Morgin Madison Shares Insight on His Creative Process

Morgin Madison is gearing up to release his sophomore album, and he swung by to chat about his latest single, his artistic growth, and more.

Some incredible sounds are coming from artists who reside in major dance music hubs around the world, but if you take a closer look at other cities that are off the beaten path, there’s plenty more to explore. One perfect example of this is Morgin Madison. Not only has this budding artist, who resides in Boise, Idaho, released some of the most stunning tunes over the past few years but he’s also clearly caught the ear of a global fanbase along the way.

Morgin Madison’s sound has drifted between the realms of chilled-out house and dancefloor-ready progressive during this time as he’s trotted around imprints such as Purified, mau5trap, PRGRSSN, and Songspire. And with each passing release, he’s seemingly picked up more momentum and even more fans hungry for what’s next. After the dust settled from his debut album, Living the Phantasm, Morgin Madison made his way to Enhanced Recordings and its sublabel Colorize and has continued to excel ever since.

“Tell Me Who You Are” with Ryan Lucian and Jas., “Don’t Look Back” with HILYTE and Kayrae, and “Fantasy” are some of the latest tunes that Morgin Madison has dropped on Enhanced as he gears up for the release of his sophomore album. All three are stunners, and today he added a fourth, “Take Me,” for fans to bask in as the summer season begins.

Looking to gain a bit more insight into his recent work and what’s to come, we caught up with Morgin Madison for a quality chat. Give his fresh tune a spin on Spotify or your preferred platform, and read on for the full conversation!

Stream Morgin Madison – Take Me on Spotify:

Hi Morgin! Thanks so much for chatting with us today. You’ve been on quite a tear in the scene lately. Last year, you dropped some major hits like “From The Start” and “Feel Alive,” and now you’re gearing up for your sophomore album. Let’s start with a quick reflection on your recent success! Tell us what has been going through your mind.

Thanks for the kind words! This album’s been a long time coming. After my first album, Living the Phantasm, back in 2021 on mau5trap, I really wanted to take my time and make sure I went into a second album for the right reasons. Sophomore albums are historically difficult for a lot of artists, and I wanted to make sure I could make something bigger and better than my first one. I sent “From the Start” over to Enhanced in late 2022, and we all clicked on my vision for progressive house going forward. The music seems to keep resonating with people, and I’m super grateful for that!

Moving to the present, “Don’t Look Back” dropped last month after nearly three years of working on it with HILYTE and Kayrae. What took so long for this tune to get finalized? Can you walk us through that process?

That’s an interesting one. So I met the HILYTE guys a very long time ago, in 2021, when I first started streaming on Twitch, reviewing people’s tracks from my Discord. They started improving exponentially, and it was really impressive. We started working on a “classic” prog house version of “Don’t Look Back” that was similar to my old songs “Feels Like” or “Running” on mau5trap… even Kaskade/deadmau5’s “I Remember”.

We couldn’t really find the right time or place to put that version out, so we just kept updating it as time passed. The version that eventually came out still has that nostalgic feel, but it’s got more modern production behind it. Kayrae’s vocals have been the same the whole time, though; she absolutely crushed it on the first go.

Your new single, “Take Me,” acts as the last single from your forthcoming album, and you’ve called it your “most anthemic song to date.” What sort of emotions or nostalgia do you channel when producing a track like this to make it feel anthemic?

I think the feeling of an “anthem” is equal parts the vocal and the arrangement. I usually work in a pretty streamlined song structure for my singles, but with “Take Me,” I decided to double down and have two drops for each chorus section, basically. The song is super active. The vocal melodies also start ascending as the choruses go on instead of staying the same. It really doesn’t give you a break until the final build, either. In terms of emotion, it still has that classic Morgin Madison night-drive kind of smoothness to it, but “Take Me” has a much heavier backbone to it with a kick/bass style that I don’t usually do. The whole song just feels really full.

These singles are just a taste of what’s to come on the album. Can you share more about this release? Are there some collaborations or other aspects you’re extra excited to show everyone?

There’s SO much on this album. It has progressive house, ambient, downtempo, techno, breakbeat, and even progressive trance on it. There are also a ton of collaborations with artists and singers people won’t expect. For instance, the first song on the album is a collab with Viligir and Pastelle, and I literally don’t know what genre to call it. I wanted to pull out all the stops and work with people on songs I’m passionate about instead of filtering them through expectations.

I think what I’m most excited about is that this project shows the real range of me as an artist, not just a DJ/producer. It’s a huge 16-track journey, and I put thousands of hours into making sure it feels like an experience instead of a collection of songs.

You’re no stranger to the Enhanced Music/Colorize family, but you’ve really made a mark on the label recently. What does their support mean to you as a rising artist?

They’ve been incredible to work with. When we started making this album together, they let me spread my wings instead of directing me in any particular way. They have a really good handle on A&R, honestly, and they know when to push and pull. They know how to get my music to sound like the best version of myself instead of trying to be anything else. Having that support as a rising artist is crucial, and I think it really shows on this album.

The last time we spoke was during the pandemic. How do you feel you’ve grown artistically and personally since the dust has settled from that?

Great question. I made my first album, Living the Phantasm, during the pandemic after I had decided I was quitting music actually. It was a “what do I wanna say before I go” kind of project. Then it unexpectedly got signed by deadmau5/mau5trap, and all my dreams came true within six months or so. I got to play every venue on my bucket list by the end of 2022. Going from nothing to everything like that was a lot for me to handle in both good and bad ways. I’m super grateful for it all, but it really threw me off-center mentally, and I felt like I was grinding at a career I didn’t really deserve, expect, or plan for.

It’s taken a lot of time, but I’m much healthier these days. I’m happily married, and I’m doing my own thing for the right reasons. When 2023 came, and I started working with Enhanced, I took the time to go back to square one and find my genuine passion for music again instead of just stumbling from one single to the next for the sake of the EDM grind. This album is about the last three years of finding peace and presence in my life again, and I think the music reflects that.

The overall dance music community has changed dramatically with each passing year. What are your thoughts on the current state of the scene?

It’s interesting. It’s bigger and better than ever in many ways, and I love that. I love how some darker, more nuanced forms of electronic music have become more mainstream. Melodic techno has exploded, and John Summit has been out there for a few years now, making progressive house anthems cool again. It’s opened up a lot of doors for new kinds of artists who couldn’t have made it before.

One of my concerns, though, is that artists are pretty pigeonholed these days in terms of what to actually create, and at the end of the day, that gets pretty stale for the consumer/listener. I think there’s this unspoken thing where rising artists are encouraged to make/play the same kinds of songs over and over again in order to be marketable or get consistent gigs.

While I do get that, it doesn’t feel like there’s quite as much tolerance for artists making bold, exciting moves anymore. When you look at the all-time greats in EDM like Kaskade, Porter Robinson, deadmau5, Eric Prydz, Skrillex, or even ODESZA… they all have their own thing and stand on their own while evolving through the years. It would be great to have some more of that!

Finally, with nearly half the year in the rearview mirror, do you have plans for the second half of 2024? Can we expect an album tour on the horizon?

There’s a lot coming! This album will have a full vinyl pressing we’ve worked really hard on, and I’m working on merch and the touring side as well. There are going to be a lot of awesome remixes of the album and some bigger collaborations down the line. All in due time!

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