HEADS KNOW TAPE 028: Anna Morgan
An interview and mix from the Okinawa-born, New York City-raised, and Los Angeles-based curator and artist.
Photo: Amina Balgimbayeva
HEADS KNOW TAPES is the mix and interview series curated to introduce you to the most interesting innovators, selectors, and artists from New York City and beyond.
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When I think of paths I’d like my career to take, Anna Morgan is always one of the first people that comes to mind as an inspiration. The Japanese-born, New York City-raised artist is a blueprint for doing things on your own time… and on your own terms. No matter what she does, it’s obvious that she’s a tastemaker, first and foremost. She started off as a DJ before getting into music production, and in 2018, she co-founded Worst Behavior Recs, an underground music label that ran for over half a decade.
It would be a disservice to box Anna Morgan into one genre. Her ability to present juxtaposing genres in a way that makes audiences eat it up with no problem impresses me more every time I see her spin. The last time I caught her, she blended breakbeat, grime, footwork, dubstep, club music, and jungle, all in one set. In my opinion — and I’m not exaggerating when I say this — Anna Morgan is one of the most skilled, versatile, and engaging DJs of our generation.
I met Anna Morgan on the dancefloor at Elsewhere when she came up to me on the dancefloor, organically, because she “liked my energy.” She didn’t know she’d see me hours later in the green room, and I was introduced as a journalist by the other acts on the lineup. She instantly validated my work and made me feel like I belonged. As a fan and someone was freshly inducted to the inner-workings of the scene, it was something that I don’t think I’ll ever forget.
Roll the tape to experience Anna Morgan’s high-energy rave adventure and read on for her interview, where she gets real about integrity, art as a commodity, and life as a touring artist.
Hi, Anna! It’s been a crazy first couple of month of 2025. How are you feeling about taking on the rest of the year?
Honestly I’ve been battling nihilism lately. It’s not the first time, and likely not the last. I’ve been pretty overwhelmed and exhausted, and it’s only the beginning of the year. I have faith that I’ll get through it, but it ain’t easy times, lets just say.
I can totally empathize with that. I’m sure it’s also been exponentially as tough to take care of yourself since you’ve been on an insane touring run, basically since last August. What’s been the most fulfilling and most challenging parts about it?
The best part is seeing friends in different cities, connecting with other artists, and making new friends. The challenging part is I’m exhausted. Touring as much as I do is out of need for survival. This is all I do, currently, to pay for life, and life has been getting more and more expensive. I’ve also still been slowly digging myself out of COVID debt.
This mix has been in the works for a long time now. When I interviewed you last year for the series, you said you had just listened to your first mix on SoundCloud and noticed you still do the same thing and play the same genres. I recently revisited my first set recording and it made me miss being less safe with my blends. Is there anything you can learn from your baby DJ self?
Regarding noticeable patterns, while listening back to old mixes, the narrative is consistent because the story we tell is our own. If you're being authentic, regardless of the songs included, the journey will feel similar because you can only do you. You only have YOUR story, and you tell it over and over again via whatever the particular creative medium is.
“You only have YOUR story, and you tell it over and over again via whatever the particular creative medium is.”
Photo: Vanessa Valdez
You also talked about being unclear about whether or not music will provide a sustainable future for you. Has anything changed since then?
I’m definitely planning my escape from Amerikkka and also from the grind of surviving as a touring DJ. This is not sustainable and seems to only be getting worse for artists. The most common conversation I have with peers is about this issue. Many people are struggling to survive financially as well as spiritually and emotionally.
In the most recent tape with Fatboi Sharif, he talks about integrity being the main purpose of art. As an artist who’s vocal about your beliefs, whether you’re condemning the music industry’s exploitation of artists and watering down of culture or supporting the liberation of oppressed peoples, how do you maintain integrity while continuing to create and survive creating?
