ANANÉ, DJ DISCIPLE and STEVE HOWERTON at #Back2HOUSEBeats

Who they are

• 

  Anane

  New York City · 40 bookings since Aug 2023

  “The inescapable percussive bass of afro-tech and a subtle hint of sweaty fun consume the late night air.”

  their own biography

  the whole biography

  The inescapable percussive bass of afro-tech and a subtle hint of sweaty fun consume the late night air. The crowd is in a state of flow, evidenced by their inattention to everything but dancing and music. Eyes meet and remain locked in. Love. Art. Music. Anané Vega has the crowd in the palm of her hands, the same ones that introduce the next sequence of sonic fuel. Her crowd’s fiery dancing is reignited and a sea of raised hands begins to clap in ritualistic unison. Her music choices are unexpected, yet beautifully curated. The scene is oddly spiritual and miles away from where the night’s commander began her journey of self-discovery. Anané Vega was born in Cape Verde’s capital city of Praia, located on the island of Santiago, to a Portuguese father and a Cape Verdean mother. Cape Verde, a former Portuguese colony, is located off the western African coast. During the time when Cape Verde was fighting for its independence against Portugal, her family was unexpectedly uprooted after they received death threats because of their Portuguese ties, thereby forcing Anané and her family to unwillingly vacate the island. After some time in Portugal, they relocated to the United States in search of expanded opportunities. Self-identity wasn’t an easy discovery process for Anané growing up in a foreign country. Her mix of Portuguese and Cape Verdean heritage already had produced traumatic events in her past, and now she was struggling to understand how her racial diversity fit into her new country. Additionally, her parent’s traditional values were contrary to her expectations of what she should and would become. A woman, according to traditional values, was to mind the house, raise children and not consider herself equal to men. During a childhood trip to New York City, she noted to her mother at Rockefeller Center that she would one day very much like to live in such a vibrant city. Her mother cautioned her against such impulses and reminded her of a woman’s familial duties. Rebellion against these constraining expectations was becoming a necessity. From an early age, Anané would financially support any extracurricular activities she wished to pursue, thus quickly learning the value of a strong work ethic. She would use her earnings from a factory job and waiting tables to go on day trips to NYC. She auditioned during one of these trips and received a call back from an MTV dance show. She was starting to believe that NYC was a viable option. Also around this time, she participated into pageants and was awarded the distinction of representing the United States as both Miss Cape Verde and Miss Portugal. This honor further illuminated life’s possibilities as she was now rubbing shoulders with foreign diplomats and ambassadors. Her childhood dream of being like the artists and musicians, whose pictures she pinned to her wall, was now not too far from the truth. She finally mustered the courage to move to NYC. With a hundred dollars, a bag of clothes, a one-way ticket and friend’s couch as a bed, she made the jump. She was quickly discovered by Click Model Agency in the streets of NYC and began to study dance and theater. During this time she also met her future husband and world-renowned DJ entertainer, “Little” Louie Vega. Her choice to rebel against what was expected of someone like her had paid off and she was finally doing things her own way. Anané Vega’s foray into djing wasn’t conventional considering she never had the intention of becoming a DJ. Although her DJ husband would constantly complement her on her tasteful and entertaining musical curating at home, she never took it more than a friendly compliment. She already had experienced success as a singer including her debut album, AnanésWorld. However, it wasn’t long before she was given the opportunity to actually DJ a night. A trip to visit an NYC friend who happened to manage the SubMercer, an intimate and exclusive lounge underneath Soho’s Mercer Hotel, turned into an offer to DJ an upcoming night. Anané’s career as a DJ had begun. Her opening night at SubMercer went smoothly and she was hooked. She used the opportunity to play the music that she loved, which includes the afro-tech sound her label Nulu Music helped popularize. She blended all types of music together to create a unique experience for her audience. Her monthly engagement at SubMercer, Anané’s Selection gained a following. She described the experience as follows, “I love the ability to put all music together to a point where you can manipulate a party and get it going. You can interject any music and it’s not an awkward moment, you have the crowd in the palm of your hand. It’s not a shock, people will be grooving and want to know more about your music.” Additionally, since a lot of her recordings as a singer get remixed for the club, she can use the DJ opportunity to bring a unique experience to her crowd by singing and dancing the music she plays. This differentiated approach was quickly noticed during the next WMC conference after her first winter djing in NYC. European agents approached her and they were eager to bring her act to Europe. At one point in time, Anané recalls djing in Italy to a crowd of over five thousand and looking at her assistant and wondering how she had made it this far. Anané would go on to accomplish a great number of feats, which included singing the opening song “One Dream” at Super Bowl XLI during her husband and their group’s- Elements of Life- appearance. She was personally invited by Cirque du Soleil to partake. She was honored with the invitation to perform at the President Obama’s Ambassadors Ball as well. Her global appeal also grew s she was invited by Nelson Mandel’s party, African National Congress to appear as the only female artists on the bill and perform and speak in front of 10,000 kids for a large community event. She used the opportunity to promote her message of female empowerment and cites the experience as one of her favorites. Currently, Anané and Louie are headlining their Sunset Ritual brand, an outdoor party held at prestigious beach clubs around the world and drenched in the sounds of House, Global Disco, Afro tech and Old School. Sunset Ritual has toured the Mediterranean every summer since 2010, including a two-year residency at the Blue Marlin beach club in Ibiza. Just this past year, from the 21st of June until the 20th of September 2013, the Sunset Ritual’s good vibes were back in Ibiza, this time at the famed Ushuaïa Hotel. Anané and Louie also released the first Sunset Ritual cd/dvd combo. Then in the summer Sunset Ritual will resume across beaches of Ibiza, Formentera, Italy, and Greece. Anané Vega is also responsible for her music labels, Nulu Music and Nulu Electronic which already boasts an impressive more of 50 releases and is signing artists from all parts of Africa, Usa and Europe. Her labels are extremely well regarded for bringing the afro and electronic sound to a wide audience. And in 2014 in Los Angeles, Anané finished an intense 9-week course to become a certified Bikram yoga teacher. Be sure to follow Anané as she traverses the globe in her continuous journey of artistic self-discovery on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook by searching for AnanesWorld.
  SoundCloud ↗Discography ↗
  House on 81, Deep House on 52, Disco on 13 and Latin on 20. styles on their catalogued releases

