Tony Moran's 'Moodswings'

Music maestro Tony Moran is a long-established, widely regarded DJ and remixer on the dance music circuit. He's headlined behind the turntables of the most prestigious events at the center of it. Moran also possesses enviable frequent flyer mileage, jetting to Miami Beach in February, hitting Mardi Gras in New Orleans at OZ and making the rounds of decadence in Brazil before returning to Miami to appear at this season's Winter Music Conference.

That's just getting things in motion for Moran, who continues to add new dance singles to his music catalog. But none of those projects compares with Moran's latest endeavor, which is admittedly close to his heart. Pushing beyond the boundaries and expectations that are often imposed on artists, this songwriter and two-time Grammy nominee reflected on his more than three decades in music, taking inspiration from his experiences to craft his latest album, "Moodswings."

Never short on ambition, Moran is the first to take on a challenge, especially when he's in the studio. "I do have stories to tell," he said. "I love writing about them, I love collaborating with people and being with talented people." The new double-album set list is no way a description of the artist's nature. "Immediately my management's reaction was that it sounded like a bipolar disorder!" the even-keeled artist said.

"I believed in this," Moran told EDGE. "I knew that there were different points in time where I needed to sit with people at a piano, and finding a singer to work on it. I wanted to write songs that somebody could sing along to." Freeing himself of the technological trappings associated with dance music production, Moran aimed to strip down the music and take time to evolve each track.

"It was a few years in the process," he shared about this set list of down-tempo and dance beats. "I just wanted to do at least one song [every three months] that was just for me, whether it was for another artist or to keep it for a collaborative project." Though Moran has released several original up-tempo dance hits, many which went to No. 1 on the dance charts, he kept his intimate material closer. "When I realized that half the songs were not dance songs, I just went with it. You don't want to get pigeonholed."

Moran recently played the new tracks while appearing at South Beach's Mansion Nightclub, where he received a wonderful reception, especially for the album's slow-tempo tracks. "I was really touched that people are giving them a chance. I wanted to give them as much of me as possible." Many of the tracks that appear on the "Feel" side of the double disc elaborate on some of the artist's own romantic, heartbreaking affairs of the heart.

"I want people to believe more than they've ever believed in what they are singing about," Moran explains. Which is why he personally chose the artists that appear on "Moodswings." He is known for extracting greatness from vocalists, pursuing it with intimidating intent. "I hope an artist encapsulates themselves into the song." Having worked with powerhouse vocalists that include legendary divas Martha Wash and Deborah Cox Moran has set a high bar.

"I wound up having this new and fresh relationship with this girl named Kimberly Davis," Moran said. "I could write something and know that she is feeling the song, able to channel the song and has the desire to make it her own. She's living the song."

Introduced to Davis via DJ Escape, who brought one of Davis's remixes to a gig the pair headlined at New York City's Out Hotel, Moran immediately reached out and courted the artist. He invited her to perform on a track he wrote called "You Already Know," which appears on the "Move" side of "Moodswings." The relationship has led to several collaborations, including with the iconic Nile Rodgers, whom Davis performs with as part of the Chic revival band.

Davis appears on six tracks across the double-album set list, along with Ryan Shaw, Jason Walker and Nicki Richards, who recorded her track after completing an exhaustive run performing background vocals on Madonna's "Rebel Heart Tour." "I write all these songs specifically with them in mind." Moran also collaborated with the one-time "American Idol" judge Kara DioGuardi, who brought a unique perspective to the track "Fairy Tales," featuring vocals by Matt Zarley. "I brought the song to him and he revived it."

"Moodswings" is distinct among Moran's previous works in that it speaks to his longevity in music, paying homage to influences that include R&B hitmakers Babyface, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. "I always loved the vocal textures and layers that artists created themselves on some of those Babyface songs," Moran said. "It added to the personality of those songs, and especially those artists. When I was writing some of these songs, I wrote some of them with that science. I really looked to Quincy Jones and Trevor Horn."

Given the luxury of time he had in putting together "Moodswings", Moran experimented with the album's copious narrative, reflecting on his own past.

With a track record that explodes one dance hit after another, Moran relentlessly produces chart-topping new material while collaborating with potent talent like Jason Walker, who appears on two of his latest dance singles that appear on "Moodswings": "Say Yes" and "So Happy." "Jason is an artist that will continue to surprise people, and I'll continue to write new songs for him." Moran's intent is for Jason to one day headline his own staged show. "These songs are all crowd-pleasers. It's an extreme honor to work on songs that have led people to feel so positively stimulated."

Reflecting on his career and looking forward to its next evolution, however it plays out, Moran realizes he has so much more to contribute. "Truly what this is, it's a producer showcase album. It's the diary of a songwriter, stories I wanted to tell in a certain way. I hope that people will get that." In an age where contemporaries David Guetta, Avicii and Calvin Harris have similarly carved their own niche beyond the confines of electronic switches and production boards, it's perfect that Moran embraces his emotional states and swings with his moods.