I just do me. I follow my heart. I say what's on my mind and share things that affect me and my community. I stay away from people who move funny. As a woman of color who does not come from money, I know what oppression looks like. I appreciate that I currently have the privilege to be able to speak out about the evils I witness going on in the world. I dream of true freedom for all beings and a better world. What's the point of any of it, if not to try and make things better?
We owe it to each other, our ancestors, the planet, future generations and ourselves. At times like this while fascism is on the rise globally, Nazis are loudly being proud, and the media is owned and filtered by the billionaires destroying the world—what kind of person would if I were silent about it all? I don’t really feel like I have a choice. I would very much rather spend my time and energy concerned with other things, but this is the world we live in, and many people are in denial in a frightening way, I feel called to be vocal, but it’s certainly not “fun.” I’d much rather be raving with friends, hiking, eating fruit in the sunshine, on a beach, or any of the beautiful things life has to offer.
“What's the point of any of it, if not to try and make things better?”
Last October, you shared a quote credited to American culture critic Camille Paglia: “The only thing that survives from a culture is its arts. Political power is transient. It will vanish. The bequest of any civilization, and the test of its quality, is its arts.” It feels like a constant cycle of electronic music pioneers in the US going without the support or care from the scene they helped build. How do you think this will affect our musical legacy, as opposed to a place like the UK, which does seem to put its resources into honoring and furthering the sector?
I read that quote and at the time, it helped me make sense of my life, and gave me hope. I shared it because I thought it might help others in the same way. This moment of existential crisis is very real for a lot of people, streaming and AI are making it harder for creatives of the ability to survive from their crafts, creating uncertainty about the future, and then there is the wondering, “are we just partying as the world is burning,” like, “Am I doing enough?”
America was founded by puritans, religious fascist who left their homes for a new world because it wasn’t strict enough and they wanted to go somewhere where they could further regulate the lives of their communities. I think these puritanical roots have a lot to do with why the government does not fund the arts, and also why not everyone has access to art. In America, art is viewed as a privilege instead of just a fact of human life or a human need that must be met. So what we end up seeing is either rich peoples’ art, or working class art made for market, like a product to make a living and be able to sustain life under capitalism and so the quality of art suffers greatly. We also see a lot of homogeneity because of social media, lots of people take on current trends in order to make money or elicit engagement.
Regarding the legacy of dance music in the US, what we have is the EDM industry, and indicative of the word “industry” it’s meant to extract value until there is nothing left. When I first started going to raves it was community putting on for the community. This means there is a certain integrity about the way culture is passed on, because it’s not just about money at the end of the day, it's about love and people. Luckily there are still independent promoters doing their thing and putting on for their communities, but it’s been getting harder for these types of spaces to exist as giants in the music industry buy up all the venues and try to monopolize night life. However, these are my favorite and most fulfilling events to play. They are meaningful intentional spaces, full of love, and I usually leave inspired, rejuvenated, and remembering why music is everything to me. The EDM industry was created by greedy corporate money people to exploit these spaces and the culture and community. The industry is a cruel beast devoid of sincerity, its lost connection to the roots/and originators, the origin of the culture, and many of the people I’ve met who work in that part literally don’t even know music. They are not creatives, they are not fans, they are people out here with business degrees trying to capitalize off the labor of creatives.
“It’s not just about money at the end of the day. It's about love and people.”
I probably just bombarded you with heavy asks. I just appreciate your candor and perspective, and it’s nice to hear from someone who stands for something these days! Let’s finish off with some lighter questions. What’s the best meal you’ve had on the road?
Back in November while I was on Oahu, I was taken to a sushi restaurant called Hihimanu and it was one of the most artistic, imaginative, and unique dining experiences I’ve had in my whole life. It's rated in the top 5 sushi restaurants in North America. It's a tiny omakase spot, the owner is the chef, if you eat fish I highly recommend it.
Is there anything unusual on your rider that’s made touring easier since you added it?
It’s not “unusual” per say, but I don’t drink so I have 2 joints on my rider. Definitely a touring improvement.
