Morgan Seatree Interview: "Someone's looking down on me at the minute"

Since Skiddle last spoke to Morgan Seatree back in November 2022, the Mancunian party starter has been on a career trajectory that has been nothing sort of meteoric. 

Whether it be his breakout set at the Trick Warehouse Project last year; smashing out viral hit after viral hit, both original and remixed; or his label Unfussy's parties starting to branch out across the country and make the next step by releasing their first track; Morgan is absolutely killing it with everything he does, and with a summer filled with huge shows, we thought there was no better time to catch up with the lad. 

In our chat we spoke about his insane rise, his recent viral remix of Cloonee's 'Sippin Yak', the first track being released on his Unfussy label, and the upcoming festival season. Scroll down and check out all of what he had to say!

 

 

Hi Morgan, so, when I was planning for this, I was thinking back to when we last spoke back in November 2022, since then you’ve played WHP, travelled the country playing sets on labels like Groovebox and FLY, and your own Unfussy parties have been kicking off too; it must have been an absolutely mental time for you, no?

"Wow, yeah…I think it's like only when you look back like that that you truly appreciate it. 

"I think that everything comes in waves and, I just try taking it one day at a time, and use these things that happen, whether it's like bookings or releases, as fuel to want more and get more. Do you know what I mean? I think,  

"Looking back to that first chat, I think it was just before the Victoria Baths Party with Unfussy… that's crazy, so much has happened since, and I was still working back then! 

"To be fair, since last September when I quit my job and was able to do this full-time, I’ve just had so much time to focus on it, and it was like a bit nerving at first, you know having bills to pay and thinking, am I going to get enough to keep it going? 

"But that has really fuelled me because I need to make this work, and luckily it has been; it's just been great."

 

 

You speak there about looking back and like it all coming in waves, I think it’d be fair to say you’re riding another one of those waves at the minute with ‘Sippin’ Yak.’ That track is just going stratospheric. Where did that remix start, and just how mad has the reaction been for you? 

"It was one of them, I wouldn't call it a fluke, but I was definitely in the right place at the right time. But I think that's the case with most things that pop off on a viral scale. 

"I heard the track on the Friday it was released, and pretty much straight after, like the following Monday or Wednesday, I was just like, I’m going to make this and like try and get in there before everyone else.

"I knew I could switch the vibe up completely to what Cloonee did and truly make it my own. 

"Then I just literally posted it on TikTok, as soon as I got the first drop done, it wasn't even finished. Because I thought let's just see what happens, hoping that it blew up which it did, and once I finished and started playing it, everyone started messaging for it.

"In terms of getting it released, I just told everyone to tag him, just kind of manifesting Cloonee would see it because I knew what would happen. 

"Everyone will tag him because they want to feel like they've helped you make it happen.

"I think there were over 2000 comments just tagging him and then he saw it and then followed me and the rest is history… 

 

You've done a few remixes now. What's your process for choosing and producing them? 

"Most of the time, it's just a catchy vocal. But, I've got to like the original and then it’s got to kind of fit in with the tempo of what I do.

"But the thing with the game now is these remixes have to be of tracks that people know or tracks that are doing well so they perform better on TikTok.

"So when I make an edit of it, it has mainly been tactical to get my reach up and get my following up. Every time I post a remix, they always do really big numbers because people know that track. So then it builds my following so that when I do drop something original from myself with like, which isn't a remix, it's something completely my own, that then performs better. Do you know what I mean?

"So it's a bit of both really, you know what I mean? Both something that I like that works within my sound and tempo, but also something that’s going to do well on TikTok and boost my following, it's a little bit more tactical.

"Especially now that I've launched Unfussy. 

"The debut release of Unfussy is very similar to Sippin Yak and that was a purpose. I purposely did that because like, we're releasing it a month after so there's still going to be hype on Sippin Yak and then hopefully people will be like; Oh, well, this is like Sippin Yak, but it's got an original vocal on it, we like this, you know what I mean? 

