A Sit Down With DJ David Morales

A DJ since the 1980s, David’s famous Red Zone residency in the early 90s saw him, uniquely at the time, mix American and UK dance music together and inspired the moniker for much of his dub mix work. His Red Zone mixes became a must check for house music DJs the world over, as successful an underground alternative to his main vocal remixes. He also established other production aliases including The Face, who scored a global hit with ‘Needin U’ in 1998 and Moca who released ‘Higher’ in 2000.

Internationally acclaimed Grammy-winning American house music DJ and producer David Morales is one of the most prolific remixers of all time. He’s worked on remixes for some of the biggest names in music such as, Madonna, Kylie Minogue, Whitney Houston, Pet Shop Boys, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, U2, Luther Vandross, Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Jocelyn Brown, CeCe Rogers, the Spice Girls, and Mariah Carey.

 

“I’m not here to judge the music. I’m here to judge and to give opinion to the DJ”.

 

What did you start DJing, or producing with?

I started DJing when I was 13. 40 years ago. And there was no DJ culture at the time. It was just about the love for music and being the selector. I started editing my own mashups in 1985. I also bought my first drum machine and keyboard in 1985. My first tools for making music were an Alesis drum machine and sequencer.

How do you personally feel about the advancements in technology, consumption and trends that seem to push dance music forward?

There are positives and negatives. I love the involvement of the technology.
But it’s lost some of the basics that are essential, like the quality of sound for one. I mean you’re talking mp3 files compared to vinyl or even cd quality. People don’t have to know how to sync to mix anymore. And everyone thinks right off the back that they’re a producer. There was a joy in going to the record stores and meeting up with other DJ’s to buy music. There was more of a social network with DJ’s. The house music scene has gone mainstream. I think that’s great really. It’s been a long time coming.

Some feel the art of DJing is quite different. Do you have any thoughts on this?

It is a lot different today. I mean obviously with vinyl you have to know how to beat match which is the biggest thing. And it was about real mixing and layering records on top of each other. Even playing on CDJs was ok because there was a similarity with vinyl. Playing with computers and the new software that’s out there is very interesting. I played on Traktor for a few years and I must say that I really enjoyed playing with its 4 decks, looping and effects. But it was more from a producer’s point that I loved it, because I was able to create new things on the fly, that I could never do on vinyl, ever. Ableton is also playing more from a producer’s point. It’s like having tons of stems and creating. But you have to do a lot of preparation. Whereas with vinyl, you just skimmed through record covers. Also the whole sync thing has made it easy for people to DJ.

What would you tell us about the recent expressions of dance music in the electronic landscape, even in comparison with the previous dynamics of the ’90s?

Music has gone through many evolutions over the years thanks to technology. Today there are many styles. You can experience a lot and people are very open to all this. I’ve never been following the trends. I think a Dj should have its own style. That may mean that. I believe in good music. And that means any style. A good piece is a good piece. Today’s djs are especially fond of a single style. Some djs play with styles that they do not like but do it just to be able to work. Dj’s world has become something different. It is a much more popular culture today. DJs have become rock stars. It’s amazing how in 40 years I’ve been able to see how everything has evolved. Today we even have a TV show that is dedicated to the Dj.

Which of your remixes are you most proud of and why?

The ones that definitely stand out for me are; ‘Finally’ by CeCe Peniston, where I sampled the drums from ‘Let No Man Put Asunder’ by First Choice and had Satoshie Tomiie play keyboards. ‘Dream Lover’ by Mariah Carey, which was the first time that an artist re-sang the song in a whole different style and key. It was the first time that I submitted a new original track from scratch.

‘Mr. Loverman’ by Shabba Ranks. ‘Mr. Loverman’ was a dancehall record. I totally changed the arrangement of that song. Besides adding some hip hop drums and again arranging new music I added a sample of Maxi Priest from a different Shabba Ranks song that I had mixed called ‘House Call’, I rearranged vocals and created a new chorus which made them end up changing the title of the song to ‘Mr. Loverman’.

‘Space Cowboy’ by Jamiroquai, where I sped up the track and totally rearranged the vocals to create a structured song, because the original was really a jam session. What’s funny is that JK hated it. ‘Dirty Cash’ by Stevie V. The record company was ready to dump the record but because it was such a big record for me at the Red Zone I asked the record company to let me remix it. The song went on to be #2 on the pop charts.

And of course ‘Where Love Lives’ by Alison Limerick. That was mine and Frankie Knuckles first big record that we mixed together. All of these songs went on to become big pop hits and sell millions of records. So in hindsight I made a lot of people rich.

When on tour and traveling do you have any mobile “studio” tools with you to work on ideas or sketch ideas?

Yes, I always travel with Ableton Live and a portable MIDI keyboard. I’m always in studio mode.

Картинки по запросу photo dj david morales

How had the music changed you were playing then?

At that time the only thing I knew was commercial music, so the music I bought was the music you heard on the radio. I bought it at a record store. And I played once for somebody’s party, it was a surprise party for someone and there were some older people that used to go to a club called The Loft that was owned by David Mancuso. And I think I was about 18 years old. And somebody bought me like a stack of records of what they called Loft records and it was records they weren’t only playing at The Loft, they were playing them at the Paradise Garage, but I never went to any because they were both membership clubs. So when I first heard these different records, I was like “Whoa, what is this sound?” They were a lot of imports, none of those records you heard on the radio. So of course I wanted to know where to buy these records. I used to go to commercial record stores. There was Rock and Soul, there was Downtown records, and Vinyl Mania had these Garage and Loft classics. And some of them were very expensive, 25 to 50 dollars or more and at that time a 12″ was two or three dollars. So for me these old collector records and imports were really expensive.

Who in your opinion are the Princes Of House and which royal title would Frankie Knuckles hold were he still with us?

For me there are many kings in the house music scene. We’re just three out of many that have represented house music. There are many princes out there. I like Teddy Douglas, DJ Spen, Joey Negro to name a few. It’s hard to remember when you’re put on the spot. As far as Frankie Knuckles…… HE IS THE GOD OF HOUSE MUSIC!

What is your relationship with your fans?

I’m always kind and grateful to my fans. Without them you are none. We were not born superstars already. They are your fans that allow you to become one.

Do you still have a club-residency in New York?

It is a waste of my time. You can’t do things that you want. There is no crowd that appreciates and you gotta have a promoter that Really wants to do that thing, wants to promote parties with good music. It’s all about the promoter.

What tips would you give to emerging DJs and producers hoping to follow in your footsteps?

Have passion for music first and foremost. This way you’re always happy and never disappointed if you don’t make it as a successful DJ. Whatever that means to someone. Also as a producer never force yourself to make music. If you feel it go for it, and if you don’t then go and watch a movie.

I heard you and Todd Terry are the most expensive House-DJs…

I don’t believe this. I’m expensive, but I’m not more expensive than other Djs, like Louie Vega or Frankie Knuckles. Me and Frankie, we have the same price. Louie has the same price. Roger Sanchez has the same price. Todd Charges more than all of us, but Todd doesn’t go around a lot. Todd is like: “Well, I don’t wanna go nowhere”, so people pay him more to come. They wanted me to play in Turkey and I didn’t want to go, so I said: “You give me $ 20.000 and I’ll play”, thinking that they wouldn’t pay this much, but they called later and said, that it’s ok. I was thinking that now I had to go there and play. I guess, I am one of the highest paid Djs in the world, one of.

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