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Big Louie Vega
Интервью · 18.08.2005
By Iovik
One of the members of the DJ duo Masters At Work - Little Louie Vega - is a living embodiment of the American dream. In the late eighties he arrived in New York as an unknown lover of new dance music. It took him very little time to conquer the city of the yellow devil, and with it the rest of the world. Over twenty years Louie has released a multitude of hits and earned a reputation as a virtuoso arranger capable of turning any song into a dancefloor bomb. Last year Louie got rid of the prefix Little - it somehow doesn't befit such a venerable gentleman to be called a kid.
People often write about you that you've become an inseparable part of New York. Part of its history.
What do you think yourself - have you already gone down in history?
Well yeah, probably it's true. I've been producing music here since '86, and I've been playing as a DJ in this city for twenty-two years now. So, probably, you can safely say: Louie Vega is a part of New York's history.
Aha. You even got to play at such a myth-shrouded club as Studio 54.
Yes, of course. I played there for all those damn celebrities, millionaires, models and characters of that sort.
A great deal has been written about it, and they even made a film. Did you watch "Studio 54"?
Of course I did.
And how about it - does it match reality?
You know, like any film, "Studio 54" idealizes many things. In my view, the club there came out not very true to life. But the film isn't really about the club, it's about a man who managed to stake too much on it.
Still on Studio, one question always interested me personally. Did Andy Warhol dance? You didn't happen to see, did you?
(Louie Vega smiles) Hmm. I played at Studio 54 during its second opening. When Andy used to go there, I was still twelve years old. But I'll say honestly, that question interested me too. So, people in the know say he danced, and how.
Many New York DJs complain that house music is perceived there as music for gays. David Morales, for example, regularly makes statements that he's not gay, he just loves house.
Really? I don't know. In my opinion all that is long in the past. Though at one time it really was so. You know, modern house has been very strongly influenced by European DJs.
It was they who made this style music for everyone, and New York is no exception in that respect.
It was they who made this style music for everyone, and New York is no exception in that respect.
Even so. Many DJs still say: "When playing in New York, be sure to bring hip-hop records with you".
Well, hip-hop has been the mainstream style for New York for many years now. House itself has never been as popular here as, say, in Britain. House music in America is underground. And, in my view, that's actually a good thing.
And how do you feel about claims that the American house movement is slowly but surely dying off? One of the oldest American DJs, Junior Vasquez, recently opined that we had a great era, but, sadly, it's already in the past. As in, now it's all over.
I have great respect for Vasquez, but in my opinion he hasn't stood behind the turntables for far too long. All this talk about the house movement dying is empty chatter. Let's count. (Louie starts counting on his fingers.) Me, Kenny Dope, Danny Tenaglia, François Kevorkian, Erick Morillo, Roger Sanchez, David Morales, and the generation coming after us - Mr. B and T Man. They're all first-magnitude DJs, and that's just New York alone. So the talk of house music's death is greatly exaggerated.
Aha. Well then, where in your view is American house heading?
Forward, of course. (Louie Vega smiles an optimistic American smile.) More and more DJs and producers are appearing. Many of them experiment in order to say their own word in dance music. Kenny and I aren't resting on our laurels either. Right now we're busy collaborating with lots of rock bands (Louie is wearing a The Clash T-shirt). And although bands like The Clash and U2 were often a source of inspiration for us, we've never worked with rock. All of this is new to us, and all of it is extraordinarily interesting. It doesn't mean we're turning away from dance music. Rock music itself has lately become far more danceable. Franz Ferdinand, The Killers, White Stripes make exactly that kind of rock. And there are more and more such bands.
By the way, I've never been a champion of the opposition between rock and dance music. What's more, I'm personally interested in all musical styles. Right now I travel a lot with performances, playing both at dance festivals and at jazz and rock festivals. The ideas I draw there help me maintain my interest in house, to which, undoubtedly, I now belong forever.
You're in Russia for the first time, while Kenny (the other member of Masters At Work) has already been here twice. Did he tell you anything about Moscow?
He's delighted with this country. He told me: "Louie, in Russia the people are wonderful, a mass of positive and fresh energy. DJs like us can play exactly the kind of music we like here. You absolutely have to go there". Well, here I am.
And has anything managed to surprise you in this country already?
I haven't seen much yet, but the local aura has already surprised me. Everything here is different: the architecture, the cars and the driving style, and, ultimately, the people themselves. All of it differs greatly from both the States and Europe. I'd been planning to come here for a long time, but it somehow never worked out. And I'm sure that my stay here will be a wonderful experience, both for me and for you.
Welcome to Russia, Louie!