Alex M.O.R.P.H. interview

The German trance producer picks five tracks from his back catalogue that have had most impact on his career

One of the biggest names in trance returns to Trance Sanctuary on the Saturday March 18th to help them celebrate their sixth birthday. German DJ/Producer Alex M.O.R.P.H. will play a special producer's set as he stops off in London for his 'Not All Superheroes Wear Capes' album tour. With a career spanning over two decades, we got him to pick the five most influential tracks that he has released.

Alex M.O.R.P.H. feat. Sylvia Tosun - 'An Angel's Love'

I don't think there has been a time when people do not request 'An Angel's Love' in my sets! The story behind the tune was that I set up the strings and melody, but there was no beat and percussion. I was at the Miami Winter Music Conference where I was invited to play at a pool party at the house of Tom Lord-Alge. He is a guy that does the mixdowns for all the big pop and rock stars. He has won three Grammys and had platinum records hung up on the wall in his house. When the guests went home some of us were sitting in his living room and I played the unfinished track to him. Vocalist Sylvia Tosun was in the room and she started doing doing ad libs to it. Everyone thought it sounded so good, so then Sylvia came back to me a few weeks later with some insane vocals and that's how 'An Angel's Love' first started. It was released in 2011 but it still works now on the dance floor and people still go mad for it!

Armin van Buuren feat. Susana - 'Shivers (Alex M.O.R.P.H.'s RedLight Dub Remix)'

One remix that had a big impact on my career, for sure, was of Armin van Buuren's 'Shivers' back in 2005. That was the first time I had remixed Armin and it had a huge impact in the clubs. I think the first time I played it out was at Passion in Coalville and Armin loved it, so he included it in his live shows.

Alex M.O.R.P.H. & Rank 1 - 'A Life Less Ordinary'

A Life less Ordinary with Rank 1 was a big step. I love their music and no one was really collaborating with them, so we planned to make an album track. We finished A Life Less Ordinary and I played it to Woody van Eyden my manager and he said it was amazing. I liked it but I wasn't so sure about it as it was a bit different and Rank 1 had the same feeling. Woody was flying to Ibiza three days later for some meetings and he was going to see Ferry Corsten play at Amnesia. He saw Ferry and told him that he had an amazing track for him to play, but Ferry said he would never usually play a track that he has have never heard before. Woody persuaded him though and around 3:30am I started getting text message from Woody saying that the track was tearing the roof off Amnesia. I think it was one of these songs that everyone played from Paul van Dyk to Tiesto. It was a track that was ahead of it's time. It had an electro bassline combined with a trance melody and a couple of years later lots of other tracks had similar big electro basslines. It's the only track of this style that I have done.

Alex M.O.R.P.H. - 'Not All Superheroes Wear Capes'

For me superheroes are people in everyday life, those that help people, nurses, doctors, mum's bringing up children on their own. For me they are all heroes. I played ASOT 600 in Madison Square Garden a few years ago and I bought a t-Shirt in New York which said 'Not All Superheroes Wear Capes'. Armin van Buuren told me that he thought it was a cool t-shirt and it left such an impression on me that I thought I should do something with that theme. It took me several years to figure out what to do, but it matched perfectly to give that title to my latest album. I called the lead track the same name and it did surprise me to have got as much support as it did because it is typical trance and isn't inventing the wheel, but the melody has a strong impact on those that listen. The emotions I felt when making the track got transported to the crowd.

Alex M.O.R.P.H. & Paul van Dyk - 'We Are'


This very important track for me from my latest album was made with Paul van Dyk. We were working on it, but then came the bad incident with Paul at ASOT 750 last year when he fell off the stage. He got seriously injured and we didn't know what we going to happen to him and what was going to happen to the track. At that time it wasn't finished and we were wondering would he be able to continue to work on it and add his special finishing touches. Thankfully Paul was able to recover and we got it finished just in time to feature on my album. I am just so happy with how much support it got and I've never had a track stay in the Beatport charts for so long.

The first time I met Paul was actually by accident. I knew him, but he didn't know me. There was a dance music awards in Germany, which was in a huge hall. I was sitting at a table and I needed to go to the toilet. I got up from my seat but exactly at the same time it was announced that Paul van Dyk had won an award. Paul went down some stairs to collect the award at that exact moment I bumped into him. I'm not the smallest guy and he isn't the biggest guy so you can imagine what it looked it! He was like, 'What the fuck' and I was so apologetic, it was such an embarrassing moment for me. It wasn't long after this that my track 'A Life Less Ordinary' came out with Rank 1 and Paul said how much he liked it. Then we talked and collaborated on a track together and became friends. I am not sure though if I have ever told him that it was me who bumped into him on that awards night!

Listen to and purchase Alex's album 'Not All Superheroes Wear Capes' here.

Purchase tickets for Trance Sanctuary's 6th Birthday here.