- A master at work.
- Louie Vega shouldn't need an introduction, but we'll do it anyways. The Bronx-born Puerto Rican artist embodies the soulful sound of New York house music, and he's been doing it since the '80s. His history features a litany of legendary names and clubs, from the Devil's Nest to his much-vaunted residency at The Sound Factory in Manhattan, and he's made music with the likes of Todd Terry, Mood II Swing and Barbara Tucker. But it's with Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez that Vega made his most cherished and influential work as the duo Masters At Work, putting out huge singles and making house remixes for some of the most iconic names in '90s pop music.
To listen to Vega's discography, especially as part of Masters At Work, is to hear the evolution of house music and garage (yes, both US and UK). It's difficult to overstate the impact those '90s records had on New York and beyond, and they're still some of the most swinging, undeniable house records ever made. Just try playing a MAW Dub for a newbie and see their reaction.
House music has been Vega's lifelong mission, and almost four decades in, he's still refining his craft, moving towards ever-jazzier, ever more soulful sounds. His RA Podcast shows off some of his favorite tracks from contemporaries like Mood II Swing, as well as his band Elements Of Life and a handful of new tracks from his forthcoming album, Expansions In The NYC, which aims to capture the sound of his club night of the same name. You'll hear lush live instrumentation, powerful vocals and, of course, those addictive, sometimes skippy house beats—the sound of a master at work.
What are you grateful for these days?
I'm grateful for my family, it's been a tough two years and they have stuck with me through thick and thin. I'm grateful for all the people that have been so loyal on my livestreams and grateful I'm able to uplift many people and bring some joy in these hard times.
How and where was the mix recorded? And can you tell us the idea behind it?
The DJ mix was recorded at my studio Daddy's Workshop, it's where I work on my productions as well. The studio is a combo of a DJ setup on one side (half of the room), and the other half is my recording facility. It's a musical sanctuary with vintage musical instruments and lots of vinyl, classic pictures of studio sessions with the greats and two dope sound systems.
The speakers I use for DJing are KV10 Audio speakers with a KV bottom, and for the studio my favorite speakers to mix on, Dynaudios, which I've had for over 20 years now, it's like having a Lamborghini :)! The DJ mix I have made for RA encompasses some of my favorites on the album and a few tracks of my choice that are stomping my floors worldwide today. It's already hard to get this in one hour but I will do my best to give you a short journey into this world we call HOUSE MUSIC today!
Your new album is named for your club night, Expansions NYC. Can you tell us more about the idea behind the party and how the album relates to it?
In 2019 I started a night called Expansions NYC where I curated by playing six-hour all-night sets that ran from 10 PM to 4 AM, most importantly bringing together dancers and audiences with musical appreciation and journeys to let loose on the dance floor. At 3 AM I would have unannounced jam sessions with keyboardist Axel Tosca, guitarist Toni C, percussionists Ritmo Y Tumbao and Sting Ray, poet Sugah Lyrics, trombonists, flautists and, on some occasions, singers, everything totally improvised. I would play special unreleased tracks or sparse musical beds underneath the musicians jamming with me and I'd hit some effects and flawless mixing and weaving. I record all my sets so when I would listen back I would hear all these cool new grooves. I then heard great ideas to record in the studio. As I began creating grooves in the studio it then started morphing into the foundation for the new album. As I travelled on weekends (since Expansions NYC was on Wednesdays), I would meet lots of my musical peers, in conversation some would say, "let's do a record together!" We then would discuss working together on music, this was a perfect fit for these artists to participate in the new project. Expansions In The NYC was born!
You've been in house music for decades. How do you keep things fresh, and keep yourself interested in it?
I've been making and playing dance music for a very long time. Although I've produced and played various genres since a young age when producing I've always been mystified with house music. You can do so much as a producer with house music, and we've always been genre-bending, bringing other cultures and styles to the house music world.
What keeps it fresh is there are really no limits to what you can do within house music. There's uptempo, mid-tempo, downtempo, so the BPMs can vary, then you have so many styles whether jazz, Brazilian, African, soul, R&B, gospel, soulful house, techno and dub-driven tracks. It's experimental freedom. There is so much you can do with house, it never gets boring for me.
My every day life experiences bring inspiration, and my son, my wife who is also my muse, traveling the world playing to different audiences and in this case my clubnight Expansions NYC brought lots of inspiration. When in the studio listening back to the creations then playing them out at DJ gigs or my club nights, seeing the audience feel your music and get emotional while dancing and listening is surreal, playing the songs live with my band Elements Of Life in front of crowds also bring forth inspiration. All this and more keeps me interested but it’s having that true passion, that's key!
What's one social or political cause you want the world to pay more attention to?
Helping children in need. World hunger. Stopping this war.
What are you looking forward to in the near future?
I'm looking forward to making more music and expanding within our creations. We have so much talent in our group and have so much more to offer. This you hear is only the icing on the cake. New plans with Masters At Work, Nuyorican Soul, The Ritual With Anané & Louie Vega, Elements Of Life (the band), more curated events, a festival we own, and all of our music labels and events spreading all over the world.
TracklistMike Lindup - Time To Let Go (Louie Vega Remix)
Frog Collective - Beyond Love (Dub II)
Sunburst Band - Listen Love
Two Soul Fusion - Joy Universal
Dave & Sam - The Sauce (Manoo Remix Instrumental)
Lem Springsteen - I'm Blessed feat. Gerald Lathan (Louie & Nico Remix)
Louie Vega - Atmosphere Strut feat. Spinna
Ultra Naté - Supernatural (Quentin Harris & Ultra Naté Remix)
Louie Vega - Cosmic Witch feat. Anané
Louie Vega & Elements Of Life - Chimi
That Horn (DJ Erv Rework)
Louie Vega - Music Is My Life feat. Unlimited Touch
Dames Brown - What Would You Do (Two Soul Fusion Remix)
The Voltage Brothers - What's Happening In The Streets (Domo Retouch)