As a Belgian producer, how has your home country influenced your music and career? Are there specific elements of Belgian culture that resonate in your work?
Belgium was a real club country back in the days. The highest density in terms of clubs / m2 in the world. In every small village you could find a club or dance floor with club music. As from the early nineties we dominated this field with the rise of house music. Some say it started all in Belgium! ;-) So… as a kid of the 80’ies, I grew up with clubs! When I turned 18 I sometimes even visited 3 to 4 different clubs in 1 weekend. So… I’m pretty sure this influenced my view on the scene, my heritage and for sure this resonates in my work. Mainly the love for melodies. I got mainly influenced by trance & progressive. So hence the happy melodic infinity hooks in my productions I guess. ;-)
‘Sun Sun Sun’ is inspired by Surya, the Sun God. What led you to connect with this theme during your tour in India?
Last summer I had the pleasure of touring in different cities in India. In every city, I could find temples bathing in colourful yellow / orange. Those who know me, they will directly know why I felt so connected… as I’m called, Morano – the Yellow Man. Every day of the year, no matter if it snows, rains, … I will always wear something yellow. Could be a t-shirt, socks, sneakers, … But every day is a yellow day for me. In the cabs I noticed a lot of worship for this one god, … Surya. So I asked a bit around and it happened to be the god of the sun!
Well… it was easy for me to finish the track I was working on in that period! It had to be a tribute to the sun. That’s what they say about ‘touring’ provides inspiration!
The production process for the ‘Sun Sun Sun’ sounds incredibly quick—just three hours. How does that reflect your creative workflow? Do you often find inspiration leads to such swift results?
Hehehe, slight misunderstanding… 3 hours on the vocals ONLY.
But to be very honest, 3 hours well spent! Never finished such an important vocal hook so fast! Mainly because most of my tracks are made with ‘featuring’ vocalists, which means you have less impact on the actual text / way of singing / … etc. Mostly this is the added value of the singer / songwriter to the instrumental. But in this case, I tried a different method! I tried for the first time A.I. !
So I started to deepdive into the A.I. vocal creation world and after 3 hours I found what I was looking for! The end result: meaningful lyrics, the right tone of voice & a good match with the instrumental.
Conclusion: trying new methods or workflow can lead to ‘swift’ , but more importantly: high quality end product! Really proud how this one turned out in the end!
This summer, you performed at Tomorrowland to 15,000 fans. What was that experience like, and how does playing to massive crowds differ from more intimate gigs?
To paint the picture complete: this was my 10th Tomorrowland edition in a row. I saw every corner of the festival over the years: from the main stage to curating various stages (as Nico Morano & Friends) on the most famous electronic festival in the world! Last summer I performed a 2 hr set on the FREEDOM stage, the biggest indoor club at the festival. 15k people showing their love in the early afternoon. Couldn’t wish for something more, cause plenty of other stages to go to. So the competition is killer at huge festivals like this. So I can only kiss my both hands and be grateful for moments like this!
Of course this is completely the opposite compared to 70% of the gigs I play during the rest of the year, which will be more intimate. I saw this trend hitting hard over the last years, certainly in the post-corona era. People searching for more intimate club settings: cosy, close to the artist, no distance, direct touch & feel almost. So the connection with the crowd is easier to reach. Depending on which type of artist you are and which music you bring a certain setting will fit more. To be super honest, I’m a big fan of close contact. So for me, this trend can keep on going for a while!
Your 2023 debut album, ‘Opposite Minds,’ featured live instrumentation and vocal collaborations. Can you share more about the creative process behind this hybrid live show?
True, but what makes it even more special is that I did it with only one ‘featuring’ artist: Mewhy! I met this guy right before the covid period. So when the Belgian government asked us not to leave your house anymore for a longer period in 2020, Mewhy & myself decided to lock ourselves up together in my studio. From one track came another and suddenly we were faced with a lot of material, so we decided to create an album! So thank you Covid! :-)
So the moment we dropped the full album in Sept 2023 we also decided to announce this with a hybrid live show! What an amazing day that was! I’m never nervous for a show, but that day… That was another ballgame! But it was a fantastic experience!
What inspired you to launch the label, and how has its mission evolved?
In 2019 we started the ‘Ontourage’ brand as a party concept. The concept was simple: taking ‘my entourage on tour’ for a party. At that time we live streamed every edition online. Each party was thrown in unusual locations which are normally never available to do nightlife events. It was a direct hit. A merchandising clothing line was also made to create a connection between all ‘ontouragers’. So we created a community, a family of melodic music lovers. So it was just a small, and logical step to translate this also in my own imprint! I not only release my own music on this platform, but via this way I also give a chance to rising artists or friends to drop their melodic added value to this world!
What were your early inspirations that helped you decide to make electronic music?
These two tracks made me fall in love with dance music and got me hooked to electronic beats & melodies:
1° The Prodigy – No Good (Start to dance):
released in 1994
2* Members of Mayday – We Are Different
also released in 1994
That was such a game changer year for me! I was 13 years old and from then on I started to realise that electronic music was my thing!
Describe your sound to someone who has never heard it before.
Happy electronic music. Not bound to one genre. A blend of progressive melodies, clubby deep house basslines, ethnic vocal influences, afro percussions, … all elements to make you smile… and dance!
What would you do if you weren’t a musician?
Run a coffee shop probably. I mean like… coffee beans. Just to make things clear. As I’m a coffee addict I see myself ending up creating my own blends & my own brand. A Moracinno or an Esprano. Sounds cool, no?
What is the most important musical equipment invention of all time – and why?
I have plenty of synths in my studio, so I would say the ‘piano’ in general and I have to pick one in particular, the Roland Juno-60 is still for me the ‘go-to synth’ !
On my bucket list, but not within my budget for the moment: Yamaha CS-80 from 1980! Santa?
Finally, what message would you like to leave for your fans as they dive into „Sun Sun Sun“ and your upcoming projects?
I guess most of my tracks have a positive message inside. Please have a listen in detail to the Sun Sun Sun lyrics & hopefully you can apply this feel good message to your life or environment. Spread the love, warmth & happiness! Hope to see you soon on a dance floor nearby!
