An Invitation To Preview Louie Vega’s Expansions In The NYC : A Personal Experience Through The Eyes & Ears Of BoomClap
When it comes to House music, there’s a purity and connection that plugs directly into your soul and ignites your entire spirit. There’s definitely something to be said about the unification and community that electronic music instantly creates.
Evolving since its first inception a few notable figureheads have undoubtedly become essential to the global driving force of the scene. Its position as a burgeoning worldwide phenomenon is testament to the family and following this style of music generates. Following a press invite from one of my industry contacts, I jumped at the opportunity to attend and cover a once in a lifetime event for someone as immersed in the sound.
It became apparent this was the perfect opportunity to share first hand experience that most serious house lovers could share rather than a front led review. From purists to tourists you are never far from Louie Vega’s music. His influence upon producers paralleled with his numerous prolific guises that include Masters At Work and Nuyorican Soul this was bound to be a class in quality music and adept humility. Expansions In The NYC courtesy of the formidable Nervous Records continues to push the envelop forward and break fresh ground from these stalwart names.
When I was a kid, my parents would drag me to parties. Usually, a live band or DJ would be playing and nearly always it would be 60s music. A lot of Motown. My parents were huge Motown and soul fans and they loved to dance. After the usual first hour or two while folks arrived, and I’d skidded across the dance floor a few times on my knees, I’d be sat down with a bag of crisps and a juice and then the adult time would commence.
My mom was usually the first on the dance floor with her pals, doing that kind of “twitch” dance you see on faded footage from clubs in the 60s. After my dad had finished his pint of bitter, he’d get dragged up to “jive” with my mom and then, at times, he’d jive simultaneously with two women. Gotta hand it to him, the guy had class.
In later years when I was about 16 or 17, I found house music and I’d often joke with my pals that if our parents were dancing to 60s music still then when we are their age we’d be jackin’ to house. Oh, how we’d laugh! That was circa 1992, and last night, 30 years later at the age of 48 I found myself stood in the most amazing hi-fi room; “Sweeties”, atop the Standard Hotel in London being presented with what can only be described as the defining piece of work of a career that’s spanned well over three decades.
Louie Vega’s forthcoming album titles “Expansions in the NYC” is nothing short of brilliant. With many albums, you get those ‘filler tracks’ where the label has probably told the artist they need a couple more for the release. Not this time though, Expansions in the NYC contains 22 singles.
“The Maestro”, as he’s affectionately known by his fans the world over, conceived this album off the back of his similarly named underground “Expansions NYC” parties. The events included 6-hour DJ Sets with Louie under his select curation and would usually end with 3 AM jam sessions involving keyboardists, guitar players and poets all performing in front of a jam-packed crowd.
I was lucky enough to have dinner with Louie a couple of days before the listening party and he told me that his Expansions party was a great place to try out new music and sounds. The nights are a complete journey through many genres that have influenced the great man and the album reflects those influences. Although the album is mainly a house music theme there are tracks like “Love Has No Time Or Place” that’s clearly has that 70s jazz-funk influence. One of the stand-out tracks for me (of which there are several) is “Chimi”. It features the great Patrick Adams (Cloud One), and it’s literally dripping with that gorgeous 70s disco-jazz-funk sound reminiscent of “Atmospheric Strut” and “Disco Juice”. On the subject of Cloud One, Atmosphere Strut with DJ Spinna is right down that avenue.
While we are on the subject of my favourite tracks, (and this is of course subjective), let’s start with “Music Is My Life” featuring Unlimited Touch. I doubt this track will ever leave my USBs. It speaks to me on a personal level because for me, and for many of you reading, this music is indeed our lives. As with many of the tracks it’s unmistakably a Vega production with the snappy claps and loose high hats in use. Unlimited Touch’s front singer Audrey Wheeler effortlessly weaves her voice through the track accompanied by the rest of the band in harmony. There’s a lovely key lead solo halfway through which just makes you want to bust those moves.
The next track I want to mention is “7 Mile” featuring MoodyMann. Ever since I heard this track on Louie’s Twitch show last year, I’ve wanted it. MoodyMann is just too cool, sing-speaking over repeating beautiful Rhodes chords. This is the track to get lost in. If pushed to choose I think I’d have this is my top track of the whole 22.
The final track I want to mention is “The Star Of A Story” Featuring Lisa Fischer. This is simply sublime and another one of those tracks that speak to you. It oozes sunshine vibes and I promise you’ll hear this everywhere this summer.
For a guy who seems to never sleep, regularly pulls out six- and eight-hour Twitch shows, appears all parts of the world in one week and busts out quality production after production I asked Louie how he manages it. The answer was simple in two words; “work ethic”, which is something many folks could emulate.
The morning after the listening party, I went for a walk around London before breakfast where I bumped into Louie checking out on his way to Miami for his next Listening party at Dante’s Hi-fi room. The guy never stops. But it’s because of people like Louie that after nearly four decades the house music culture is still thriving and why this weekend, I’m making a rare appearance at a wedding gig playing proper house to house heads.
House is as strong as it ever was and ‘Expansions In The NYC’ is the greatest example of that.
Louie Vega ‘Expansions In The NYC’ released via Nervous Records April 29th 2022.
Pre-Order Here: https://www.juno.co.uk/products/louie-vega-expansions-in-the-nyc/871686-01/
Preview courtesy of BoomClap, a UK producer and DJ recognised for promoting underground house music. He co-runs regular events ‘In My System’ whilst writing for various publications and releasing on respected labels including Electric Mode.
