David Morales: Four Decades At The Top

Image: David Morales

David Morales is probably most famous in the UK for his 1998 hit 'Needin' U' (watch the video below), but his longevity as a producer, remixer and DJ is arguably what deserves the most credit.

He has over 100 remixes to his name, and having started DJing in the mid eighties at the legendary Paradise Garage in NYC, he is still very much in demand, including dates in London on Saturday September 27th, Streetrave's epochal 25th birthday in Glasgow a week later, as well as starring at the Cream Birmingham 8th Birthday on Saturday 6th December.

And what's more, he has a very insightful take on the scene, past and present, as we found out when we interviewed him...

It's always great to see you over here in the UK - we still love the 'proper house music' heritage that you come from. But how has your relationship with the UK been down the years?

When you saw a club like the Ministry Of Sound where The Box was a deliberate copy of the Paradise Garage, did you honestly think at that time that it would catch on - that London and the UK was cultured enough to understand what you guys were doing in NYC?


The UK embraced the Ministry of Sound with open arms. Although it took someone like Justin Berkman that understood the concept in order to bring it to the UK or Europe for that matter... he obviously took the sound concept to another level and in doing so Ministry went on to become one of the best clubs and brands in the world. It was known for its sound!

Aside from the Paradise Garage and the Loft no other club really dedicated a room solely for dancing without a bar. And look ... to this day Ministry is still one of the best clubs in the world.

At what point did you feel that the UK was standing on its own two feet and putting its own stamp on house music and club culture?
 
I knew that the UK had its own thing going on since 1988-89. When I was playing at the Red Zone my music was a mix of American and UK house. I established my reputation as a remixer from the UK. How funny is that? (hear one of his early remixes below - a brilliant piano interpretation of of 'Voodoo Ray' in collaboration with Frankie Knuckles as 'Paradise Ballroom')

I was remixing my records based on the UK market. I felt that the UK was ahead of America in other kinds of sounds. I was playing KLF's 'What Time Is Love' and Snap 'The Power' as an example and people were like "what is this"?



Do you think there is less of an influence here now of soulful US house than there used to be?

Yes I do, but then again times are different. Back in the eighties and nineties the US house sound had a big influence on the market, but then again there were more producers in those days making US house records. And unfortunately today a lot of the new American DJs are gravitating towards EDM because it's an easier way to get work. 



And also in Ibiza - how are things there for you? In our minds, your Def Mix parties in Pacha absolutely summed up the joy of the island for a number of years - it just doesn't seem the same without them!

I haven't been as busy as before in Ibiza. But then again the sound and business aspect of it has changed. Thank God for Defected that still represents house music. And obviously people like it and a lot are tired of the same ol same ol that's going on. It's like REAL HOUSE MUSIC is now the bastard child!

People are talking now how house is coming back. Why are they saying this? A moment ago people were saying how it's dead. It's funny how the world turns.



Tell us about Cavo Paradiso and Mykonos in general - you have a very strong association there. From a distance it looks very special, but us Brits find it difficult to look beyond Ibiza or Berlin for our holiday partying. What are we missing out on?

You guys are missing out on a very magical and pure island. In my opinion Ibiza has lost its innocence. There's still magic because Ibiza is a magical place, but people have now invaded the island that aren't there for what it is. Records were broken in Ibiza. You don't really get that anymore. Now I've been going to Mykonos just as long as I've been going to Ibiza.

I started going to both since 1994. I celebrate my birthday in Mykonos every year. It's magic. The venue, the energy. The island has a code which is that all of the structures are mykonian. Everything is white and blue. There are no high risers and the airport still looks like a bus stop. The seafood is amazing and the beaches are spectacular. (see David in Cavo Paradiso below)



How's the New York scene these days? It looked like it went through a bad patch in the last decade, but can you find anything like original vibe there now?

New York is still struggling in my opinion but it is getting better. The scene is now moving away from Manhattan and venturing out to the outer boroughs which is great. Real clubbers are tired of the door policies and the bottle service mentality. There is hope though. New York will once again be a musical destination.



When you first started playing at the Paradise Garage, you were inducted into "The Record Pool", right? To us this seems like such a romantic notion - that there'd just be a few DJs out there with certain records, breaking them for months and months.

Tell us a bit more about it; so how many people were in it when you joined; did you actually sit in the same room; did you consult amongst each other about who was allowed in… that kind of thing.

I joined For The Record in 1983. It had 125 members. It had all of the top working DJs in the Tristate area. It had the creme de la creme of DJs and remixers. If it wasn't for my association in the record pool I wouldn't be where I am today. I met many people there that influenced my career.

You had to be a certified working DJ and prove it. We sometimes had meetings or parties where we would all get together. I worked at the record pool for a number of years, so that gave me even more of a personal contact with many DJs. 



Do you think the DJ scene could benefit from a similar thing now, where music is a bit less available?

I think that the DJ scene would benefit more if DJ's were more open to different styles and not just play one style. Back in the day a DJ played the whole night for six to eight hours so he had time to experiment and be able to break new records. i don't feel that it's a matter of records becoming less available.



Do you even think that is possible with technology how it is?  If record companies, DJs, producers and promo firms decided to be disciplined enough to keep tracks back longer, could they even pull it off?

No. Not at all. We're passed that now.



Do you think that globally, the concept of the party is less important than it used to be? It seems harder and harder to find resident DJs or DJs that are very strongly connected to a certain crowd, programming a party and playing long sets.



Absolutely. I've been saying this for years now. There are hardly any residents and when you do have them they're supposed to be a supporting cast. I mean there are some promoters out there that still care about the party. Those parties are not DJ driven. Theyr'e musically and vibe driven. The DJ is the icing on the cake.

What DJs from today's generation do you respect as performers?

There's way tooooo many!

What does the phrase 'deep house' mean to you?

Oh GOD... the term had been twisted. I'm too old for names! To me, deep house is associated with soulful vocal records.

When you make music yourself, do you find collaborating more fun? Your last album was entirely collaborations wasn't it?

It's always more fun when you're collaborating with someone. Being a musician, a songwriter or a singer. You can vibe off each other. Imagine putting Pharrell Williams and Quincy Jones together in a studio. Just the idea is sick. I made some great records with Frankie Knuckles.



On the topic of collaboration, when you work with a vocalist for an original track, do you normally compose their vocal part and ask them to sing it, or do you tend to hand them a backing track and let them freestyle over the top and just leave the tape running?



We normally have an idea written before we go into the studio. The only time you let a singer freestyle is when you're doing ad-libs. Otherwise you have to produce the lead vocals and the background vocals which can include many singers. It's not an easy thing to do, it's why a lot of new DJ/producers are putting out vocals tracks.

Producing is not as easy as it sounds. Then again that depends on what your definition and standards of what a producer means.

Other than touring the world as a DJ, do you have any grand musical plans for the next few months? Singles, collaborations, remixes etc?

Yes I am very busy these days in the studio. I have a lot of projects on the table. I have a new Face record coming out. I just released The Red Zone Project Vol. 1. I have a couple remixes out right now. The new Hercules and Love Affair track called 'Offence'. 'Godspeed' by Francesco Rossi and Louie Vega's 'Ain't No Stoppin Us' featuring Byron Stingliy.

Saturday 6th December David Morales will headline Cream Birmingham's 8th year Anniversary, alongside Danny Rampling, Tall Paul and more.

For more information on David Morales' upcoming gigs head here.

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