"I think you've just got to think tactically in the game now to proper standout."

 

Speaking of remixes, I've also just seen the ‘Good Life’ remix you posted on your TikTok, and the guy who owns it asking to make it an official release. As a DJ who's entwined themselves so much with that 90s dance sound, to be able to make an official remix of one of the best tracks of that era, it must be cool.

"Haha, that was so mad. I put out a TikTok with the track and I just thought I'll post every day until someone sees it. Then literally 10 minutes after I posted it, the guy from the studio messaged me about releasing it.  

"Honestly, someone's looking down on me at the minute!

"I didn't know who owned it, but having the guy who runs Armada actually message me, saying, yeah, we own this, we want to release it, it’s crazy. 

"So we're just trying to figure out the best way now,  whether we're going to do it as a remix or whether it's going to be like an official single like “x Inner City.” I'm happy either way, I just love it and want to get it out there.

"Also, just because people's attention spans are so short nowadays, and you've got to be pumping out tunes constantly, especially when you get the momentum as I have now, you’ve just got to keep pushing on it because if you start to lose it and don't release for a while, then there's always someone else who's coming through and people are just trying to latch on to the next thing.

"It's human nature in the industry now, I guess."

 

Has the track left the studio yet? Have you managed to test it? Or is it literally that fresh?

"I played it at FLY last weekend for the first time, and it was unreal mate. 

"I think it maybe wasn’t the best room for it, as I wasn’t in the main room where the Boiler Room was, I was in the changing rooms bit. It was a bit like Hi Ibiza toilets where, you know, people wanted to be in there because it was kind of small and bouncy, but it isn’t a track for that vibe,  like a dark, sweaty room.

"But, I just wanted to test it to check if I needed to tweak anything before I start poking it out. 

"I'm doing like an open-air thing with Danny Howard in Nottingham on Saturday, so I think it will be much more suited to there, it's definitely one for the day parties and the sun shining vibes."  

 

 

You mentioned how these remixes are something you use to gain a following to help pump the original stuff that you produced. With that in mind, I’ve got to talk to you about ‘Follow You.’ It came out earlier this year, but it was teased for ages before. What can you tell us about that track?

"Yeah, it came together quite naturally. 

I got sent the vocals from Abi by someone, and she's been the voice of like Navos - ‘Believe Me’ and  D.O.D - ‘So Much In Love’, these big tunes, but where it was all through Splice, so she never got credited for them. 

So, when I got the vocal and made the track as soon as it was done, I messaged her, as I already knew her situation and knew that the track had something. 

Still, I didn't know how she would be because of obviously what's happened in the past with her so I sent her a voice note straight away and was just like: I've made this, you don't know that I've made it with this vocal, and that I'd love to post a clip online but do it as a collab. I don't want to take full credit for it. I want you to be featured.

It turns out I was actually the first to do that with her, and she was really happy with that. 

Then, yeah, Ministry of Sound said they wanted it as part of my deal and it came out. 

But yeah, as you say it did take a while to come out. It probably should have come out just after the Trick Warehouse Project, we wanted to capitalise on the hype, but as we had to wait, we thought there was no point releasing it in December because it's all Christmas songs and people aren't listening to dance music. 

So yeah, it's done well, but I think it definitely could have gone to new heights if it maybe would have come out after Warehouse Projects, but that's just part and parcel of it, and I’ve learnt from that. 

 

It's top to hear about that chat with Abi too, and making sure she was officially involved with the track. It seems like that's important to you, giving back to the scene, and making sure people get their fair dues for tracks. 

"I just see it as good Karma. I've always believed in just being authentic, being nice and not being a dick, because it can come back.

You see it all the time with people, and I just think that if you're not burning any bridges on the way to the top, when you start coming back down you've still got all these relationships. 

Even if you don't necessarily get on with someone, just be nice to them because you don't know what could happen in the future. They might have ties with someone, you don't know, you know what I mean?

