[INTERVIEW] MORTEN Talks Future Rave + More At EDC Orlando 2021

EDC Orlando’s Kinetic Field stage was booming with the futuristic sounds of Danish DJ MORTEN. Making waves in the EDM scene, MORTEN has consistently impressed with his creative mind, spearheading his fashion label Boom Boom Army and even creating a buzz-worthy new EDM genre. Alongside frequent collaborator David Guetta, the two have taken EDM to a whole new level with the invention of Future Rave. Showing no signs of slowing down, MORTEN has released a brand new single "Alive Again" with David Guetta.

Read iEDM's exclusive interview with MORTEN below.

iEDM: Was this your first EDC Orlando? How did your B2B set with Vintage Culture come to fruition?

MORTEN: Yes it was my first EDCO. I talked to Vintage a lot during the pandemic. He and I are both very active with our online presence. We did tons of live streaming and talked a lot, but never met in person before. Then he wrote me, “Hey I see you’re in Orlando. Come join me for a record.” We finally met and it was his show so I kind of adapted my sounds to be a little bit like his. I was waiting to see what he was doing in his set and then we played records together. It was super cool and he is a very nice guy.

iEDM: You took over the main stage at EDCO. What are some highlights from that set?

MORTEN: America is on a house music pandemic. Every show and DJ, it’s house you hear. I feel like I stand out a lot. Together with David Guetta, we come with our own unique sound, Future Rave. But it’s also a risk because I come in front of 30,000 people at EDCO and I am playing the sound and vibe I love. But to see it work as it did, I was very happy. I feel like it is a breath of fresh air here in America, it was incredible for me to be on that stage and I was very grateful for Insomniac to believe in the sound and me and putting me there.

iEDM: Who are you excited to see perform at EDCO?

MORTEN: I would rather shout out Insomniac and the whole lineup they had. They built a culture and I think it’s unique for a festival of this size. They go and see what fans are vibing to, what the current music culture is. Insomniac’s booking is phenomenal. It’s fresh. It’s nice. There's something for everyone. It's like they're in tune with the audience. It means a lot to me when I see the lineup for EDC. Huge shout out to Insomniac for how they built the festival and engage with their fans and create a movement. I am all about it. That is what I and David are trying to do, build a movement and create a culture.

iEDM: What are some fan-worn rave outfits that stood out to you?

MORTEN: I would like to say, in general, I am surprised at how many people at EDCO dressed up. It was like Halloween. I cannot remember one single outfit but, I was very surprised how every person was very dressed up because in Europe, they don’t dress up as intensely as this. It was very impressive.

iEDM: What films inspired the level of creativity you bring to your music videos?

MORTEN: Personally, some music videos have inspired me, like the music video that The Prodigy made for “Smack My Bitch Up”. He started a revolution. I honestly work with a great team that has a very creative manager that releases music with musical freedom. David and I are very good with these things. We need to have a vision and identity with Future Rave. When they look at the video, they know this is the feeling of Future Rave. I guess that’s why we put a lot of effort into making them. Did you know the "Dreams" and "Save My Life" videos were made during the pandemic? At the time you were allowed to bring no more than four people on set with you. It was impossible to travel, very difficult filming conditions. I think we were fortunate to get the best out of it.

iEDM: Future rave is a new genre of EDM pioneered by you and David Guetta. What makes this genre unique?

MORTEN: Future Rave is unique because it is more like a feeling of electronic music developing. When you hear Future Rave, it’s not like a standstill of how the sound of electronic music has been for the last ten years, Future Rave is constantly moving and every time you hear Future Rave, you feel inspired when you hear something new. It’s a universe. You take a lot of sounds from the underground and we use a lot of melodies that inspire us. Then we use a popular verse from David Guetta. He is amazing at writing songs. It’s a mixture of my dark Nordic vibes and the commercial pop sound that David Guetta is known for.

iEDM: Last year during the pandemic, you performed for a drone and a single camera in an abandoned pool in Denmark. What was that experience like?

MORTEN: I was in Denmark and everybody was doing something crazy and something new during the pandemic. One DJ filmed on a boat and one was on a mountain. We looked for locations in Denmark and found this abandoned pool where they shot the Danish TV show The Rain. We were able to borrow the location and we found this guy who is insane with flying a drone. We tried to build this universe of a futuristic environment where the world has kind of collapsed. Me, alone in a pool, with him flying the drone in all kinds of crazy ways. I haven’t seen anything like it. It was important for us to think outside of the box and do something fresh in a time when we couldn’t do much but stand in front of a camera.

iEDM: What separates Boom Boom Army from other clothing brands?

MORTEN: Boom Boom Army started in Denmark, where I am from. My logo when I perform has always been a polar bear. We put that on the logo on the clothes. Boom Boom Army represents the fans that have grown with me through the years. They wear the merch and they love it. It is a dedication to them. It is a part of them. That is why we use the term "army" because it is not just me trying to sell some merch. I am interested in fashion. I run this brand because I love it and want to wear something that is with me and with my fans. It is fun to make and to be creative in ways I wouldn’t be every day. I get together with my partner at Boom Boom Army and create designs and make it interesting, make it fun. We try to make it with good quality and make unique pieces. It's a fun way of expressing ourselves.

iEDM: Why the polar bear logo? What significance does it have to you?

MORTEN: It has always been my favorite animal. That is why we chose the polar bear. I was always walking alone in life and would be myself, so it registered with me. Now I am with David Guetta, so I am not alone anymore.

iEDM: What is next for MORTEN?

MORTEN: I have a release together with David at the beginning of December called “Alive Again”. It has the future rave sound but with a little bit of a future rave 2.0 sound. The track comes with a new darker feeling compared to what we have done before. I cannot wait for people to hear it.