TuneLab
ERICK MORILLO's Subliminal session in The Lab LA
Erick Morillo in The Lab LA for a Subliminal session—this is the sound of house music history being played by the man who helped write it, and we're here to Shazam the classics we shamefully don't own on vinyl. The vibe is pure, unadulterated funky house: a sweaty, smiling room where the basslines are round and the piano stabs are mandatory. Technically, this is a masterclass in classic vocal house, operating at a nimble 125 BPM average and firmly anchored in the joyous, major-leaning 12A Camelot key. The energy split is beautifully balanced between low-end thump (0.38) and mid-range melody (0.38), with enough high-end sparkle (0.23) for those iconic hi-hat rides.
Morillo's mixing is energetic and crowd-pleasing, using quick cuts and acapella overlaps to keep the momentum sky-high. The harmonic journey is straightforward and effective, staying within compatible keys to ensure every vocal and synth line feels like a natural, uplifting progression. The crate digging here is sublime: Panos Pissitelis & Junior Mi's 'Freaky' is a modern funky house bomb with an irresistible bass hook. Luca Debonaire's 'The Thrill Of The Beats' is a loop-driven, percussion-heavy workout that locks in the groove.
Manoo's remix of Dave Anthony's 'She Don't Know' is deep, soulful house at its finest, and dropping Radio Slave's 'Another Club' is a genius, slightly darker curveball that shows Morillo's range. Lane 8's 'Loving You' gets a driving, emotive makeover from Solee, perfectly fitting the set's emotional core. He opens with a buzzing unknown cut to immediately claim the floor, builds to a hands-in-the-air peak with the timeless piano of Harry Romero's 'Retroversy', and sends us out on the sleek, progressive pulse of Sebastian Evers & Bobby Malmlin's 'Size'.