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 When your debut artist album gets released on Vandit you know your doing something right. Alex M.O.R.P.H.'s 'Purple Audio' has just done that so went to interrogate the man about his debut production long player...
The debut album of Alex M.O.R.P.H. has been one of this year’s most highly anticipated artist releases on the Electronic Dance Music scene since it was first announced the album was coming this summer on Paul van Dyk's Vandit Label. The talents of Alex go back quite a few years as he has been on the DJ circuit perfecting his skills for some time now. He hosts the 'Heavens Gate' radio show with his good friend Woody van Eyden which is broadcast every week on radio stations across the world. The production talents of Alex have been gathering pace over the past few years with this debut album the start of many more to come.
i:Vibes: Alex, the release of your debut album Purple Audio is out now. How excited are you about the release?
Alex: Really excited and happy about it! It's a great thing to release an album, plus it's my debut album! So I'm 100% on fire :-)
i:Vibes: I actually preferred your working title in 2006 Miles and more, because it has my name in the title.lol Why did it take so long to release your debut album?
Alex: It was "Miles & M.O.R.P.H.", yeah that would have been a great title for you, huh? Hehehe ;-) The Miles & M.O.R.P.H. album was cancelled there have been various issues which delayed the release. In the end we decided to stop the project because all the tracks would be too old. So I started working on a brandnew album instead, with fresh material.
i:Vibes: Why did you name your debut album Purple Audio?
Alex: I love the purple colour. It‘s so strong and sharp, but still gentle, warm and beautiful. So, I wanted to combine 2 things that I love, which normally don't have a lot to do with each other: music + colour = Purple Audio. In the end, the album artwork shows another great interpretation of the album title. Just look at it, and you‘ll understand! I love the expression of the cover design!
i:Vibes: “In Circles” is a fantastic instrumental. How was it producing this track together with Paul van Dyk? The piano bit is very nice. What was your inspiration behind this track?
Alex: No big story behind this track, it's the result of locking up in the studio, experimenting with a lot of sounds and trying to put a lot of atmosphere in the track. It was very interesting to work with Paul, seeing how he listens to things and how he acts as a producer.
i:Vibes: Your album is packed with many beautiful vocal tracks and melodic tracks with euphoric breakdowns. How difficult was it putting this album together. What was most important that you wanted to accomplish with the sound style of Purple Audio?
Alex: For me it was important to show a wide range of production styles, not only the upfront Trancebangers, you know? It was planned as a quite colorful album, stylewise. There were also some productions that didn't make it on the album, because I didn't find the right space for them. So it was kind of a hassle and discussions with myself, but I think the final mixture is just perfect!
i:Vibes: You worked with many different singers, which is something that your friend ATB has done in the last years. How difficult was it finding the right singers to help complement the tracks?
Alex: Luckily we had a good sense of smell for all of them! When you listen to an instrumental track, you already know which kinds of vocals you want or need. Then you can start contacting some vocalists that fit your needs. So, in this case, we didn't have many problems. The singers all did a great job!
i:Vibes: “No Regrets” has an unforgettable vocal from Simon that brings back memories to the famous German singer Heppner. The purple classic mix sounds like an anthem in the making. The vocal is perfect for the track. What makes the Simon vocal and music so perfect for you?
Alex: It's hard to say...His voice has this little something, and with the right backing you make it come out perfectly! The atmosphere, the lyrics, the voice. Sometimes you just hit the spot!
i:Vibes: Who can´t love the extraordinary voice of Roberta Harrison, who has amazed the dance scene for many years especially on ATB tracks. What was it like working with Roberta Harrison. Did she just give her voice or was she able to have influence on which direction the sound was going with “Photograph?
Alex: It was a bit of both. Of course we all know her voice, so we were able to produce a track which would fit her vocals. Roberta then sang something on top, and from this point we already knew that this would be a great thing. So we continued working on the whole thing, and I love "Photograph"! Plus, for so many years we planned to produce a track with Roberta, and finally it happened.
i:Vibes: “Sunshine” is a beautiful melodic instrumental perfect for peak time in the clubs. I love the atmosphere in this track in the break. What was the most difficult thing you had to get done in the studio so it sounded perfect for you?
Alex: I love tracks to be crunchy and brilliant. With sunshine it took me a few mixdowns until I was really happy with it. Everytime something else was not in the right place, frequent-wise. But as always, if you know what you want and try often enough, you will succeed!
i:Vibes: “Sunset Boulevard is the latest track that was released. I have to say I like the purple acoustic mix best. As Paul van Dyk would say, “That is a beautiful piece of music” Why did you decide to add acoustic mixes to the album?