 

I’d also love to chat a bit about Unfussy in general. I mean, just to start off, those pop-up parties for the label launch, selling out in 10 seconds! It must've been a mega feeling, no?  

"It's always like that with free parties, you know, people love a freebie. But it was still a shock.

"It's to promote the first release on Unfussy and I think the free parties are just perfect for it. I did one with Hannah Laing on a boat last year in Manchester for one of her releases, and you just get the right people in there. 

"If you've got 500 people wanting to get tickets, everyone who's trying to get those tickets are people who want to be there and be in an intimate space with you.

"But with Unfussy I just really want to do more and have a big graft and build that now. All my music is going to be coming out on there for the foreseeable - apart from maybe a couple of remixes that will come out on bigger labels - but I just want to build that into something that people really want. 

"Because then Major Labels see that and are like, he's doing all this on his own, he can do this many streams and sell this many tickets on his own. So we want a piece of that, we might want to buy some off him and help him build that further. 

"Being in control of your own stuff is the key now, because a lot of times when you release on these big labels, they're just telling you to do the stuff I'm already doing, like post on TikTok and SoundCloud. If it blows up, they’ll sign it. If not, move on to the next. 

"So with the position I’m in now, I could have something blow up and instead of waiting a year for them to release it, I can put it out the week after and capitalise on that hype. 

"The next step is what we’re starting with this debut release, which is bringing people on the label as well, playing their tunes, and then booking them on the parties and stuff.

"So yeah, it's going to be amazing, especially in the next few months with these parties."

 

It must feel good to be able to take the Unfussy parties to these other cities and sell those out as well. It shows that the sets and appearances you’re making in these cities are getting you fans, it must be nice to see you reaping the rewards of all that work, no?

"Yeah, when I've been playing in these places at other people's parties, I've started to build pockets of fans. Then I just thought well, my strongest fan bases in these areas, and realistically, how many do I have in each? 

They were never going to be too big, probably like 200, but then providing them a party where it's still a mint night, but also a good look that it sells out straight away and then building from that.

So that then those 200 people that do come, they're then telling 200 more friends in that area who will come next time I’m there. So I never wanted to go too big with them, and there's also the demand of how people want what they can't have. So if it sells out, it creates that hunger and it looks really good as well on paper. 

So I think it's only going to get bigger and just be really strategic with where we do them, and trying to outreach it and further build that fan base.  

 

The debut single on Unfussy that these shows are promoting is ‘Showstoppa’ with Tasty Lopez. She is someone you've worked with quite a bit in the past, can you chat a bit about that track and why you've chosen that for kind of your first release on the label? 

"I always wanted it to be with Tasty. Obviously, we did ‘The Strength' on Trick, which is what we're best known for, but we also worked together ages ago on one of my first releases; ‘My Love Is Real’, and ever since then we’ve stayed in touch.

"After I made ‘Sippin Yak’ I was working on a track with a similar instrumental, with the idea Tasty being on it. 

"She is just really good at not only the singing side but the rapping side too, especially for something dead sassy and catchy.

"So I sent her the instrumental, and then she just started coming up with the lyrics for it, and it happened so naturally. It was one of those two-hour jobs that just came together straight away, and the best ones are always like that.

"It just felt right for that to be the first release, and that will be coming out on the 7th June.

 

Why now for this next step with Unfussy, going from parties to becoming a proper label and releasing tracks?

"I think it's a mixture of things. 

"The bookings I've got for the rest of the year, there's a lot of big shows in there, so there's hopefully going to be a lot more eyes on me in terms of like where I'm playing and what I’m doing. So that's part of it.

"But another thing is release consistency. I’ve just come out of a Ministry Of Sound deal, which was obviously great, but because their such a huge label, they've got so many releases backed up, which means I might have something that they want, but they can't fit that in for five months down the line.

"And in this world, that's no good to me. 

