
Is that why you chose to remix “Rhythm of the Night”? Because those lyrics and vocals are so familiar for so many people?
Yeah that was all my production. Originally, I just got the vocals and with the beat and the buildup it was a harder sound than I’m known for in production. That’s also what I change for a festival. It’s definitely more aggressive. I think at EDC everyone was kind of like “woah this is a whole different sound”.
Your upcoming tour is utilizing the 3D effects originally developed for Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” tour. How do you think those visuals will enhance the fans’ experience at your shows?
You almost feel high after the show. You forget where you are. It’s almost like a good movie where you forget where you are and then it’s back to real life but we want to kind of couple that with the energy of the show or a festival. This is a completely different experience than spraying people with champagne or standing on the DJ table… I’m just over that. This is something fresh. Something exciting. It’s really expensive too so it has taken some time to really get it together so we can afford to make this our own. Originally, Michael Jackson paid $8 million for this rig and this is a newer, more advanced version but luckily technology has come down in price since then.
Hopefully, your 3D set will be able to disconnect people from their phones because the only way to fully experience it is with your own eyes. Video recordings won’t truly capture the moment the way it was. Was this a goal of yours? Is it somewhat disparaging to see a bunch of phones staring up at you?
I look at it like it’s the new lighter. It depends on where you are in relation to the phone. If you’re behind it, it’s sort of like you’re seeing a filtered version of the show but if you have it up and it’s a light…. You know I have people who bring iPads to shows and they’ll type messages to hold up. It’s kind of funny.
With this I think people will be so distracted by the visuals and the depth of them, feeling like it’s coming out at them. We can do stuff that you can’t really do in a movie. In a movie, you can’t really break the story. Anything that feels like “oh my god it’s 3D” can really hurt a story but with this we can do whatever we want.
How will these effects interact with the set that you’re playing? Are you able to trigger certain cues and images with your controller?
No it’s all done with a VJ but we’ll sort of have a call and response. There are certain moments in songs that are more 3D and others will be 2D. It will remain flexible. It’s not a fixed set at all. It’s important with lyrics that the program follows certain rigid cues but for the DJ booth it will morph and change. It’s going to look like I’m inside objects.
I know a lot of your song’s are emotive, do you go into the studio with a specific goal or do you let creativity flow and the song takes its own shape?
You can do both. I went into the studio this week and I feel you hit a block when you go in thinking, “I’m going to write THIS today.” That never works for me. I go in saying, “I don’t care if this is going to be the next single or I throw it in the trash the next day or it’s a chill out track.” I just go in and let the process take over. That’s when you come up with the most amazing stuff. In that experience you almost forget where you are. You just get in the zone and 8 hours later you’re done. Time flies.
I think about it like I’m out on the dance floor. Where’s the riser? Where’s the pitch? Where’s the big crescendo? And the drop.
How do you challenge yourself to develop your sound from album to album or song to song? What can people expect from the “Morgan Page Compilation” (releasing with your tour) versus what they heard from “In The Air”?
The compilation is going to be showcasing the artists that I’m going on tour with and also the sound of the tour. That sound will keep changing throughout the tour with different support artists DJing different lengths of the tour but I’ve never done a mix CD before so I thought it was about time. It’s something that will be in record stores and on iTunes. People hear the podcasts each week and I try to make those to be mix CD quality. Something that you want to hear more than once. Same thing with my live sets. That’s why I put my EDC set online. People are still talking about the Big Day Out set and EDC set 6 months after a festival. That’s the goal. Longevity. The music has to last. The album has to last. I’m not really a fan of just making tracks and coming out with them every 2 weeks.
The approach is going to change a little bit with the next album. It’s not that half the album is singles. They all need to be singles.
In light of recent events a lot of people have been coming out, especially DJs, to express their opinions on the current state of EDM as a live show and the drug usage that goes with it. Regarding incidents like the tragedies at Electric Zoo, do you have anything you want to say to fans?
I used to have a much more liberal view on drug use and moderation. I never did hard drugs. It really just complicates things. I know DJs that have been caught for drugs and once that stuff happens it’s on your record. It makes life a lot more difficult. I couldn’t do my job if that happened to me. If I even got caught for weed at an airport, forget going to India, China or any of these countries.
I think people can make their own decisions but people have to be a lot more careful especially in a really confined space with tons of other people. It’s dangerous sober on a hot day. I played a festival in Sydney and it was 115 degrees. The hottest day they’ve had on record and if you don’t drink enough water you’re going to have problems.
People need to be more careful because if it keeps happening, these events are going to stop happening.
This is especially why I want to bring something more visually stimulating to my shows. You really don’t need to be on drugs to enjoy the show. It should be a more pure experience than that. I’m not going to preach to anyone. Party safe if you choose to party but I will say life is a lot simpler when you don’t take drugs.
This genre of music does carry with it a party atmosphere. What do you do to stay grounded and focused in the music behind the scenes?
Just working all the time. I love to work and I get a lot of flack for that from my fiance but when you love what you do it doesn’t feel like work. It’s challenging but in my small amount of free time I’ve been working on a book. I’m really excited about it and I’m trying to get it done somehow during this tour. I’ve basically been compiling all these tidbits of knowledge I’ve gained over 15 years of DJing and I’m putting them all in a book. Hopefully it will help and inspire others.
You mentioned that your tourmates are comprised of handpicked emerging talent. Audien, Beltek, Maor Levi, Project 46, Topher Jones, and Walden. How did you choose exactly who would go on tour with you? What was the criteria for artists you picked?
I just wanted to choose artists who were humble and talented. Emerging artists who I could support in a live show. Talent I wanted to champion and give them and extra lift. These guys are great and doing really well but I wanted to help them take it to the next level. Especially guys like Audien. Audien is doing this by himself. He’s from Connecticut and there’s a new wave of American producers that I’m particularly proud of.
I didn’t really have anybody to take me under their wing in terms of a big DJ. I worked on tracks for John Digweed and Sasha but I was never part of the family. I never went on tour with them. It’s kind of nice to have this team effort, this camaraderie where we support each other.
Do you complement each other’s sound? How will you benefit from each other?
I love working with new producers because they can teach you so much. You never stop learning and conceptualizing. Even Audien has this amazing sound that he does. It’s new and different.
Do you find it difficult to develop and maintain meaningful relationships on the road? You mentioned that you are engaged. How do you manage your relationship while on tour?
Yeah it’s hard. It’s definitely hard. She’s learned to deal with that but there’s no easy way around it. You can’t really be around to nurture certain friendships. You start to look at your friends as the fans. It’s kind of sad really. I go back and have my circle of friends I hang out with in LA but I spend so much time working. I had one weekend off last year.
I have to ask, what did you do with your one weekend?
You don’t know what to do with yourself. Just go out and see a movie or something. Try to be normal every chance you get.
Follow Morgan Page for more updates:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/morganpage
Twitter – https://twitter.com/morganpage
SoundCloud – https://soundcloud.com/morganpage
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