Erick Morillo: The big idea

Can Erick Morillo make dance music the next hip hop?

By Mike Prevatt

About an hour into house producer/DJ Erick Morillo's set at L.A.'s Godskitchen--a megaclub party housed at the Henry Fonda Theater--vocalist Terra Deva emerges from behind the stage and meets a welcoming crowd. She begins to sing along to "What Do You Want," one of the tracks Morillo is spinning, and given that most DJs don't usually feature vocalists or musicians in their performance, you expect to recognize the song. But despite their whooping, the 500 or so revelers on the dance floor don't seem to know the song, much less the singer.

This phenomenon is not uncommon at a house music event, and it's especially familiar at an Erick Morillo event. With this performance--along with his new, collaborative artist album, My World--the Colombia-born, New Jersey-based artist and owner of indie imprint Subliminal makes the argument that dance music needs less navel-gazing and more pop.

"My original idea was to have one person that I'd mold and shape and be my artist and take on the road with me," says Morillo. "I did auditions and everything, but it didn't come about. But I definitely wanted all the songs to have lyrics and hook because I didn't want to make a DJ album, or an album with tracks only DJs would play. I wanted tracks that potentially have a chance on radio. My goal is take it to another level."

My World may not be a likely pop crossover album, but it's hardly an effort exclusively for the electronic music faithful. Each of the 13 songs on the album--which also includes a three-disc mix called the Subliminal Winter Sessions, Vol. 2--features a vocal collaborator, from U.K. outfit Audio Bullys and Boy George to none other than P. Diddy, who befriended Morillo after witnessing one of his sets in Ibiza.

"[It was a] humbling experience for me, because he is a stars of stars," says Morillo. "Stepping into his world was amazing for me. He's such a hard-working guy, I was [around him] for a couple of days and you know what? I felt like I had such a long way to go."

Diddy also likely spurred Morillo's cross-genre approach to My World, as well as his own ambitions to elevate the profile of dance music beyond its faithful. "It was to make a listenable album that my sister, who likes dance music but doesn't know quality dance music, could listen to, and then once I do my little remixing...DJs will love them as well," he says. "It's more about [going] on my new adventure and try and make dance music as big as hip hop."

Pardon?

"We have to start somewhere," he says, not backing down a bit. "By no means do I think this album will be as big as, say, 50 Cent's next album. But for me, it's more about baby steps. I remember when hip hop started, it was just about who loved a particular style of music--just embarking on something and not thinking it was going to become whatever. I know people love dance music...they just don't know any artists, or anybody in dance music; they just know the music. They'll remember a chorus here and there. But there's no identity in dance music. That's what I'm trying to bring."

Morillo's aims aren't out of character. For years, he and other house producers/DJs have had to deal with the stigma that their genre of choice wasn't as accessible and engaging as, say, trance, which is often the main room sound for so many bigger clubs. But given the stylistic variety and raw energy of his music and sets--which often play out beyond sunrise--Morillo has become a favorite among megaclub promoters and patrons alike. And he fully expects a more mainstream audience to come around to the sound he tirelessly champions.

"Little by little, [the listeners] start to grow up, get responsible and they like dance music," he says. "And they go to house--where I'm waiting like a proud father!"