The Ritual with Anané & Louie Vega: Open Air

Who they are

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  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, 9 Bob Note, Musica Club NYC · often with Christian Mantini, DJ Beloved, Obra Primitiva, none of them here that night

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  Louie Vega

  New York City · 27 bookings since Aug 2023 · Loft-lineage NYC house

  “A leader in global dance music, Louie Vega has painted an award-winning career from a palette mixed with everything from house, salsa and afro-beat, to jazz, hip hop, gospel and soul.”

  their own biography

  the whole biography

  A leader in global dance music, Louie Vega has painted an award-winning career from a palette mixed with everything from house, salsa and afro-beat, to jazz, hip hop, gospel and soul. What distinguishes the Grammy winner and 7-time nominee as one of the best living house music deejays is his ability to evolve alongside the times, distill the current musical landscape through his unique taste and put his own timeless spin on all the music he creates. “Little” Louie Vega, as he is sometimes affectionately known, was born in the Bronx into a musically gifted family (his father is a jazz saxophonist and his uncle, Salsa King Héctor Lavoe). The “Little” moniker is ironic, given the fact that by the 80s he was deejaying at clubs he wasn’t even old enough to attend, holding residencies at Studio 54, Devil’s Nest, Heartthrob, Roseland and playing at the Palladium, Area, 1018 and other seminal New York City Clubs. Soon Vega was producing his own remixes, which included Information Society’s “Running”, “What’s On Your Mind”, Noel’s “Silent Morning”, Cover Girl’s “Because Of You”, and Debbie Gibson’s “Only in my Dreams.” Then in 1991 he joined Atlantic Records and recorded an album — hitting the mainstream. Teaming up with an up-and-coming Marc Anthony, he produced “Ride on the Rhythm” co-written with India & Derek Whitaker. An immediate club hit, the single put Vega and Anthony on the map. The duo would rock the club circuit with their success culminating when they opened for Tito Puente at his 100th Album concert at Madison Square Garden. One of the keys to Vega’s success is his refusal to be boxed into any one category, marked by the various styles his songs play with and by his fruitful collaboration with other artists. More success came in 1991 from the production team he created with Brooklyn-based deejay Kenny “Dope” Gonzalez. Masters at Work, as they were called, were responsible for the critically acclaimed albums “Nuyorican Soul” and “Masters At Work - Our Time is Coming. ” Not to mention the duo found the time to remix and/ or produce for Michael Jackson, Luther Vandross, Madonna, Jamiroquai, Tito Puente, India, Janet Jackson, Tania Maria, George Benson, Black Eyed Peas, Femi Kuti, Jocelyn Brown, Los Amigos Invisibles, Bebe Winans and Earth Wind & Fire. Vega, always hungry for a challenge, expanded into a new role of record label owner. Featuring a roster that included Anané Vega, Luisito Quintero, Elements Of Life & E.O.L. Soulfrito (his live bands), Mr. V, Boddhi Satva, Hugh Masekela, Roberto Roena, Lisa Fischer, and Cindy Mizelle, Vega Records has released over 180 singles and 11 Full Length CD / Albums. In addition, Louie Vega has released over 30 compilations (with over 2 million cds sold) on the industry’s most revered imprints, including Ministry of Sound Recordings, Defected Records, Kingstreet, Azuli, Division (Italy), BBE, Concept, R2, and Strictly Rhythm records. Like his businesses, Vega’s music also flourished. In 2006, he received a Grammy Award for his remix of Curtis Mayfield’s “Superfly” on Rhino Records. Then, not more than a year later, Cirque Du Soleil approached him and the house-music group Blaze to compose and produce a song for a once in a lifetime event. Anané Vega sang the lead and the Elements Of life band performed the song “One Dream” to the acrobatics and art of Cirque Du Soleil during the 2007 Super Bowl Pre-Game Show to over 70,000 people at Miami’s Dolphin Stadium. The performance was viewed by 145 million television viewers. …Yet as we move through the twenty-tens, Louie shows no signs of slowing down… Vega’s global fandom requires the famed producer extraordinaire to be in many places at once. Radio was a natural extension to his dj performances. In 2010, Vega and Kevin Hedge started a show, Roots NYC Live Radio Show on WBLS 107.5 (New York’s longest running and biggest R&B and soul radio station). Rated the #3 radio show in New York on Friday night, they air every Friday from 10PM – Midnight (stream live www.wbls.com). To keep the music flowing on all continents, Vega can also be heard every Friday from 8pm – 10pm at House Fm on the Dance Ritual Radio show with (www.housefm.net) in London, and every Saturday since 2010 at 10pm via KAYA FM’s Dance Ritual with Louie Vega (www.kayafm.co.za) in Johannesburg, South Africa. Ever the music innovator, in 2013 Vega released Elements of Life – Eclipse on the legendary Fania records. The record, 4 ½ years in the making, keeps the style of Vega’s earlier albums intact (African, Jazz, Latin, World), but is mixed with Soul, R&B, Gospel and Blues sounds. Featured artists on the album include Anané Vega, Josh Milan, Lisa Fischer, Cindy Mizelle, Ursula Rucker, Jose Mangual Jr., Luisito Quintero, Oveus Maximus and an all-star cast of musicians. The album’s