The second Energy UK DJ of the Month for
2001, continues where the quality of the first set the standard. This time we
head over the Atlantic to America, and more specifically to San Fransisco,
home of this months winner, Morgan. Morgan's entry to The Exchange was a
very detailed, carefully planned progressive mix of tough NRG with careful
attention paid to getting every mix absolutely spot on. Another worhy
winner joins our very special club...
DJ Name:
Morgan
Age: 25
From: San
Francisco, California (USA)
Occupation: Technical
Marketing in the Computer Industry
Spinning Since:
1993
Affiliations: HardNRG.com / Lotek Records
Favourite Labels: Lotek, Kaktai, Mohawk, DIP, PigPen, BulletProof, Nukleuz, Tidy
Favourite Record Stores: Banging Tunes, Juno, Pure Groove, TuneInn
Favourite DJ's of All Time: DJ Dan, Superfast Oz, Chris Liberator
Top 5 Tunes of All
Time
Me & Jack - "Viva House"
Misjah & Tim -
"Access"
Hardfloor - "Acperience"
Attack (E.Top) -
"Ecsta-Deal"
Sperminator - "No Women Allowed"
(and Tinrib/Karim
Remix)
DJing History
It started innocently enough... back in '92 I was buying CD's of what was only known as "rave music" because I wanted to bring home a little bit of the party. Compilations that I am embarrassed to admit to now, such as Kickin' 100% Techno, Trance Vol 1, Rave 'til Dawn, etc. Soon after my friends started asking me to bring the CD's with me to house parties, and so I would hook up two portable, non-pitch adjustable CD players to a stolen 3 channel PA mixer with no Cue function, and the rest is history!
Soon I discovered the value of vinyl… so after a few months of practice on my friend's RCA turntables, I bought my first Technics in '93. A lot of my early inspiration came from the underground parties in San Francisco around that time: The Gathering, Funky Tekno Tribe, a Rave Called Sharon, etc. It was during this time that I had the opportunity to watch some of the best DJ's in the US, such as DJ Dan, Donald Glaude and Graeme… long before they made their climb to fame. I instantly took to heart the technical skills required and focused on beat matching, phrasing and programming. To be honest, I never wanted to be more than a bedroom DJ, simply to be able to bring a bit of the party home with me.
During those years in college, I played a number of small parties… even threw a few myself. However it was not until I got out of school and started working full time that I really pushed myself in the professional DJ circuit. There are a couple of reasons for it… the first and foremost is that I did not want to grow old too soon. If you are in the corporate sector, you know what I mean… just look around and you will see people who are only 30 years old but look like they are pushing 50+. ;) In other words, DJing was an escape from the Zombie Nation… a release each weekend. The other major reason is that I felt like San Francisco had suffered a decline in the quality of DJ's. Those original pioneers had up and left the local Rave scene as they expanded into National and International fame. So rather than complain that things are not what they used to be, why not get up there and try to do it better yourself? ;) This combined with a new sound (hh-nu-nrg), is what focused me on DJing and established my Style.
DJing Style
I have always been a fan of Acid and Hard Trance. From my early influences of HardFloor and Emanuel Top, I had grown to love driving basslines and funky 303's. Then came the big acid builds of X-Trax and the like. It was this raw power that instantly reminded me of the early parties I had gone to. A return to the hardcore, only for the headstrong… imported directly from the UK . Then comes Hard NRG, early Tinrib tracks, bringing back the original old school hoover sound. All those memories come rushing in, like a mighty storm…
This progression can be seen on my first mass duplicated CD, Dark NRG. Suddenly a whole new world opened up with the explosion of UK Hard House and Nu-NRG. Familiar samples from the early days, mixed in with the epic builds of acid trance, and wicked hoover stabs. You see, I was a big fan of the early UK House music I heard played in San Francisco. This would have been tracks like Direckt's "Two Fat Guitars", Mother's "All Funked Up", and Jump's "Funkatarium". So I felt right at home bridging this gap of hard house and trance.
This was something that was screaming to be heard. So my next CD, Decepticon, featured all of the soon to be hh-nu-nrg classics that were emerging. It was fantastic timing because this CD came out right before many people in the US took notice of this new, exciting style. The now infamous Access Denied was on there, and that was nearly a year before it finally came out on Tripoli. This established me as an early leader in the DJ community with regards to this style. Combine that with the efforts of a few close friends who created HardNRG.com and suddenly I found myself playing parties all over the United States and Canada.
The follow up to that CD of course is my most recent release, Sentinel. This captures a hybrid of the previous two CD's. Marked with dark driving tunes and big energetic builds… toss in another sure to be classic, Begonia, and suddenly you find yourself Energy UK DJ of the Month! ;P
Influences & Inspirations
Within recent years, I would say that there are a handful of artists who have earned my respect. Such as Superfast Oz and DJ Kristian. Not only did they show me exactly how successful you could be by following an idea, but how to have fun while you are at it. I would also say that Chris C and Madam Zu are two very inspirational DJs/Artists… they have taken the time to confirm my belief that those who really have skill, dedication, and a love for the music can share that with others without the ego that comes to those who only strive for such success. And of course my local friends such as Kemkidd, Mook, Number Nine and Teuflin, all of who have to put up with me on a regular basis! ;)
Thoughts on the Future
As far as the US is concerned, I see hh-nu-nrg gaining popularity at an exponential rate. We are only now seeing the beginning of the rise of this style, and I think it will gain even more acceptance over the next few years. The Rave scene may be driven into the clubs, but hard house will no doubt give progressive trance a run for its money. In fact, I am willing to bet on it… so I started up Lotek Records along with my partner Kemical Kidd. The ultimate goal in mind is to build recognition for the label and then to start releasing our own material, along with other US based artists. We have a ways to go in order to bring some real quality to the table… but I am definitely up for a challenge! =)
Special Thanks go out to all those who aspire for something better, the friends who keep the inspiration alive, and for those who push forward despite the obstacles placed in their path. And of course to Pat and Graeme for creating E-UK and sticking with it; for bringing people and this community together, we all owe you a debt of gratitude! ;)
Contact:
morgan@hardnrg.com
http://www.djmorgan.com/
http://www.lotekrecords.com/
http://www.hardnrg.com/
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO PART OF THE WINNING MIX*
* - NB - the tracks on the live DJ mix are used with all copyright of the producers and publishers acknowledged and respected. If you'd prefer your track not to feature, just tell us and we'll remove it Thanks.