A fast rising name in the melodic and progressive house scene, American producer Morgan Page is heading down under for the very first time this month, playing a stack of shows around the country. Page shot to stardom in 2006 when he released an album of unauthorised bootleg remixes, working on tracks by Coldplay, Imogen Heap and David Bowie. The album was, quite rightly, named Cease and Desist, and instead of getting the man thrown in jail it ended up launching his identity on the worldwide dance scene! Since then he’s worked on releasing a steady stream of (official!) singles and remixes, including the 2008 club smash The Longest Road.

Hi Morgan, how’s it going – how has 2009 been shaping up for you so far?

Things are great! The last year has been pretty insane, and I’m just now putting the finishing touches on my next artist album for Nettwerk.

Since we last spoke to you The Longest Road turned out to be a huge hit, even earning you a Grammy nomination. Was a hit track like this enough for you to take it to the next level as a DJ/producer?

Like any good song, The Longest Road provided a lot of momentum and helped get my name out there. This next album Believe takes it to the next level, and I’m really excited to play it for everyone.

Have the remix requests and DJ bookings started flooding in quickly since the single was such a hit?

It’s been very busy and I now have to turn down more projects than usual, simply because there isn’t enough time in the day – even though I often work 20 hour days.

Its success was pushed forward a lot by a really effective Deadmau5 remix. This is interesting and maybe slightly ironic, because you’ve similarly built your name as a bit of a ‘go to’ guy with your remixes, what do you reckon?

It’s funny – we didn’t know that mix was going to take off. I don’t think anyone did at first – but it was the right remixer and the right song at the right time. It’s was a perfect musical storm. The original was never intended to be a club track – it was a hybrid of sounds, so it’s hard to compare the two, but you can hear my club versions on each single, as I’ll often remix my own song just for fun.

You’ve definitely been an artist to straddle the underground and the mainstream, with a lot of your originals played by the likes of Hernan Cattaneo and John Digweed, while you’ve been even more successful remixing the likes of Nelly Furtado, Stevie Nicks and more. Where’s your headspace located now as far as that goes?

To me it’s not about underground versus commercial, it’s about the song – and constantly evolving and changing your sound. It’s really fun to remix Madonna and make it a mix that you feel comfortable playing out, not just something for Billboard. I just follow my instincts and work quickly. I like to DJ a mix of underground stuff and more accessible vocal material. I used to be one of those people who thought vocals made a song mainstream and uncool – I’ve eaten my words several times over the course of my career.

The bio info for your tour plays up the underground release of your Cease and Desist compilation a few years ago, unlicensed remixes of Coldplay, David Bowie and others, and how it lead to you getting a lot of attention. How much would you attribute this move to getting you where you are today?

It played a significant role, but like anything it was a combination of hard work, not taking “no” for an answer, and trusting my gut that got me where I am today. Original music played a bigger role in creating success and probably always will. Remixes come and go – songs are forever.

There’s a lot of talk at the moment on how there’s very little money to be made as a producer, meaning that artists have to rely on performances and DJ gigs to bring in the dollars. As someone that built a very solid reputation as a producer before anything else, what’s your take on this?

There is plenty of money in production – you just need to be a bit more creative these days and have a solid team of people working with you. Not everyone can make music for a living, and the rise of low-cost studio equipment has made things even more saturated. The question is not so much “can you make money from production?” but where? The money is in licensing and publishing, not record sales. DJing is just a faster and more immediate way to make money.

Finally, it’ll be the first time we’ve seen Morgan Page in Australian clubs, so we’ll be discovering you as a DJ. What can we expect from your performances in March?

You’ll hear a wide variety of stuff. Minimal house, progressive, electro and vocal. My set usually includes about 30% of my own material and remixes that nobody has heard, and then a mix of brand new material from other producers and my favorite tracks from the last year that really do the damage in the clubs.

Morgan Page touches down in Australia this weekend, playing shows around the country over the coming weeks. Don’t miss the highly regarded American producer on his first ever tour!

Mar 6 – Adelaide, Mojo West
Mar 7 – Melbourne, Room 680
Mar 8 – Geelong, Home House Nightclub
Mar 13 – Canberra, Lot 33
Mar 14 – Brisbane, Family
Mar 20 – Freemantle, Limelite
Mar 21 – Sydney, Chinese Laundry