occasion was momentous because it was the first ‘new artist’ album Fania released in years. In Vega’s words, “…It really comes full circle now, being able to be on the label my uncle Héctor Lavoe was on and the Fania All Stars who are all great inspirations for me. Fania Records is to Latin music what Motown is to R&B and Soul, so to even be a small page in this encyclopedia of music is a dream come true.” 2016 was a monumental year for Vega. His emblematic 2016 album Louie Vega Starring… XXVIII was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Dance / Electronic Album. After 30 years in music, Vega has reached a distinct and unmatched level in his career. He knows where global sounds live and hide. And he skillfully capitalized on relationships with the leaders of those sounds by understanding what they represent and how they can be infused. There are few times in an artist’s career where their sonic pallet and connections with other artists reach a level of pure magic. This album is the latest testament to Louie’s growing legacy as a master bricoleur. Starring...XXVIII is a dual disc conceptual record featuring over twenty-five artists on twenty-eight different songs. Collaborators on the album are George Clinton & Funkadelic, 3 Winans Brothers & the Clark Sisters, Josh Milan, Ananè Vega, Lisa Fischer, N’Dea Davenport, Caron Wheeler, Monique Bingham and more.The record is Louie Vega’s first solo album and a contender for his magnum opus. And music critics aren’t the only ones celebrating Vega’s influence and impact. Kanye West released his seventh studio album, “The Life of Pablo” to ravishing fanfare and spectacle. One of the album’s standout tracks and fan favorite was “Fade,” which finds West diggin’ in the crates to sample two Vega and Barbara Tucker classics - “Deep Inside” by Hardrive featuring Barbara Tucker and “I Get Lifted” by Barbara Tucker. Vega and West fans alike will rejoice thinking of the amazing studio sessions involved in creating the original and the contemporary remix of the classic. Once again, Vega constructing bridges that traverse boundaries and bring people together through music. It’s worth mentioning that Kanye wasn’t the only hip hop superstar lending his raps to Vega’s sound. Compton- MC Kendrick Lamar jumped on the remix of “Ain’t That Funkin’ Kinda Hard On You”, the standout track from Vega’s 28 album featuring the pioneering funk legends, Funkadelic and their leader, George Clinton. The power of Vega’s ability to serve as a sonic liaison on full display. 2018 is gearing up to another MONSTER year for Vega. He’s in the the studio with fellow jet setters and dj duo The Martinez Brothers working on a new album project. Their first release “Shut The Door” features the vocals of Hector Lavoe on an energetic techno track is hitting dance floors worldwide, truly bringing together 3 generations. Vega and Kenny “Dope” Gonzalez (Masters at Work) are also gearing up for new releases with Kenlou, Masters At work and commemorating the 20th anniversary of Nuyorican Soul. Vega is also releasing in June 2018 his new album “Nyc Disco” on Nervous Records paying homage to the sounds of disco and the infamous Sam Records Catalog. The creative collective Elements Of Life and E.O.L. Soulfrito are hitting the road live soon. Vega provided a sneak peak of the tour’s energy in October 2016 when he played to a crowd of 22,000 people over the course of two days at South Africa’s Delicious Food and Music Festival. Vega brought along featured artists such as Lisa Fischer, Josh Milan, Anané Vega, Monique Bingham, Bucie and Adeva. Other Vega projects include album and or single collaborations with The Martinez Brothers, Joe Claussell, Joseph Capriati and a future jazz project with some surprise artists and producers. On the solo production side, Vega is producing new releases for Luther Vandross, Bebe Winans & the Winans Brothers, Karen Sheard Clark, Josh Milan, Anané Vega, Cindy Mizelle, Sharon Bryant, Monique Bingham, Barbara Tucker, & Rochelle Fleming. Louie and Anané will carry on tradition with Sunset Ritual aka “The Ritual”, an outdoor party held at prestigious indoor venues and 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. They played at the famed Ushuaïa Hotel and released a Sunset Ritual cd/dvd. Anané & Louie Vega continue the party’s legacy during summer 2018 coming back to Ibiza for their second year residency at Heart “The Ritual With Ananè & Louie Vega, and the continued annual touring of the Mediterranean. Guests at The Ritual Heart Ibiza have included Moodymann, The Martinez Brothers, Joseph Capriati, Soul Clap, Nicole Madauber, Henrik Schwartz, Jazzy Jeff, Kenny Dope, & David Morales. With all the good fortune he’s received, Vega finds it crucial to give back. During most of his free time he donates Vega Memorabilia to auctions, deejays at fundraisers and serves as a goodwill ambassador for the Cristian Rivera Foundation. Breaking down musical barriers and bringing people together through a love of music has always been Vega’s aim; after more than 20 years in the game his contributions continue to positively influence global dance music. Listen closely as the best has yet to come from Louie Vega!
  SoundCloud ↗Discography ↗
  Their RA profile lists Yoshitoshi, BBE, Vega Records, GOGO Music and 2 more.

  Recently at Le Bain, Musica Club NYC, 3 Dollar Bill · often with Josh Milan, Tom Kutsche, Will Automagic, none of them here that night