It's probably fair to say that Erick Morillo the Colombian DJ, producer and label boss is somewhat of a musical innovator and as one of the island's longest serving DJs it is no great surprise that he'll be returning this summer for another season of fun.
Erick Morillo has undeniably gone from strength to strength during his career and having reformed Sympho Nympho alongside Harry Romero and Jose Nunez we thankfully won't be short of subliminal invasions in 2012. As well as working as a collective he's constantly working on his solo material, keeping it fresh and exciting by regularly providing us with dance-floor bangers. Having recently released his 'Colors' record which features the vocals from the old friend Shawnee Taylor, it is clear that Morillo will continue to wow crowds this summer.
Here Hannah Davies catches up with the man himself to find out more about how he does it year after year, what it's really like to be a DJ and his summer plans for Pacha...
Firstly can you tell us a little bit about how it all began for you and what first attracted you to become a DJ...
Wow, ok I have been DJ'ing since I was 11 years old and the idea of blending music and mixing it together had always been something that I had liked since I was about 6. When I was 11 a mate of mine was a DJ and I went to see him and I just fell in love with the art of it and just started doing it ever since.
And you are obviously still having a great time Dj'ing, how does it feel to be up there in the booth?
It's quite an exhilarating feeling even after doing it professionally for a long time, you know it is something I love to do. I still can't believe people pay me to go and play music, it is something I enjoy doing so much... it is probably one of the best jobs in the world.
I think a lot of people would agree with that. Talk to us about Sympho Nympho as you have been doing some huge things as a collective this year, 'Colors' with Shawnee Taylor for example is an unreal track. Can you talk to us about what you guys are doing and the sound that you're creating...
Absolutely, it's more about the production team; myself, Harry Romero and Jose Nunez, we have been working together as producers probably since '97 when we started Subliminal and about 6/7 years ago the internet thing happened and everything like subbing music and businesses suffering. So, we all went our own ways doing our individual projects and then about 2 years ago I brought us back together and said now that dance music has really taken of in America I think it's time for us to come back as a collective and continue where we left off.
The symmetry and chemistry that we have in the studio when we get together is undeniable and amazing, I really enjoy being in the studio with these guys. We started about 2 years ago and we've written so much we've built up catalogues and we have a lot of music coming out. I've mentioned we did the 'Colors' record with Shawnee Taylor and we managed to do a lot of remixes and original tracks over the last 6 months which cater more towards the more influential and the electro side if you will. It is all about the music that we all know from the last 20 years so you will be hearing a lot of mixture from reggae to hip hop to electro, techno, trance you name it, it's a mixture of all but the people we are writing with are really interesting.
We have a record coming out with Wyclef this year, we have a record coming out with Busta Rhymes, we have one with Dizzie Rascal; I think it's the first single from Dizzie Rascal's album which is something like 'Dizzie Rascal Vs Sympho Nympho'. So I am really excited, I think over the next couple of years we're really going to see what people think about the music that we have coming out. It's not just dance it has a little bit of urban in it and what you guys have heard so far is just the tip of the iceberg because we haven't really started releasing some of the bigger tracks yet.
Wow it sounds like a very exciting time for you guys and you mentioned Subliminal records which you started in 1997, can you tell us a little bit about the label and what else you have in store for us this year?
Absolutely, well you know for me Subliminal has always been a label for the DJ's and giving them tools to rock the dance-floor. It's about putting music out there that I know I'm gong to get the hands in the air and everybody on the dance floor is going to be shaking their arse!
This year we have the first Sympho Nympho compilation which was put out about a month and a half ago and some projects which we have coming out like you mentioned the Shawnee Taylor 'Colors' record, which is amazing. She also has a new single coming out this summer which I am really really excited about, once we have finished working 'Colors' her next single is another 'wow', another stormer; I have been playing it out here and there and it is really really good, so I'm really excited about that. Like I said we have a record coming out with Wyclef and that will be out early summer and my new compilation is due out this summer as well, the new Subliminal compilation is coming out this summer and we have a slew of records and like I said the sound is good music, that's what I call it... good music and dancing.
