The two-time Grammy nominee Morgan Page is in the midst of his biggest tour yet, the Morgan Page Presents Tour, which is taking him to over 50 cities nationwide and in Canada. This tour is about “showcasing new talent and ground-breaking artists” that Morgan hand-picked himself, to give fans the most exciting experience possible. The shows will also feature an innovative 3D interactive experience, making this a tour a tour like no other. VIBE caught up with Morgan backstage at his first New York show.
VIBE: You have just released a rework of The Outfield’s 1986 hit ‘Your Love’, have you got any video plans for the single?
Morgan Page: Yeah we just had a lyric video for that but there’s a single coming out called ‘Against the World’ that will probably have a music video out pretty soon.
What can we expect from your new album Morgan Page Presents? Are you happy with how it came out?
The compilation is going to be more clubby, it’s going to feature the new singles. It features the sound that I’m playing on my tour. Then the next album next year will also be very club focused. Every song will be a single. I just want it to be something that lasts that you want to hear over and over, not just a collection of tracks. Yeah it’s really good, it’s sort of more pop than what I was expecting but I’m going to make sure to have a mix of pop and indie flavor and just good club music as well.
After the success of your last tour “In The Air” do you expect the same kind of turn out for this one? Are you worried about comparisons?
Well this, it’s a whole different thing with the 3D aspect to it. It’s a whole different experience. It’s also a little more aggressive sound. ‘In The Air’ was a great tour and so far this has been pretty insane. It’s the first tour to really do high rise 3D as a DJ nationwide, there’s other things that are attempting to do similar things, but it’s so unique in what it is as a show that I’m pretty confident that people will love that and keep coming out.
Who was your favorite artist to work with on the album/tour? Is there anyone else you’re looking to collaborate with in the future?
Michael S is the singer on ‘Against The World,’ he’s just an amazing vocalist. But you know some of the other collaborations for the other records Tegan and Sara, The Outfield, there’s so many cool people to work with. It’s probably the best part about trying to make music is the collaborations. I always have a wish list of people that I want to work with. I’m going to reunite with some of the singers from my early albums and bring them back for some more records; so more stuff with those singers that have that kind of sawdust to their vocals that I love.
The 3D effects for your tour were originally going to be used on the Michael Jackson ‘This Is It’ tour; did you like MJ’s music? Which of his songs would you like to remix the most?
Yeah I’m definitely a fan of Michael Jackson. The technology was used but these are all new visuals and it’s actually a better version of the technology. We wanted to do it justice and take that to the road. It’s a shame that he didn’t get to use it. When we heard about the 3D technology we couldn’t believe nobody had used it. One band has used it, Primus, and they did a really cool tour with it. But we thought this is perfect for DJing. Maybe ‘Beat It’ or ‘Thriller’, every time Halloween rolls around I want to do a remix.
What’s next for Morgan page after the tour ends?
Finish up the compilation, working on the full length album for next year. I’m also writing a book for music producers and creative professionals called ‘MP Quick Tips’ so I’ve got to get that done. Just working on trying to get really big singles out there, big songs that really make an impact.
What will ‘MP Quick Tips’ be about?
The book right now is a twitter account and these condensed tips gave me ideas I can flesh out and make it an illustrated print book and an app later on. It’s cool because big DJs like Avicii and Gareth Emery, these guys say that they are influenced by the tips, but also beginners.
Have you been in talks with publishers about the book yet?
Yeah I’ve talked to a few. I’ve talked to Oxford Press about it, a couple of places but I’m going to self-publish it first and then maybe get it into music schools later on. It’s basically documenting everything I’ve learned in music, every little nugget over the last fifteen years.
You’re about to go on stage, have you got a warm up routine or anything you do to psych yourself up before you go on stage?
Warm up my vocal chords (laughs). I just try to get focused and centered before a show and have a little bit of silence and then go out there and do my thing.
Photo Credit: Getty