One thing I’ll never forget is when I first started throwing parties, you’d always say, “Arielle has taste!” It actually gave me the confidence that I was doing what I should be doing… especially since I’m inspired by the way you’ve handled the way you move through the music industry. The term curator has become so overused that it’s almost meaningless. What does curating mean to you?
Curating is storytelling. It’s organizing things in such a way that your chosen audience understands the connections that exist in your head regarding the content you’ve gathered. Curation gives relevance to things like art and culture by creating a unique narrative that gives context to why these things are valuable or special. At the end of the day, good curation is about extending a vision into the world.
On the topic of taste, which artists, DJs, producers, labels, or collectives should heads know?
OMG. I’m such a fan girl that I feel like this is daunting. I can just make lists that go one forever, lol. I’ll just write names until i’m too tired to list anymore…
dBridge is the person in music I respect the most. As an artist, DJ, producer, Exit Records label head, he is the goat.
Jubilee has always been a huge influence on my music journey. One of my absolute favorite DJs, producers, curators, and her label Magic City has been killing.
bastiengoat, never not playing his tunes; BURNA, I’m obsessed with his production; REA Just dropped a fire EP; Samurai Breaks and his label, Super Sonic Booty Bangers; BIG DOPE P and his label, Moveltraxx; The Glitch Mob and their new label, All The People; Juke Bounce Werk; Mapamota and her label, Soul Swap; Bianca Oblivion; JIALING; Amy Kisnorbo; ARCHANGEL; Homemade Weapons; Bored Lord; NO BIAS; Ron Mercy; Currency Audio; Only Now; Azu Tiwaline; Addison Groove; Siete Catorce; and Walton.
What can we expect from this mix?
A 150-174bpm High energy rave adventure which includes some new tunes from friends and lots of fast grime and UK club stuff.
Is there anything I haven't asked you that you want to talk about? Anything you want to promote?
I just had a remix for Machinedrum come out and a remix for Black Rave Culture is coming this month, too. In May, I’ll have an original out on Quantic’s DJ-Kicks. Bass Coast Festival just announced their first wave line up and I’ll be returning this year. This is my first year back since I played Boiler Room there in 2022. I was planning on being moved to Thailand by now, I had kept my tour schedule clear, but my situation has changed so now I’m starting to fill it up kinda last min. Get at me promoters!
Support Anna Morgan on SoundCloud and Instagram.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
TRACKLIST
St. Amp - Onyerfeet
Joey - Rendr
REA - On the Floor
K-65 - Acid Junglist
Jubilee - GoGoGoGO!
Decent Damage - Put it Down
Thys, Machinedrum & Holly - YOU
Snowy - Senses (Prod.Frost)
Sound System Automatic - Into The Pagan Disco
Pearson Sound - Cobwebs
HiTech - SPANK!
Sam Bing & Fracture - I Jus Wanna
Big Dope P - OO Megamixx
The Glitch Mob & Samurai Breaks & Unique - Body Moes (Morelia remix)
Mighty Mark & TT The Artist - Girls (RON MERCY Remix)
Burna - Sacudelo
REA - Baile Bump
REA - Perrea
DJ CHi-C - Veneno
Burna - Oscuro
Fonzo & Rico Dan - Bushmaster (Sam Binga Remix )
BIG DOPE P - Top Shelf (feat. LITTLEZ)
OH91 - Talkin About (feat. Kwam) [Neekeetone 160 rework]
Cheetah - Push & Pull
Sample Junkie- Peaches
Talisman - To the Beat
Bruk - Suho
Napes - Tokyo Drifting
Tim Reaper - Give Me More (Sully Remix)
Lakeway - Kill your Agent
Cheetah - Go Harder
Bruk - Circa ‘14 (feat. Limmz)
S.Murk - Shaky Legs (Napes remix)
Bruk- Rinse
Taxman - Bring the Danger
Samurai Breaks - Rush The System
