There really is very little in the world of music and entertainment that Erick Morillo hasnāt turned his hand to. Heās a platinum-selling artist, heās topped the charts worldwide as the producer behind Reel 2 Realās hit āI Like To Move Itā (used in both Madagascar movies, reaching millions of viewers worldwide and covered by Will I Am in Madagascar 2) and heās been responsible for a bewildering array of dance-floor tracks including āReachā, āBelieveā, āDo What You Wantā and āI Feel Loveā – under pseudonyms including Ministers De La Funk, The Dronez (with Harry āChoo Chooā Romero and Jose Nunez) and Liāl Mo Ying Yang. Heās remixed everyone from Whitney Houston to Basement Jaxx and continues to run the legendary Subliminal Records house music empire. On his debut album he collaborated with Puff Daddy and Boy George alike.
For over a decade now, Erick has remained one of the most in-demand and instantly recognizable DJs in the world. From the instant success of his weekly āSessionsā parties in New York, to hosting events like the annual road-blocking Subliminal Sessions parties in Miami at Winter Music Conference, to his coveted residency at Ministry of Sound (heās still one of the only American DJs to ever hold one) and of course his now legendary Subliminal Sessions parties at Pacha Ibiza, Morillo just doesnāt stop. His non-stop DJing schedule at one point saw him straddling the globe playing up to a whopping 30 gigs a month, particularly in the summer months where heāll play from Rome and Mykonos to London. Heās also become a familiar television personality through his appearances on MTV and MTV Ibiza two years in a row whilst starring in a seven part series for UK TV station Channel 4.
Raised in Colombia, then New Jersey, Erick was weaned on a musical diet of Latin rhythms, reggae and hip-hop. He started DJing at the age of 11 and after securing himself DJ sets at several local gigs decided to take a studio engineering course at the local Centre of Media Arts. He was soon inducted into the house fraternity through his friend Marc Anthony (the Salsa King), whilst he was working with the now legendary Louie Vega and Kenny āDopeā Gonzalez on āRide On The Rhythmā. āLouieās watched out for me since the beginning,ā he says of the Masters At Work legend. One minor detail: in the booth at Pacha last time they played together was a certain supermodel called Naomi Campbell and beside her was one of Erickās musical heroes, the legendary Quincy Jones. āCan you believe it? Quincy Jones came to my party,ā he says, still in shock. āWhen we saw him there, Louie and I decided to play a bunch of his classics, like Michael Jacksonās Donāt Stop Til You Get Enoughā. He told me he loved my bass lines,ā smiles Erick. āOne of the proudest days in my life.ā
In 1997, after spending almost a year of meticulously planning everything from logos to packaging, Morillo took it that one step further and launched Subliminal Records with his production partners Harry Romero and Jose Nunez. Guided by Morilloās ear and studio presence, the brand has gone on to become synonymous with a funk-fuelled, soulful house sound. And in 2004 Erick released his first artist album worldwide, entitled āMy Worldā it featured heavyweight collaborations from the likes of Puff Daddy, DJ Rap, Boy George and even a reunion with the Mad Stuntman. The lead single āBreak Down The Doorsā featured The Audio Bullys, and in the years that followed, further singles and club tracks followed. After āLive Your Lifeā and āStrongerā came Erickās collaboration with Skin and Eddie Thonieck, āIf This Aināt Loveā, quickly followed by āElephantā featuring Alexandra Burke, a Top 5 UK smash. The global touring continued, as did his dominance at clubs from Pacha Ibiza and Ministry Of Sound in London.
After a well-documented break from the scene, Morillo returned to his spiritual home of Ibiza in 2014. But unlike previous seasons, he only took on one show, at Space: āI decided to take a step back and I really got to see the industry changing. I did one party at Space for their 25th birthday, two sets, one outside and then I did the last 4 hours of the terrace, which brought back a bunch of memories! I loved playing and it was a great statement to make.ā Fast-forward to the summer of 2015 and things are right where he wants them to be, with Subliminal re-launching in the digital sphere with a whole raft of new ideas and remixes planned for the start of 2016. Tracks like āWelcome To The Jungleā and āShiny Disco Ballsā are ripe for remixing, but Erick promises that the focus will remain on the new as much as the classic catalogue. āItās going to be great music from house to techno ā a little bit of everything,ā he says. āWeāre going to be releasing lots of records from different people.ā
With a super-successful summer spent in and out of Space, Ibiza with Lucianoās Cadenza party, as well as key shows from Marquee in New York and LIV in Miami to Avalon in LA and back, Erick is firing on all cylinders. He has several original productions and key collaborations that have now dropped, including āSomething For Carl Coxā, a fun techno jam that Erick made for, well, guess who, a searing deep house club track called āThe Restorerā and another with Harry Romero called āGoing To LAā. And he also has a solo double-header dropping on Subliminal Records in November 2015. āIām releasing a two part EP titled Limitless which will consist of a track titled āI Want Youā followed by āTrappedā – both great records,ā he nods. And the label is also gearing up for some major moves at the start of 2016. A-List artists such as Kolsch and The Martinez Brothers will be remixing the very best of the classic catalogue. Erick, meanwhile, is happy to be living in LA. āLA is the place to be, not just because the record industry is there but also the artists. Itās a great place to be and a great place to network. I want to be in the mix!ā
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