Raised in Colombia, then New Jersey, Erick was weaned on a musical diet of Latin rhythms, reggae, and hip hop. Having started DJing at the age of 11 and securing himself several gigs playing friends and families' weddings, he decided to take a studio engineering course at the local Center of Media Arts.
He was soon inducted into the house fraternity through his friend Marc Anthony (the Salsa King), while he was working with Louie Vega and Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez on "Ride On The Rhythm". "Louie's kinda watched out for me since the beginning," smiles Erick. "He never really told me how I should do things, he's just always been supportive."
After somehow scraping together enough equipment for a studio, the young Morillo tentatively approached labels such as Nervous and Strictly Rhythm with his fledgling productions. He was rewarded with little more than a string of rejections. It was only when he presented Strictly with a track called "The New Anthem", under the moniker Reel 2 Reel, that they began to really sit up and take notice. After signing 'The New Anthem' Erick quickly followed it with the classic "I Like To Move It," a track that set up camp in the pop charts throughout the world, going platinum in Holland and gold in the UK, Germany, France, Belgium in Australia - giving the young producer his first taste of touring in Europe.
Flush with success, but determined to keep his head and music firmly in the underground ("It's where I come from, where I always go back to") he notched up a pair of Billboard #1's with Smooth Touch's "In My House" and his sublime collaboration with buddy Louie Vega, Li'l Mo' Ying Yang's "Reach."
In 1997 Morillo launched Subliminal Records with his production partners Harry Romero and Jose Nunez, after spending almost a year meticulously planning everything from logos to packaging, making sure that even the smallest details of the look, feel, and function of the label were to his satisfaction. Guided by Morillo's ear and studio presence, and bolstered by his equally able teammates, the Subliminal brand has gone on to become synonymous with a funky, soulful sound that's as underground as it is party-ready. "I wanted to create a label that was known for quality music," explains Erick. "I wanted people to be able to go into a store, buy a Subliminal track and know that they've got a quality record."
Seven years later and Subliminal has over 100 releases under its belt, ranging from full-on radio smashes like Who Da Funk's "Shiny Disco Balls" to underground classics like Ministers de la Funk "Believe". It was voted Best Label at the Muzik Awards in both 1999 and 2000, that's not to mention the indispensable Subliminal Sessions compilation series, which showcase the label's developing artists and sound, or the label's imprints Sondos, Subliminal Soul, Bambossa and SUBUSA, which cater for everything from tough, tribal beats to rock-house cocktails.
Naturally enough, the high profile DJ gigs have followed closely on the tails of Morillo's studio success. He's currently one of the most in-demand and instantly recognisable DJs in the world. Spurred on by the climb-the-walls success of his weekly 'Sessions' parties in New York, he took the Subliminal vibe on the road, hosting events like the annual Crobar party in Miami for the WMC, his coveted residency at Ministry of Sound (he's one of few American DJs to ever hold one), or his legendary Subliminal Sessions parties at Pacha in Ibiza (named "Best International Club" of 2002 and "Best Ibiza Party" of 2001 by Muzik magazine), where Morillo himself was crowned "Best International DJ" in 2002 and "Best House DJ" in 1999 and 2001 at the Pacha Ibiza awards. His prolific DJing schedule has seen him play up to a whopping 30 gigs a month, crisscrossing the globe taking in Greece, Malta, Amsterdam, London, Madrid, Belfast, Russia and beyond. But to this day it's still a set on the White Isle in 2001 that stands out in his memory. "I was playing the closing party of the Space Terrace straight after September 11th," he recollects. "I ended the night with Frank Sinatra's 'New York, New York'. People were crying and waving American flags, everybody was singing it's my most emotional memory as a DJ."
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... I saw the rank's on the ones you posted. I'm still searching for 'em .... so thank you 