You need to be putting stuff out constantly, and feeding the crowd that is watching you and also the algorithms and all that sort of stuff. So, this just means that I can now put stuff out whenever I want. 

We’re probably going to be looking at like one a month for me and Unfussy because I've got so much music that I've written, which would never see the light of day otherwise, so we can start to put it out and then promote those in the shows.

We're not looking to do mega streams on them. We're just looking for me to release consistently, and for us to release other artists consistently too. Then you might get one little gem that blows up on Unfussy and the big labels will just upstream it, and buy it off you and license it anyway.

Plus, with the remixes and stuff, like, they're still going to come out. The ‘Good Life’ one will, and others will follow I’m sure, but I can just be flexible with it. 

Plus, if I have a track I've done, which a big label wants, I have to choice to put it out on there rather than Unfussy if I want because I'm in control of it.

So yeah, everything just felt right and I’m excited to have that control and build it,

 

Let's chat about the festival season too. You’ve already kicked it off at Mint Fest. How was that? I know you were on a bigger stage but also clashed with some big acts and still managed to pack it out.

"It was really, really good.

"Last year at Mint, that was actually the first festival I’d ever played. So I was just buzzing to come back. 

"But yeah we were all a bit nervous, to be honest with you. As you say clashing with the likes of Enzo Siragusa and Interplanetary Criminals. So I was thinking, oh no, no one's going to come, but it was just full from the start. 

"But I think that's because they got everything about the stage right. Decks in the middle of the crowd. Loads of cool deco lights. Covered. I think people just liked that, so I think it's that side of it as well as seeing me play.

"But yeah, it was really good. Next time I want to get an Unfussy stage there, that's my goal for next year."

 

Now that would be special. What else have you got on the horizon festival-wise this year?

"So like between now and the end of August; I've got Modefest, which is on a beach near Middlesbrough, that's gonna be sick; I'm playing with Danny Howard and Hannah Laing at BeatHerder as well, I've heard that's unreal, and I'm playing like in a castle or a fortress or something, which is mad; Then I've got Bass Fest, which is always mint; Then I'm doing Trick Fest in August; and then obviously finishing off at Creamfields.

"Cream is going to be something else, as I'm closing the Cream stage on the Thursday. Which for me is mint because if I was playing, say, the Friday or the Saturday, I'd be on a lot earlier and then maybe it'd be clashing with some people. But with that set, it's probably going to be better for me because there are more eyes on me because everyone's just there.

"There's only one or two stages open and everyone's getting ready for the weekend. So I’ll be close off the first night of the festival to I think like 20,000, that's just gonna be so sick. 

 

I feel like we’ve covered it mostly, but just to finish up, is there anything else coming up for you music-wise, or it is just a wait-and-see if something happens in the studio? 

"Yeah, I think thats it mate. I've been producing for like 10 years now, I kind of know now. 

"I was just working on something before this and, it was decent, but it’s not like an I know moment, so I'll probably just scrap the idea and go back searching for some sounds, some vocals.

"As I said before, the best tracks come together in two hours, but what you don't see is the seven hours trying to find those sounds. For me, once I’ve got the sounds, the track writes itself. But searching for those sounds, the right sounds is what makes the music. 

"I think if you are spending too much time on a track, it's not the right track. I mean, some people are perfectionists, but I'm quite old school with it.

Just like how they did it back then. Throw it in, if it sounds good, yeah. If not, don't spend too long on it, don't overthink it. Just do it and play it.

"I'll just see what happens. "

 

 

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Find out where else you can catch Morgan Seatree playing live - HERE

 

Or, if you want to be part of Unfussy - Returns To The Yard, the label's last show in Manchester this year, then grab your tickets in the box below!

Unfussy - Returns To The Yard

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Check out our What's On Guide to discover even more rowdy raves and sweaty gigs taking place over the coming weeks and months. For festivals, lifestyle events and more, head on over to our Things To Do page or be inspired by the event selections on our Inspire Me page.

 

 

  

 

 

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