  Their RA profile lists Vega Records.

  Recently at Le Bain, Musica Club NYC, H0L0 · often with Louie Vega, Christian Mantini, DJ Beloved, none of them here that night

• 

  DJ Disciple

  New York City · 15 bookings since Oct 2023

  “For over three decades, DJ Disciple has navigated the pulse of house music—not from the sidelines, but from behind the decks, at the radio board, and in the streets where flyers built communities.”

  their own biography

  the whole biography

  For over three decades, DJ Disciple has navigated the pulse of house music—not from the sidelines, but from behind the decks, at the radio board, and in the streets where flyers built communities. Raised in Brooklyn with jazz in his blood and gospel in his spirit, he came of age in a New York where Studio 54, community radio, and church basements all shaped the sonic landscape. His early show on WNYE-FM, 'The Best Kept Secret,' was a lifeline for heads digging for underground house and early UK garage. Long before the UK sound hit global dance floors, Disciple was playing tracks like 'Follow Me' and 'Deep Inside'—bridging borough block parties with pirate-radio imports. He saw chart success in 1994 with 'On the Dancefloor' and again in 2002 when 'Caught Up' reached #1 on the US Billboard Dance chart—yet those milestones never pulled him from the roots. Even as the dance scene shifted toward bottle service and digital hype, Disciple kept a local pulse, DJing at venues from Fabric to Fort Greene Park and holding residencies in Montreal, Spain, and Ibiza. Through Catch 22 Recordings, his independent label founded in 1997, he’s released over 300 tracks—including collaborations with N.W.N., Shino Blackk, Marc Cotterell, Masaki Morii, Dawn Tallman, and Fedde Le Grand. From Afro-infused gospel house to jacking UKG, his sound resists easy labels while staying grounded in emotion and message. In 2023, Disciple co-authored *The Beat, The Scene, The Sound*, the first book to document NYC’s house music legacy from a working DJ’s point of view. More than memoir, the book captures how Brooklyn’s scene emerged as Manhattan’s club world gentrified—and gives overdue recognition to the dancers, DJs, and street teams who built the foundation. Today, DJ Disciple splits his time between five jobs: teaching 5th grade, raising his daughter, playing drums in church, mentoring new producers, and releasing new music every two weeks. You can still find him every weekend at Martha’s Country Bakery in Williamsburg, spinning for the community he never left behind. His story isn’t framed by accolades or headlines—it’s told through the hands of the people who danced to his sets, pressed his records, read his book, or found their way into house music through a track that didn’t fit the mainstream. In a culture where presence often outlasts hype, DJ Disciple remains both witness and worker—still moving the room, one beat at a time.
  SoundCloud ↗Discography ↗
  Their RA profile lists Catch 22 Recordings.

  Recently at Gabriela, Bar 13 · often with Tony Touch, Eli Escobar, Moodymann, none of them here that night

• STEVE HOWERTON

  4 bookings since Mar 2024

  often with JusTheDJ, DJ Zion, DJ DOUG GOMEZ, none of them here that night