There is a global musical movement happening right now, and an integral part of this rhythmic and cultural evolution is the legendary Grammy award-winning DJ / Producer / Artist Louie Vega.The movement is comprised of the Expansions In The NYC album and the Expansions NYC events, and it represents the very best in music, dance and club culture from New York City to London to Miami to Ibiza and every locale around the world where people appreciate the power of house music.

Up next in the continuing series of product releases and events in connection with the Expansions juggernaut, a limited edition Expansions In The NYC 7” boxset on Nervous Records.

“Releasing vinyl has always been part of my mantra, but this is a unique one,” said Louie Vega. “For the first time having our music released on a (10) piece 7” set along with new original art by Andrew Thiele (who also created the Expansions In the NYC Album cover), it’s a highlight in the history of all my vinyl releases. Not too many artists release 10 pieces of vinyl within a set. And what makes it even more special is the calibre of all the amazing artists who worked on the tracks and songs with me. This is a landmark and essential collector’s item. A veritable “Must Have!” Never before have all these artists graced one album together from Honey Dijon to Lisa Fischer, Moodymann to Bernard Fowler, Robyn to Unlimited Touch, and Karen Harding to Kerri Chandler. It’s a dancer’s and vinyl collector’s paradise.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: The hot and highly acclaimed collection from Louie Vega gets a 7" box set release. For lovers of real house music, "Expansions" has been one of the strongest albums in recent years.

TRACK LISTING

A. The Star Of A Story Ft. Lisa Fischer 
B. Deep Burnt Ft. Axel Tosca 
C. Change Your Mind Ft. Bernard Fowler 
D. Another Day In My Life 
E. Seven Mile Ft. Moodymann 
F. Come Away Ft. Kerri Chandler 
G. Music Is My Life Ft. Unlimited Touch 
H. You Got Me Dancing Ft. Audrey Wheeler & Cindy Mizelle 
I. Chimi Ft. Elements Of Life 
J. Love Has No Time Or Place Ft. Elements Of Life (Unreleased Instrumental Dub) 
K. Atmosphere Strut Ft. DJ Spinna 
L. Cosmic Witch Ft. Anané 
M. How He Works Ft. Nico Vega 
N. A Place Where We Can All Be Free Ft. Janine Lyons 
O. Touch The Sky Ft. Tony Momrelle 
P. Dreaming Ft. Cindy Mizelle 
Q. All My Love Ft. Robyn 
R. Feel So Right Ft. Honey Dijon 
S. Free To Love (Louie Vega & Karen Harding) 
T. It's All Good (Louie Vega Remix) (Bebe Winans Ft. Debbie Winans Lowe & Korean Soul) 

From Warhol’s Factory to Larry Levan’s Paradise Garage to David Mancuso’s Loft, collectives that celebrate and nurture unfettered, organic artistry have been absolutely intrinsic to the story of NYC. Its latest chapter is being written at the hands of Louie Vega and his Expansions NYC parties, the sound documented in his latest album “Expansions In The NYC”.

Starting in February 2019 in Manhattan and Brooklyn venues, Vega’s Expansions NYC parties have their origin not in his revered prowess as a DJ but rather his whole-hearted appreciation of the different elements of the dancefloor surrounding him: the dancers, the musicians who bring their instruments to join him ad-hoc on the night, the small, dedicated crowd of clubbers whose ears to the ground keep them informed on the underground party information. 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. In just a few short years the Expansions NYC events have evolved into an NYC-clubland institution, an intimate celebration of house, funk, disco, afro, R&B and more.

As with his parties, so goes his album. The collective vibe that forms the beating heart of Expansions NYC parties is absolutely front and centre in “Expansions In The NYC”, Vega drawing in one of the most comprehensive lists of collaborators in recent memory. House heavyweights Honey Dijon, Joe Claussell, Moodymann, Kerri Chandler and Anané rub up against legendary vocalists Bernard Fowler, Cindy Mizelle, Lisa Fischer, Audrey Wheeler and Tony Momrelle. Gospel royalty BeBe Winans and Debbie Winans, pop icon Robyn and rising star Karen Harding sit alongside disco-era champions Unlimited Touch, Cuban jazz pianist Axel Tosca, Nico Vega, Two Soul Fusion with Josh Milan and Vega and underground legend DJ Spinna. At the center of it all, fingerprint on every beat, touch on every groove, sits a master at work, weaving the individual threads into a rich dance music tapestry.

