Overview
“Little” Louie Vega, or Louie Vega for short, is nothing short of a household name in the art of house music. The Bronx-born powerhouse of a DJ and producer got his start at the young age of 13, DJing nightclubs he wasn’t even old enough to attend back in the 80s. Hence the “Little” at the front of his name. Vega was born into a musical family with Puerto Rican heritage so he was constantly surrounded by music growing up. His father, Luis F. Vega was a jazz saxophonist and his uncle Hector Lavoe, a famous singer.
Vega is a seven-time Grammy nominee and one-time Grammy winner. In his early years, the DJ held several residencies at a number of super influential nightclubs around New York. Vega joined the acclaimed Atlantic Records roster in 1991 alongside some of the most well-known names in the music industry. Releasing an album with Atlantic is what catapulted him into the mainstream. He teamed up with the then up-and-comer Marc Anthony and they released “Ride on the Rhythm” which was an instant club banger. The collaboration put the duo on the public’s radar and Vega went on to remix/produce for the likes of Michael Jackson, Madonna, Jamiroquai, and the Black Eyed Peas just to name a few.
Louie Vega couldn’t just stop at creating music, he decided to take it to the next level by launching Vega Records, his own record label. The label housed the release of hundreds of singles and several full-length albums.
Vega released his album Elements of Life – Eclipse in 2013 under Fania records, the label his uncle was once signed to. Vega describes this as a full circle moment for him as his uncle Hector Lavoe and the Fania All Stars were all great inspirations to him over the years. He makes the comparison that Fania Records is to Latin music what Motown was to R&B and soul.
Vega continues producing and performing to this day and he just seems to get better and better as the years go on. He has and will continue to leave his mark on the house music genre.