Alex: The good thing with the acoustic mixes for me is that they bring so much freshness to the album. Something different than the same structures again and again, and something everyone could like. It doesn't always have to be a pounding dance track. Sometimes you need something more relaxing, for you soul.
i:Vibes: Ana Criado has a heavenly voice. It is a voice you can fall in love with. How did you find her and what was it like working with her?
Alex: It was coincidence. We were looking for a vocal for Sunset Boulevard, and she sent us a demo of her voice on the playback. We heard it, and said "YES!", so she was in! The rest of the working progress was really easy, so we didn't have any problems with her. She knew how she had to do it, and that's what you hear on the final record.
i:Vibes: Paul van Dyk did a remix for Sunset Boulevard. What other remixes can we await for this track?
Alex: Armin recently presented the Ilya Malyuev Remix, which is also really great! There is one more mix in the working progress at the moment, but I won't reveal any details yet, ha!
i:Vibes: My favourite track is “Break the light” This is really an incredible trance track The break is really beautiful!! Was this a difficult track to produce. What was approximately the production time on this?
Alex: It wasn't so long as you might expect! When you have a working basis production, you "just" a catchy melody and the right sounds for it! The arrangement and mixdown is done in a couple of days. Break the Light" was finished after about 1 week, I think.
i:Vibes: “Purple Audio” has an old school kind of break, which is again very beautiful! How important is getting that unforgettable break and atmosphere in a track for you? Do you search long for that extra, or are you content more quickly for that right break?
Alex: It depends. Mostly it's done quite fast. Sometimes it's just that little something that does the magic trick, you just have to know how to put it, and if you have years of experience, it's not a too big problem.
i:Vibes: You produced “HeavensGate” with your partner and friend Woody van Eyden. Was the proggy intro an inspiration from Woody? Lol. This is a clever track which adds diversity to your album. I guess you guys know each other so well like a husband and wife. What was special making this track with Woody?
Alex: The proggy feel that you talk about, came from a production from our friend OdelaF, and I thought this would be something very interesting for the album. So we tried to put our composition into this fresh bag. Of course it was important for me to have a track with Woody on the album, he has done so much for me and my career, so it was a minimum to have 1 co-op on the album. HeavensGate is also the name of our weekly radioshow, and we're even working on other mixes for the track at the moment!
i:Vibes: “Wanna Be” is also a track that really works well. It sounds a bit more poppy reminds one a bit on the Paul van Dyk/Reamon tracks. What was your inspiration behind this track? The music and vocal fit together very nice and this track sounds very radio friendly. Is this a track that you might release?
Alex: "Wanna be" is great! The pop/rock character mixed with male vocals and trancy synth sounds, it's such a fresh combination! As this tune has much more (remix)potential and it's indeed radio friendly, you can consider this as a release candidate for sure!
i:Vibes: Did Paul van Dyk have to check the album before giving the go or did you have producing freedom? What was his response to your album Purple Audio?
Alex: I had my freedoms. In the end it's my album. But of course we had a lot of meetings where we discussed the album progress and he gave his input and point of view. He's satisfied with the album as well, because in the end he released it on his label,
i:Vibes: What would you like the listener to remember after listening to the masterpiece Purple Audio?
Alex: The listener should remember the journey that he went through with the album. The musical versatility, influences, atmospheres, melodies and vocals. And I'm sure that he/she will say "wow, that actually wasn't all the same!"
i:Vibes: You also have invited many well known artists to perform on your album releaseparty. One of the biggest German names in the last two years is Roger Shah aka DJ Shah. How would a Shah/Morph track sound like?
Alex: Hmmm, that would be one of these productions that you just have to do and see what comes out, but if you listen to the Alex M.O.R.P.H. B2B Woody van Eyden Remix of "Going Wrong", you're probably in the picture!
i:Vibes: You played at the Love Parade for the first time with age 15. What are your memories from this time? What track stuck out in your head at your first Love Parade?
Alex: Well, that was my acid time, hahaha...Can't think of any track names right now, it's too long ago :-)
i:Vibes: When will you visit Talla 2XLC and the Technoclub again?
Alex: It's been a while now, that's right! But I don't know, it's up to Talla to invite me again! Right now I don't have dates at Technoclub in sight.
Thanks Alex for chat! Great album and good luck with the album!!
You can read our review of Purple Audio and purchase the album from the i:Vibes store!
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