At its heart, “Expansions In The NYC” is a love letter to New York, as much as melting pot as the city it represents, the scope of its line-up possible only because of the influence and reverence of Vega the artist, the DJ, the producer, the curator. In creating this album, Louie Vega has once again utterly enriched the lives and libraries of music lovers the world over, far beyond the hustling streets of NYC that have so indelibly left their mark on his work. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Moodymann, Kerri Chandler, Joe Clausell Honey Dijon...! - Louie delivers a who's who of house royalty across a jam packed four disc set. Truly overwhelming how much good music is on show here! Unmissable stuff for fans of this NYC legend.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Music Is My Life Ft. Unlimited Touch
A2. You Got Me Dancing Ft. Audrey Wheeler & Cindy Mizelle
B1. Come Away Ft. Kerri Chandler
B2. Seven Mile Ft. Moodymann
C1. The Star Of A Story Ft. Lisa Fischer
C2. Change Your Mind Ft. Bernard Fowler
D1. All My Love Ft. Robyn
D2. Free To Love Ft. Karen Harding
E1. Feel So Right Ft. Honey Dijon
E2. How He Works Ft. Nico Vega
F1. Joy Universal Ft. Two Soul Fusion
F2. Igobolo Ft. Joaquin Joe Clausell
G1. It's All Good Ft. Bebe Winans, Debbie Winans Lowe & Korean Soul
G2. Touch The Sky Ft. Tony Momrelle
H1. Love Has No Time Or Place (Louie Vega & Elements Of Life)
H2. Dreamin Ft. Cindy Mizelle

Louie Vega is launches a trio of double pack 12” releases that includes special unreleased versions of select titles from the "Expansions In The NYC" album project. Each package also features unique customized art by celebrated artist Andrew Thiele who also created the art for the album jacket as well. This package is a tribute to two of Louie’s musical heroes, namely the late Patrick Adams and Larry Levan. Legendary producer Patrick Adams was the writer of "Chimi" and "Atmosphere Strut", and equally legendary DJ Larry Levan was instrumental in breaking Bernard Fowler’s early releases with The Peech Boys at The Paradise Garage before Bernard was catapulted into worldwide fame as one of the featured back up singers on tour and in the studio for the Rolling Stones. "Chimi" and "Atmosphere Strut" also feature collaborations with Louie’s renowned Elements of Life band and New York based house and hip-hop DJ / producer extraordinaire DJ Spinna.

STAFF COMMENTS

Martin says: Kicking off an incredible three record series which develops themes presented on the “Expansions In The NYC” album; Louie Vega revisits three Patrick Adams / Larry Levan joints – giving them a deep house rub-down brimming with musicality and vibrancy. Stunning!

TRACK LISTING

A. Chimi Ft. Elements Of Life (Tribute To Patrick Adams)
B. Change Your Mind Ft. Bernard Fowler (Tribute To Larry Levan)
C. Atmosphere Strut Ft. DJ Spinna (Tribute To Patrick Adams)
D. Change Your Mind Ft. Bernard Fowler (Tribute To Larry Levan Instrumental)

Louie Vega's 3rd instalment from the recent double Pack 12” series that includes special unreleased versions of select titles from the "Expansions In The NYC" album project. Each package also features unique customized art by celebrated artist Andrew Thiele who also created the art for the album package as well. "Joy Universal" and "Igobolo (Feelin’ Love)" spotlight the profoundly soulful and musical energy that emerges when Louie collaborates with two of the stars of the house music community namely Josh Milan and Joe Claussell.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: With Joe Claussell involved we get pure Body & Soul Sunday vibes on this, the third part of LV’s unmissable new 12” series. Developing themes presented on the “Expansions In The NYC”, Louie goes even deeper into the project with three double twelves of royal jelly grade deep house. Unmissable!