How do you keep things current and fresh with the label, I know you have mentioned the involvement of other artists and releasing a lot of material, is that the main thing you do to keep people interested in Subliminal?
You know I think for us it is not about the quantity of releases, as I know our releases have definitely slowed down, we were a label in the early 2000's that was releasing record a week almost. You know nowadays we are trying to keep it to doing a record a month and then obviously work on the bigger projects like the albums; Sympho Nympho will do an album later this year. We will be releasing a lot of material, I think nowadays there are so many records coming out and so many producers, labels and things; I mean I don't know how many releases Beatport has a week but it is something astronomical. So, I think for us it is about focusing on the quality and not the quantity.
Cool, and things have changed a lot recently in how music is being put out as things are now more digital, how have you adapted to that?
I think we made the switch a while ago from selling music, physical music other than albums and CD's, we just went to digital, we definitely saw that vinyl was slowing down as a form and obviously the introduction of the CDJ's really made it easier for DJ's who really liked to feel the reel if you will on the fingers. It just made it easier to switch and obviously vinyl were very very heavy and very crazy to be lugging around. So, we made the change a long time ago to sell the music digitally because that is the way people like to get their music nowadays.
It is just a matter of the industry regulating itself, when it first came out everyone was just taking downloads from other people and trading music and there is still a lot of that but there are still a lot of people who just don't want to go looking for the tracks. Things like iTunes and Beatport make sense, it has become so easy as everyone has computers now and is online. So now as far as the business of selling music is not what it was for sure but it has definitely improved a lot over the last few years.
Definitely, and you are back at Pacha Ibiza this year for another residency, how excited are you about this and the transformation of the club, as there is now a new hydraulic DJ booth opposite the old one...
Yes, I am. I have seen pictures but I haven't seen a complete video yet, I haven't seen it but I am really excited about the new DJ booth. Obviously Pacha is a club that I love playing at as this is going to be I think my 14th or 15th season at Pacha so I am really excited! This is the time when the Ibiza feeling really starts sinking in and I cant wait to get over there in June.
This year the theme is just really more about creating a reality and creating a different reality for people to engage in and get lost in the club. We'll be retransforming Pacha every Wednesday and putting in some really cool installations, some really cool Subliminal things and it's going to take you a bit to realise what is going on but I am really excited about it. It is about putting people in a different reality so we have some really good residents this year who will play every week, we have an exceptional one at the end of August, Dirty Dutch and Chuckie, we have Sunnery James and Ryan Marciano, Sympho Nympho, Shawnee Taylor, Wyclef has turned up before and an assortment of other DJ's.
I think it's going to be another great Wednesday at Pacha and what I am really excited about is that we have become known as the night for music and one of the nights for music at Pacha. So, as long as people keep coming and keep supporting the music we are going to keep playing what we love to do. I think that shows and I think that is why we have been at Pacha the longest and had one of the longest residencies as far as DJ's are concerned in Ibiza for sure.
It is a fantastic party and definitely a favourite last year, you DJ alongside artists who are also now your friends, does that make things more exciting?
Absolutely, for me honestly from the beginning I have always looked at it that way. I have always been a very sociable kind of guy and I think that the cool thing about working is that it is a party. When we go out there we are having a great time and everybody there; the DJ and the DJ booth where everybody is hanging out and we kind of out do each other in certain ways and play things that bug everybody, we try to bug people out, that's what it is about, doing tricky mixes to get everybody excited. Playing alongside my peers and my friends is fun, i'll repeat it again I have one of the best jobs in the world.
And can you tell us what Ibiza means to you?
Erm, Ibiza means to me probably one of the most relaxing yet taxing stages in the world, probably the only one.
Finally, as a platinum selling artist who has achieved so much do you think that you still have boxes left to tick?
Absolutely, you just look out! Are you kidding me? I've just started to have fun with it now! Before it was, well I don't really want to say it was work as far as the music but it was more like I was trying to get somewhere, trying to get somewhere, trying to get somewhere and now I am not trying to get anywhere. So now I am literally just doing what I want and having fun with it and that is why I am really enjoying myself now. I look forward to seeing you in the summer!
