Home Editorial Interview MORTEN talks experimentation, forthcoming releases & shares an exclusive mix! [Interview]

MORTEN talks experimentation, forthcoming releases & shares an exclusive mix! [Interview]

Interview

August 14, 2025

MORTEN / Courtesy PR

With a career that bridges the underground and mainstage, MORTEN has emerged as one of the most influential figures in electronic music today. The Danish producer and DJ has played a pivotal role in shaping the Future Rave movement; a fusion of Techno, Trance and Big Room House, he co-created with David Guetta. Their distinct sound has redefined modern dancefloors and earned massive support from fans and artists alike. From explosive festival sets at Tomorrowland, Ultra, and EDC to residencies at Hï Ibiza, MORTEN’s dynamic presence continues to invigorate global stages.

MORTEN’s discography is stacked with chart-topping releases, collaborations and hits, while he’s garnered nearly 6 million monthly listeners on Spotify alone. With consistent placements in DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJs chart, MORTEN is actively shaping electronic music with his boundary-decimating influence.

In this interview, we dive into the philosophy behind Future Rave, what inspires him outside of music, and what’s next for one of dance music’s most innovative voices.

Hey MORTEN, where are you right now and how has your day or night been so far?

Hi guys, right now I’m in Lisbon, Portugal. My day’s been great, I’ve been relaxing, because in the last two weeks I played 14 shows, almost every day. So I took a day off today and I’m very happy.

Your sound has evolved significantly since your early days. What internal or external forces have shaped your evolution the most?

Yes, I think it’s very important that we always develop as artists. I keep my ears and eyes out of what’s going on in the scene and where trends are going, and then I try to create something that is aligned with what I love and what I stand for. But I think it’s very important that we always develop. When I came out with Future Rave with David Guetta, everything sounded a lot the same. Now, I’m a little bit more experimental. I’m trying different genres and I add different sounds and energies into my productions.

During your Main stage set at Ultra Miami earlier this year, your hair was cut live on stage. Can you explain what playing on the Ultra Main stage meant to you and why you chose to cut your hair to celebrate this milestone?

Yes, that was kind of a crazy moment. I’ve been wanting to cut my hair for a long time and it just made sense to do it on Ultra Mainstage because 10 years ago I told my manager one day when I’m at that stage I’m going to cut my hair. So it was kind of a gimmick and a fun way of creating a happening and I felt pretty good afterwards. Now I miss my hair a little bit but it’s okay.

In a recent YouTube video you mentioned that you use DJing as a way to present your own productions and personalised mashups. In what ways do you think producing your own music has been advantageous to your DJ career?

Yes, absolutely. It’s very important for me to create my own music and express myself. This is how I have a deep connection with my fans, that they feel my love and passion for music, and I can create an energy and a relationship with them on the dance floor. So, super important for me to create my own music.

You’ve worked closely with artists like David Guetta and ARTBAT. How do you maintain your voice in collaborations like these and what are some key lessons you’ve learned through collaborating with other artists?

That’s a good question. You know, I think you need to stay true to who you are and how you hear the music. And when you collaborate with other artists, you need to get your music to be a part of the relationship and the music that you’re releasing together. Otherwise, there would be no reason to collaborate. I think everyone could hear when I started to work with David Guetta that my music was having a more global impact and a bigger sound and a more, I would say, better way of writing songs. And of course, that’s because David Guetta was a part of it, helping me. When I work with ARTBAT, maybe my music has a little bit more of an edge to it because they come from a more underground world. But I think in both relationships, you can hear me and my sound in the music that I’ve been a part of.

How do you balance creativity with structure when producing?

It’s quite easy, actually, because first, for me, comes creativity. Once we have an idea going and a way we want the track to sound like, then we structure the track later on. But the first and most important thing is the idea. Do we have something that makes the record stand out? Something that makes the track recognizable? And do we like this to represent who we are as a musician? And do we want to present this to the world?

You’ve influenced a global movement with Future Rave. Did you anticipate that it would have such a huge impact?

You know what made it so nice with Future Rave is that we basically just made records that we wanted to play in our set. We didn’t think about if it was gonna work or people were gonna play it or radios were gonna play it. We just wanted to make music that was cool to play in our sets. That made everything way easier. If I thought that would have such a big global impact, to be honest, yes, I knew we were on to something good.

Are there any non-musical influences which massively influence your creative process?

I mean, I’m very inspired by people who work hard. I’m very inspired by people who have goals in life. So yeah, I guess a lot of people have influenced me somehow, but it’s usually in the music scene that I get inspired. I grew up listening to hip-hop and then later got into electronic music, so I guess sometimes I can have a little bit more of an urban approach to how I like melodies.

What’s something you’ve learned about yourself through music that you couldn’t have learned any other way?

Well, I definitely learned to be patient, because this is something you really need to understand when you’re making music. You need to be super patient. Some tracks are done overnight and some take months, but it’s a lifelong journey to learn how to make music the way you love it. So patience is definitely a key word.

How has your perception of success changed now that you’ve contributed so much to the global EDM scene?

First of all, I don’t measure my success in how far I am on a DJ chart. My success is measured in how I feel in life and how I make people happy and how I touch their emotions. I’m in a state where I feel very good. I’m very happy with the connection I have with my fans. I’m very happy with what I contribute to this scene and I see the future as very bright. I would like to try to evolve my sound. I would like to try to reach a wider audience. And I would like to keep trying to touch people and have fun. It’s very important for me to have fun. This is a huge success criteria for me, to have fun. The Fans and I.

If you had to choose one track to define your legacy, that’s not one of your own, what would it be, and why?

Oh man, that’s a tough one. One track that would define my legacy that is not one of my own. I mean, I love Calvin Harris’ ‘How Deep Is Your Love’. I wish I’d made that track. One of the best dance tracks, I think. I love that track.

What does the rest of 2025 hold for MORTEN? Where can your fans catch you next and do you have any exciting projects in the works?

Oh man, the rest of 2025 is going to be a blast. I have a huge track coming with David Guetta, one of my favorite tracks of all time I’ve ever been a part of. It’s called ‘Lucky’. I think it’s so amazing. I’m working closely with Malaa to see if we can make some magic together. Just a lot of good shows coming. It’s been a crazy summer so far and YourEDM, I just want to say I really appreciate you guys. Thank you for having me. I’ll see you out there.

Stream MORTEN’s exclusive mix for YourEDM below: