Perhaps House music's coolest and most devoted couple, Anané and Louie Vega need absolutely no introduction.
This year, their globe-trotting party The Ritual locks sights on Ibiza's newest nightclub, Club Chinois, its home for 2023. Projecting deep, tribal, soulful and vocal sounds, the concept prioritises vibe and energy over the same tried-and-tested anthems.
We sat down with the dynamic husband and wife DJ duo at Beachouse Ibiza during their pre-season press event to toast the season ahead. The Ritual is all about the love!
Anané & Louie Vega Interview
Hi guys, thank you so much for chatting to us. For those that don't know, when did you start The Ritual party?
Anané: "It's been over ten years now."
Louie: "2011."
AV: "We didn't have anything planned, actually. It was Winter Music Conference in Miami and we were playing an event. I was playing first and then Louie was on after me. We had a little moment together in the transition and a friend of ours said, 'you know, there's something there. I think you guys should play together'.
Oh, wow. Is that the first time you met or…?
LV: "No, no. We've been together way before that."
AV: "We've been together 25 years."
LV: "We've been married since 2001."
How do you find working together? You've been married for a long time. What's the dynamic, how does it work behind the decks?
AV: "It's a lot of mutual respect for each other and appreciation of what we each bring. It's nothin' but love here!"
LV: "Yeaaah! Especially when we're playing together. It's different to when I do a Masters At Work set with Kenny, or if I'm doing a back-to-back with The Martinez Brothers, for example.
You know we all have our special connections. But when I'm with Anané, you can feel our personal connection. There's a lot of love here and the people can feel that."
Yeah, it's not something so common, to see a husband and wife play together. Especially at one of the best clubs in the world.
AV: "It's funny, because we get to see some of the footage that's captured of us playing and how we communicate."
Do you know what each other is going to play or is it spontaneous?
AV: "No, never!"
LV: "That’s the cool thing about it, we never plan a set."
AV: "It's based on feeling and vibe. We were supposed to play in Naples last week, and we were both really looking forward to it, but the gig got cancelled due to bad weather. So, yeah, now at least we've got 19 consecutive weeks playing together."
LV: "... all summer long! Today is the first time we've met the team. We've had a couple Zoom meetings, but when you meet marketing, opening DJs, PR, Danny Whittle, Mark Netto etc, you know they've really got it together.
Obviously, we're the talent and we do what we do and we feel good about that, but you really do need that team that's going to hold it down around you."
Last summer you played for Luciano and Friends night at Club Chinois. What did you make of the club?
LV: "Well we came and did one date in September last summer and when we first saw the club we were like, 'wow it's beautiful', you know, a very A-list kind of feeling. The marble, the chandeliers… the whole thing.
Then when we met the team. Everyone was just so friendly and we felt the love, right?"
AV: "Yes."
LV: "That's what made us want to come back. You know, when Danny Whittle told us he was coming into Club Chinois, he was like, 'why don't you come down for a summer residency?' It's important to have a good team around you.
We actually looked back from that night with Luciano at photos and videos, and you could see people's facial expressions: smiling with their arms up. It's cool, but when you see somebody with their eyes closed, it’s a different thing!
We were like, wow, it was a really great party. The staff are wonderful, the team, what the visuals bring."
Have you worked with Danny Whittle before?
LV: "Yeah. We've known him since he worked at Pacha and we've been on the island for a while. He’s got a great reputation. He's done a lot of business with our friends in the scene and been behind some successful parties.
This is someone who had experience and knows, as we do with music and with our brand, so we were excited. We thought it was a win-win."
Before this summer, what's The Ritual's history where Ibiza is concerned?
LV: "We started at Blue Marlin in 2010 or 2011, for two years, the full season. We had a wonderful time over there with the BMI family.
Ever since then, we've hopped around different places on the island. Then we did the rooftop at Ushuaïa Tower, a few years at HEART, and now we're here at Club Chinois and around the world as well.
Whichever night you come to, we want to give everyone an experience. You'll get the full on Louie Vega experience."
What would you say is the ethos of The Ritual?
LV: "You know first of all, there's love right here. And it's family. Because we always end up inviting a lot of our friends over the years that are doing their own thing, who are super talented as well. To bring them together with us, it brings something special.
So it's really different from what you get when you come to the party, whoever's with us transforms and brings their flavour within the flavour we're bringing.
When we play together (motions to Anané), it's an experience as well. We're playing simultaneously, it’s never planned. We go in and we feel. I think the crowd that’s comes to see us and spend time with us, they feel that as well."
Who can we expect to see play?
LV: "We can let you know a few."
AV: "Moodymann, Cassy, Joseph Capriati, Kenny Dope, Seth Troxler, Ash Lauryn, David Morales, Todd Terry - all friends of ours. So when they come to The Ritual, it's very interesting to hear them play. They always play something unexpected.
When they're out doing their thing, they have their sound, but when they come to The Ritual you can expect a surprise. We also have DJ Harvey and Derrick Carter as well as others."
LV: "It's everything from Tech, Afro House, old school, new school, there's Disco. We got it all. We just want to give everybody an experience. Whichever night you come to, you’re going to get a full on Ritual experience.
Even from the openers and warm-ups. They're DJs from the island, so we really wanted to open our arms to the locals, because we live here. We've been living here for years every summer. We residents, baby! Well, almost…" (laughs)
"You don't really hear about us 'cos we kinda low-key, but we're here all summer, every summer since 2010, right? Yeah, so we spend a lot of time with the locals when we aren't in the club. From beginning to end, you're going to have a great time."
AV: "It's definitely a musical journey: in genres, in eras, and that's what we love to do.
I think that's what makes us different. It's where we go musically across the board which allows us to take the audience on a journey by introducing them to new sounds, but also playing sounds from the past."
How are you putting your own touch on the club? Any design adaptions?
LV: "First of all, the venue is beautiful. I've always loved the video mapping. The sound is great too. What I like, is that there's no change over with the restaurant, like there used to be with HEART. It's just it, from the moment you walk in."
AV: "It's going to be a whole lotta New York. We've collected footage and pics from our archive, so it's going to be a trip through NYC and Time Square.
You know, Louie's a native New Yorker. I went when I was really young. There was a time in New York when it was pure magic, musically, art wise. It was fashion, ravers, rappers, disco, all happening. We want the audience to feel that from what we experienced in the city."
From 7 June through to 4 October, The Ritual is set to take you on a journey through time using the power of moving art and music from an impeccably selected roster of close friends, set against the backdrop of metropolitan New York City.
Expect exceptional music quality, cosmopolitan style and a diverse party atmosphere brought to you by two of NYCs most pure-hearted underground representatives. No more spoilers from us. Make sure you're in attendance for a first-hand experience.
Tickets for all dates can be picked-up below.
PHOTOGRAPHY | by Mario Pinta
