Morgan Page Has a Message: Believe

By Bruce Britt

Nov 17 2009

As 2009 lurches to a finish, Los Angeles producer, DJ and remixer Morgan Page have lots to crow about. His official debut album, Elevate, spawned the global club hit “The Longest Road,” the Deadmau5 remix of which garnered a Grammy nomination. In a heartening vote of confidence from fans, peers and fellow musicians, Page captured two International Dance Music Award nominations for Best Breakthrough Artist and Best Progressive House/Trance Track. As if these honors weren’t enough, Page earned acclaim for his remixes of songs by Madonna, Coldplay, Regina Spektor, Katy Perry and more.

Having clearly demonstrated his formidable composing and remixing skills, Mr. Page is now poised for an explosively successful 2010 with the much anticipated release of his second album, Believe. A mesmerizing collection of original electronic tunes, Believe highlights Page’s gift for fusing sweet pop melodies with sultry dance grooves. Featuring collaborations with such electro-pop icons as Angela McCluskey (Telepopmusik), Dave Dresden (Gabriel & Dresden), the album is 13 tracks of pure, futuristic dance bliss.

“’Believe’ is all about maintaining balance,” Page said in a recent interview with BMI MusicWorld. “There’s still sort of a toughness and edge there, but not forgetting a sense of melody. I’m really proud of this record.”

As he should be—the new album is Page’s truest creative expression yet. His infamous 2005 collection of bootleg remixes, Cease And Desist, got the ear of critics and clubgoers alike, while his 2008 encore Elevate featured remixes of music by Dengue Fever, Nelly Furtado, and others. In sharp contrast, Believe consists mostly of Page originals.

Released in 2009, the single “Fight for You” offered fans a tempting foretaste of what the album has in store. Featuring the winsome vocals of singer/songwriter Elizabeth Maurus (a.k.a. Lissie), “Fight for You” features yearning dance-pop melodies underscoring lyrics of romantic uncertainty (“our dust still unsettled, I feel the plucking of our petals…”).

That rarity of rarities—a prog-dance composer who suffers as much over lyrics as music—Page says he endeavors to combine the edgy urgency of electronic music with the lyrical heft of classic pop and rock. “For me, a big part of the effort is collaborating with singer/songwriters who don’t do dance music,” Page says. “You get this interesting chemistry, because they bring good songwriting skills. I would always say that melody is king, but I think you get that extra layer of meaning with strong lyrics.”