REVIEW: Morgan Page @ Uniun 26-04-13 by Leanne Feeney

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Over the years I have built up a large portfolio of electronic artists that I have seen live, seeing some of my favourites more than three times and some even five times.  Surprisingly enough I had yet to see the infamous progressive house artist Morgan Page.  The announcement of his show was highly anticipated by fans as he had not visited Toronto in quite some time.  Page is recognized for his remixes and has been nominated for two Best Remixed Recording GrammysFantasy (Morgan Page Remix) by Nadia Ali and The Longest Road (Deadmau5 remix) by Morgan Page.

I was excited to see Page as his track In the Air has long been one of my favorite progressive songs.  Listening to his weekly podcast, also titled In the Air, I expected a progressive and hard electro mix.

Arriving early is essential at UNIUN nightclub as it is one of Toronto’s hot spots for club goers and ravers alike.  The club was packed, full of young patrons filling the space, leaving little room for dancing.   The night began with the familiar sounds of Toronto’s resident DJs Manzone and Strong. The more I hear their sets the more impressed I am with their ability to set the stage regardless of the artist or genre that is scheduled for the night.  They played a great mix of music including Daft Punk’s new tune with Pharrell Williams, Get Lucky. The minutes quickly transpired to hours as strobes, LEDs and the unique icicle-like lights of Uniun flashed a constant whirl of colors that would dizzy anyone who is unfamiliar with the electronic scene.

It was close to 1:00am when Morgan Page took the stage. A silence fell over the crowd as the anxious waiting had finally ended.  By this point the club was completely packed and the air was hot and thick with sweat from the furious dancing we had done waiting for the main act. Page let the silence really sink in before he began his set with Kaskade’s Llove.  Though he is well- known for his melodic tunes, I felt Page really missed the opportunity to amp up the energy in the crowd by beginning his set this way. The crowd danced and jumped despite the lack of power and bass in his first couple of songs. Giving him the benefit of the doubt, I danced along, hoping he’d have a surprise in store like new music or something different he would offer the crowd.

I felt the track selection was predictable.  Page played his remix of Tegan and Sarah’s Body Work, and his newest single with Nadia Ali Carry Me. He played back to back mainstream progressive house including  Avicii vs. Nicky Romero’s I Can Be The One, Bingo Player’s Rattle, David Guetta’s Just One Last Time, and even a remix of a Bruno Mars song, Locked out of Heaven.  Having never seen Morgan Page before I was excited for this opportunity to get to know his style of music better and was sadly disappointed in his playlist choice and the lack of energy he gave to the audience.  Perhaps this is just his style?

The night of dancing and melodic tunes continued late into the night. At the end of his set, there was an abrupt silences and fans called out his name.   I couldn’t tell if they were dissatisfied and wanted him to come back and play a different style, of if they wanted more of what they had that night. Page came back on stage and yelled “Okay, one more! ” and the familiar tune,  In the Air, blasted from the speakers.  For me, that’s when the night felt complete.

Leanne Feeney – EDM TOR

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