Louie Vega on the elements of life

Famed DJ Louie Vega turned 40 this year, so, naturally, he's done what he's done best for his two-decade-long career:  successfully reinvented himself.

In the late Eighties, Vega joined with Kenny Gonzalez to form the legendary DJ duo Masters at Work, and since then, the pair have revolutionised dance music.

After countless floor-stomping singles and albums, Vega released his first solo project Elements of Life two years ago.

Borrowing heavily from his Latin roots - his father was a famed Latin and jazz saxophonist and his uncle, Hector LaVoe, was a celebrated salsa singer - the acclaimed album also moonlighted his new wife Anané as a vocalist.

Today, his remix of Curtis Mayfield's single Superfly is up for a Grammy, his third nomination, and he's producing his wife's first solo album.

The DJ spoke to Tabloid before his show last Thursday at Trilogy, Madinet Jumeirah in Dubai.

Your last album suggested that you were moving away from remixes, creating something more lasting and whole. So do you find it ironic that this year you are up for a Grammy for one of your remixes?

Yeah, it's weird. We've been remixing for so many years. I never knew I got nominated for a Grammy until some of my friends called me last week and told me.

You are one of the few house DJs today who can say that he was at Afrika Bambaataa's [American hip hop pioneer] parties in New York City in the Eighties.

They were amazing. That was a really special time. It was the beginning of hip hop, in the streets, up in the Bronx [neighbourhood of New York City]. I'd go down the block and I'm in the Bronx River projects.

You'd see Afrika Bambaataa [and other early hip hop legends like] Jazzy Jay and Red Alert throwing these great parties.

They were all DJing, taking turns DJing. They played all kinds of music. Everything from break beats on rock records to funk-soul to punk rock.

We realised this was a whole new style. It came from the streets, and you know, it was fun.

Did you ever think about taking the same path as your father and uncle when you were 18?

My uncle made amazing music. And at that time, I was a little younger, and the music appealed to an older crowd. I wasn't making music at that time. I was DJing.

Still, I was loving the music that my uncle was making. And my father played in local Latin bands, but he also played a lot of jazz, a lot of John Coltrane.

That music was more sophisticated, as opposed to the rap music, disco and R&B that I was listening to.

You have a new family now. How has that affected your attitude towards making music now?

Of course. Having my first and only son, and my wife, they really changed my life. And it shows in my music. [My last album] wasn't even house music.

There might be some foot-on-the-floor tracks on it, but it's more of a musical journey and celebration.

What does it take to last as long as you have in house music and DJing?

Kenny and I have been making music for 15 years now, and we are not bored with it because we get to try different things.

We can't do any more with house music than what we did.

There is so much that we've done with house music and so much that we've brought into it.

Will you ever think that you've maxed out and can't do anything more?

Well, that's why the Elements of Life project is like a breath of fresh air. Because now I have my own band, and whatever I produce, I can create live on stage.

And that's the new thing for me, being up on a stage conducting my own band. It feels like something new.