Following the release of his debut album, Living in Phantasm, we caught up with producer, Morgin Madison. After working as a lobbyist, Madison felt unfulfilled and decided to quit his job on his birthday in May of 2017 to pursue his own project. Now he’s brought us his magnum opus, Living in Phantasm, which was released via mau5trap. Madison’s debut channels his own personal highs and lows from the past year, resulting in an introspective 12-track project. Check out what Morgin had to say below!
BTS: How would you describe your sound to someone who hasn’t heard it yet?Morgin Madison: Great question! I like to think of it as dance music with heart, or atmospheric dance music. I see much of my music as set pieces instead of songs, and I think one of the trademarks of my sound is the ethereal synthesizer work and vast sounds laying on top of deep, hard-hitting drums and bass.
BTS: You kept your music-making a secret for quite some time – how did it feel to finally reveal your project to the world?
Morgin Madison: Honestly, kind of scary. There’s no way to know if anybody will enjoy your music until you show it to the world. Debuting the Morgin Madison music back in 2017 was equal parts cathartic and anxiety-inducing. I knew I was doing what my soul wanted to do, but I also knew how much I had to learn in order to turn it into a real career. Fast forward a few years and I think I’ve honed in on my craft, and what I want to do with it. Releasing my debut album Living the Phantasm gave me that same sort of anxious feeling, but the payoff has been that I am truly 100% proud of my music.
BTS: You just released your debut album, Living in the Phantasm, do you want to talk a bit about the inspiration behind this record?
Morgin Madison: This album is so special to me for so many reasons. Late last summer, at the height of the pandemic, I actually thought I was done with music. The industry was collapsing… I was beginning to realize that, not only was the industry volatile, but so were my dreams. Once I accepted that I might truly be finished, I hit a huge creative streak because I was no longer concerned about the future.
One of the definitions of a phantasm is “the illusory likeness of something.” I think we all were living through a bit of that last year – stuck at home, away from friends and family, living in some weird dystopian alternate reality. That’s the phantasm. The title is also a reference to my pursuing of music in the first place. I’ve wanted to make this album for over 10 years, and to have it actually come to fruition almost doesn’t seem real.
BTS: How did the connection come about with deadmau5’s label, mau5trap, to release your debut LP?
Morgin Madison: I had released my EP “Some Nights” with them last Fall, and the label and I just got along really well. We shared a lot of the same vision, which was great. By the time the EP came out, I was already about 70% finished with the album. It was a pure, uncompromising body of work. My manager and I sent it to mau5trap literally just to see what would happen. I sent over a word document with it, explaining the story and how it came to be. They absolutely loved it and believed in it. We signed it shortly after.
BTS: Is there a song on the project that you’re looking forward to playing most when shows come back?
Morgin Madison: Good question – “I Hate Portals” and “Club Dystopia” are sure to be crowd pleasers at shows. But honestly, all the songs are pretty much designed as club music. I put a lot of time and effort into making the low-end of my tracks really thick, and to have an ethereal soundscape sitting on top of them… which sounds huge on a big sound system. So really, I’m looking forward to playing ALL the tracks!
BTS: Any artists or songs you’ve been digging lately?
Morgin Madison: The last year I’ve really been enjoying what Joseph Ray is doing. I’m also a huge fan of Dosem’s industrial, melodic techno sound. No Mana released an album last year that I’m still listening to as well. I think dance music is in a really great spot, and there’s a lot of healthy innovation going on.
BTS: What’s next for Morgin Madison?
Morgin Madison: Well, when I created Living the Phantasm, I made enough demos for 2-3 albums. It’s just going to be a question of how they’ll get released. I really picked my favorites for this album, so it’ll be hard for a second album to top it in my eyes. My hope is to get out on the road and do a lot of shows and traveling as well. I think that will really set a fire on my creative side!
Stay up to date with Morgin!
- Get to Know: Zanski - October 1, 2021
- Get To Know: Arrested Youth - June 25, 2021
- Get To Know: ford. - June 8, 2021