TRACK LISTING

A. Joy Universal Ft. Two Soul Fusion
B. Igobolo (Feelin' Love) Ft. Joaquin 'Joe' Clausell (Sacred Rhythm Tones Full Version)
C1. Igobolo (Feelin' Love) Ft. Joaquin 'Joe' Clausell (Expansions NYC Dub)
C2. Joy Universal Ft. Two Soul Fusion (Axel Tosca Piano Solo Demo Ruff)
D1. Joy Universal Ft. Two Soul Fusion (Joy Beats)
D2. Igobolo (Feelin' Love) Ft. Joaquin 'Joe' Clausell (Joe & Louie's Mood Dub)

Anané Electrifies With New Version of Dancefloor Classic “Get On The Funk Train”

Known worldwide as one of the New York City’s most vibrant, charismatic and talented producer / DJs, Anané is uniquely positioned to bring light to the 1977 Number 1 Disco Hit “Get On The Funk Train,” originally released by the Munich Machine and produced by the renowned Giorgio Moroder

In addition to being a singer Anané is also DJ with residencies in New York, Ibiza and Naples. She knows how to move the dancefloor and how to elevate the mood of the room from first creating the vibe to getting the crowd into a groove; ultimately taking the dancefloor into full fledged party mode. Her strong and distinctive character can be traced to her experiences growing up in Cabo Verde’s capital city of Praia located on the island of Santiago during a time of extreme political strife, and to her many years of working hard to establish herself in the always competitive music industry. It takes a lot to tackle a classic and make it uniquely your own, but that’s exactly what Anané has accomplished with this fresh and vibrant new version of “Get On The Funk Train.”

With her wealth of talent as a performer, Anané is also highly accomplished as a record label owner. Her Nulu and Nulu Electric imprints over many years have been the source of some of the most played and sought after club bombs in the Afro House genre that is currently in vogue with DJs around the world. Her Nulu Movement line of merchandise represents the stylish, cutting edge fashion vibe of her NYC residency at Le Bain in the Standard Hotel, with designs created by Anané herself.

As befitting an artist so well respected and admired in the community, the producer and remixer team behind this project consists of several of the most legendary and successful producers in the industry. The recording was originally produced by Grammy Award winning producer / artist Louie Vega, one of the world’s premier producers who has the rare distinctive of attaining massive success in multiple genres including House, Freestyle, R&B and just recently he has been focusing on revitalizing the great musical genre known as Disco. The production includes live strings arranged by two of the most highly accomplished members of NYC’s storied musical history Patrick Adams & Leroy Burgess, and electric guitar by Carlos Alomar, formerly David Bowie’s music director. Remixes were supplied by Todd Terry, a man who is known as one of the original New York City based producers who help create the House Music genre that we know today, and by the recently formed production team of Michael Gray and Mark Knight, two of England’s most respected and successful producer / DJs. These two stars of the industry have generated a uniquely groove focused remixer style that has had DJ’s worldwide eagerly waiting each new production.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Get On The Funk Train (Louie Vega Mix)
B1. Get On The Funk Train (Michael Gray & Mark Knight Remix)

For BBE Music’s landmark 500th release, the label joins forces with Louie Vega, Leroy Burgess and Patrick Adams to revisit "Barely Breaking Even", the iconic track after which the label is named. Coaxed into the studio together by BBE founder Peter Adarkwah, Grammy winning House music hero Louie Vega, arranger extraordinaire and New York disco royalty Patrick Adams, plus the song’s original writer (and king of boogie) Leroy Burgess soon got to work. Even given the caliber of those involved in this special session, the results are simply exceptional. Featuring live strings by The Apple Hill String Quartet arranged by Adams and Burgess, Vega’s ‘Boogie Mix’ stays faithful to the Universal Robot Band original, with potent vocal performances and a tough new groove for 2019. It was at the string recording session for the boogie version that Louie Vega unveiled his 'NYC House Mix' to the assembled musicians, at which point he and Leroy Burgess quickly arranged a brand new horn section and re-wrote the song’s melody to compliment the track’s accelerated pace. What the team emerged with is so much more than a remix- it’s a unified call-back to two golden eras; that of disco-boogie and that of New York House. And it’s beautiful.

TRACK LISTING

Disc: 1
1. Barely Breaking Even (Louie Vega NYC House Remix (Instrumental))
2. Barely Breaking Even (Louie Vega Boogie Mix)

Disc: 2
1. Barely Breaking Even (Louie Vega NYC House Remix)
2. Barely Breaking Even (Louie Vega Boogie Mix (Instrumental))