Sunday 24.9.
Kuudes linja, Kaikukatu 4
21-04, tickets 15 e (advance sales Lifesaver)
LOUIE VEGA
Born in the Bronx in 1965, Vega grew up in an environment rich with latin music. His father, Louie Vega Sr, is an accomplished jazz and latin saxophonist and his uncle was renowned salsa singer Hector Lavoe (of Fania All Stars fame). Vega's musical influences didn't end with latin music though: in the eighties, he was a regular at legendary nightclubs like the Paradise Garage and attended Afrika Bambaataa's famous Bronx River Projects block parties.
In the mid-eighties, Vega began to make a name for himself as an up-and-coming DJ, playing at Bronx and Manhattan hotspots like Devil's Nest, Roseland, Studio 54 and the Palladium. He played with a raw energy and enthusiasm that reflected his passion for the music, and his sets were refreshingly diverse, encompassing everything from latin-jazz and hip-hop to british new wave.
At the same time, Vega's soon-to-be production partner Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez began throwing wildly eclectic mobile parties in his native Brooklyn, whilst piecing together productions under the "Masters at Work" moniker. By 1987, the Masters at Work name had attracted so much attention that Todd Terry borrowed it for his NY house classic "Alright, Alright." Terry, in turn, introduced Gonzalez to Vega and the two found an immediate kinship. Masters at Work productions soon took off, and innovative house remixes for the likes of Tito Puente, Saint Etienne and even Debbie Gibson sent the duo straight to the top of the dance music pile.
With the Masters at Work sound firmly in place, the mid-nineties saw Vega and Gonzalez pursue new musical paths as Nuyorican Soul. They introduced this alter-ego on "The Nervous Track". A subsequent track, the club hit "You Can Do It (Baby)!" featuring George Benson, helped the project gain critical mass with fans, and after being signed by Gilles Peterson, Vega and Gonzalez recorded the Nuyorican Soul album. Released in 1997, the self-titled album brought together an all-star cast of musicians - including Roy Ayers, Jocelyn Brown, Eddie Palmieri, India and DJ Jazzy Jeff - to create an innovative, genre-defying piece of music that has proven its timelessness and influence.
2002 saw the release of the Masters at Work album "Our Time Is Coming"; a collection of songs co-written, produced, arranged and mixed by Vega and Gonzalez, who recruited a number of friends and influences to add to the sessions. Roy Ayers, Patti Austin, Blaze and James Ingram were among those who featured on the album, which again found MAW at their finest.
Vega recently embarked on his most ambitious venture yet; his solo album "Elements of Life". Already out in Japan, with a worldwide release forthcoming, the project takes the themes laid down in the Nuyorican Soul album and develops them further, exploring, dissecting and fusing genres like bossanova, samba, jazz, salsa and afro-groove. In addition to a nine-piece band the songs feature singer/songwriter/guitarist Raul Midon and singer/songwriter Anane; as well as Blaze, Dimitri from Paris, Ursula Rucker and Domingo Quinones.
In addition to his own album, Vega has found time to produce the latest full-length offering ("Venezuelan Zinga Son") from the Grammy-nominated Venezuelan dance band Los Amigos Invisibles, and recently co-wrote and produced "Release", a cut from the spoken-word artist Ursula Rucker's forthcoming album on studio K7. He also had the honour of recreating and producing the classic "Libertango", to be featured on a tribute album for the late Argentinean tango maestro Astor Piazolla. 2005 also saw Vega being awarded a Grammy himself for his remix of Curtis Mayfield's classic "Superfly."
Aside from his production work, Vega dedicates two-thirds of every year to a rigorous DJ schedule, which finds him playing to thousands of people around the globe; in clubs from Mykonos to Johannesburg. He still plays with an unrivalled energy and exuberance, and his innate desire to make people dance dominates every one of his sets, inspiring him to thrill and excite every crowd that comes to hear him play. Vega is currently preparing to translate the extraordinary experience of his live sets onto CD, in the form of his latest mix compilation "Soul Heaven".