2020 Mentor Session Interview: DJ & Producer Morgan Page


Tuesday, January 21st, 2020 |

One of the best features for aspiring music professionals at Winter Music Conference 2020 will be the mentor sessions. They will give badge holders the ability to talk to DJs, publicists, tech professionals, streaming executives and more for genuine interaction in a classy, personal setting. Pro Badge holders will be able to get meaningful insights that can advance their career from some of the best in the business. We are running a series of interviews with each of our mentors as we prep for the sunshine in March. We have already talked to Jonas TempelLara KelleySydney BluAlexandra Greenberg and Peter Wohelski and David Waxman. Now we continue our run of interviews with world renowned DJ and producer Morgan Page.

Morgan Page is a seminal force in electronic music. Across his dozens of hit releases, the GRAMMY-nominated producer and DJ has racked up hundreds of millions of plays, and charted multiple Billboard, Beatport, and US Dance Radio number ones.

Having broken through more than a decade ago, on the forefront of the explosion of dance music in North America, Page has built a massive live following. Touring consistently throughout the years, Page has performed at major festivals across the world, including Coachella, EDC, Electric Zoo, Burning Man, and Ultra Music Festival, as well as countless shows in the world’s top hard ticket venues and clubs. He currently tours nearly year-round and holds a Las Vegas residency at Daylight, having previously held a three-year residency at Wynn Las Vegas.

Page curates and hosts a weekly radio mix show, ‘In The Air,’ which airs on Sirius XM and is syndicated online and on radio internationally to dozens of countries. ‘In The Air’ has broadcast weekly uninterrupted for over eight years, and is approaching episode number 500.

Outside of music, Page’s two main passions are the environment and technology, and particularly where the two intersect. The Tesla-driving producer installed solar panels to power his recording studio; he is always on the cutting edge and an early adopter and advocate of new tech. In 2013, Page brought to life the groundbreaking ‘Morgan Page Presents 3D Tour,’ a forward-thinking, immersive visual experience utilizing 3D technology that was nascent at the time. In 2014, partnering with Oculus, DTS, and Alienware, he also produced the first-ever virtual reality lyric video for standout single “In The Air.” Followed by an Oculus partnership to produce a Gear VR mobile experience for his single “Open Heart.” Most recently, he’s produced music for Tesla and SpaceX.

Morgan’s Quick Tips project is his way to pass on his vast wealth of knowledge and experience to an eager audience of musicians and producers, as well as the broader creator community, helping them crack the creativity code and improve their work flow. MPQT is comprised of a series of 750+ short-form tips and 50+ blog post deep-dives available online and in physical card sets. Recently Morgan partnered up with technology leader OWC to distribute the cards and connect with creators as a brand ambassador.

Read more about mentor sessions and get your badges now.

Winter Music Conference will return to The Faena Forum in Miami Beach on March 16-19 to celebrate 35 years. Morgan Page will be one of the mentors during WMC.

Read out on for our interview with Morgan Page below.

  1. When you were coming up professionally did you have the opportunity to have a mentor, and if so, how did it affect your career path? 

I did various internships growing up in NYC during summers in high school, which really helped provide a path in the music industry. The A&R took me under his wing and helped me get my record deal. For producing music and workflow I never really had a mentor – books and podcasts always fulfilled that role: so reading “the 4 hour workweek” by Tim Ferriss and “The Artist’s Way” by Julie Cameron were really influential.

  1. Have you ever mentored someone, and if so, what are some of your techniques? What type of knowledge did you impart?

I’ve never really mentored anyone – I’ve helped push up & coming talent, and done lots of guest lectures at music schools, but all my tips and mentoring are really embedded into the http://mpquicktips.com project which has over 800 tips and 20 blog posts. I felt like this was the best way to scale my knowledge to the largest possible audience.

  1. Winter Music Conference has been such an important part of so many people’s careers in the electronic music business, do you have any particular memories or stories to share? Was there ever a WMC moment that you felt help make your career?

My favorite part of the conference is the random “lobby effect” you get by running into like-minded people on the streets of south beach. The unplanned meetings. The first time I went to Miami for the conference I slept on somebody’s hotel room floor.

  1. What are a few pieces of advice you might give someone starting off in your line of work? How have things changed since you started?

I think the most important thing is making sure it’s something you love and are willing to spend the rest of your life on, don’t do it for fame, money, or end results – because it’s not sustainable and every career has an arc, even The Beatles. You have to love the process and the grind. The best advice for actual production is keeping your ideas simple and finishing projects – don’t layer a bunch of half-baked ideas. Work quickly, work when your logic brain is weak (mornings and nights), and want it more than the next guy/girl.

  1. Can you share any “aha” moment in your career where you knew you had made the right choice or that things were about to get really great for you?

Hearing the Deadmau5 remix of “The Longest Road” in Miami during the conference was a big moment, because I kept hearing it everywhere! When the world tilts off-axis just a little, you’re on to something.

  1. What are you looking forward to the most at 2020’s WMC and MMW?

My favorite part is making new connections and seeing old friends, so I’m excited to be back where it all began.


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Testimonials

I feel fortunate to have been part of the first-ever WMC. Over the 35 years, it has grown to give us an international forum where we exchange music and ideas. As an attendee and host of many of the award shows, I am proud each time I see new young talent emerge and then become world-renowned. We all have so many Winter Music Conference moments of hearing a seminal breakthrough record for the first time as well as a new DJ with star quality. Magical moments in my career.


Daniel Glass

Glassnote Records

I first went to WMC ’87, the year I started Big Beat. It was an incredibly inspiring congregation of indie labels, DJs, artists, songwriters, producers and dance music lovers dedicated to breaking and discovering new music. WMC has been instrumental in furthering the dance and electronic cause; keeping the community connected, vital and relevant, and serving as an amazing springboard for talent. It’s a fantastic crucible for the future of dance music. Long may it live.


Craig Kallman

CEO & Co-Chairman Atlantic Records, Founder Big Beat Records

Having only missed the very first year of WMC in 1985, it was 1986-1990 that initially placed me on the map globally due to the international attendance of the entire dance music community. All throughout the 90s I was often getting written about by various high profile mags and websites for having contributed to help break many artists, DJs, producers and remixers. WMC enabled me to bring many top industry people together all under one roof, especially at Groove Jet, where house music officially met Techno in my sets and it’s all been uphill since…TBC


Danny Tenaglia

DJ, Producer

If you want to know about our industry from the people that make it happen then go to WMC. It’s an accelerated masterclass in all things dance music.


Carl Cox

DJ/Intec Records

Winter Music Conference is my ground zero. It has always provided the perfect storm of opportunity and excitement for up and coming artists, including myself back in 2003, where I first caught a glimpse of how it felt to have an audience respond to my work. Over the years, I’ve always made it a point to have WMC in my calendar because that’s the spot where everyone congregates and you can feel it in the air. Creativity, brother and sisterhood, FUN and most of all the chance to come together as a community and celebrate the reason we are all here—the music.”


Kaskade

DJ/Producer