LIL LOUIS
Written by Adamant (Fabrice Chenna)
Lil Louis, born Marvin Louis Burn in Chicago on May 13, 1962, is the producer who reintroduced the sultry and sexual side of Disco in its extension, House Music. Passionate about music from an early age, he devoted himself to the drums.
Bobby Sims, his father, a famous blues guitarist, encouraged him to devote himself to music and to learn to play various instruments. The desire is not visceral at first, but the discovery of Disco that the black American public already calls Uptempo R&B will lead him to start a career as a DJ in his hometown, Chicago.
Lil Louis also created a unique mixing style, close friends with Frankie Knuckles and Larry Levan (whom he listened to at the Paradise Garage in New York whenever he had the chance). Although Knuckles is considered the first to use drum machines in his deejay sets, Lil Louis also plays live keyboard parts on the records.
But in his own words, he refuses to be part of a clique and prefers to stay back and compose his first experiments alone. Using a Roland TR 707 drum machine and a Jupiter 8 synthesizer, he composed and released his first two singles, "Frequency/How Do You Feel" and "The Original Video Clash" on Jesse Saunders' label: Dance Mania. In retrospect, "Frequency" is perhaps the starting point of the Bleep movement that the English will rave about sometime later.
But nothing let predict that by creating his label Diamond at the beginning of 1989, and the release of French Kiss in July of the same year, Lil Louis would make a smashing entry in the charts of the whole world with such an extreme record. Sultry, lascivious, suggestive, hypnotic, the track is perhaps the ''I Feel Love'' of the end of the 80s and this end of the century.
This time, the rhythmic is programmed on the now inescapable Roland TR 808 drum machine. Having never wanted to express himself on the material with which he composed, we can say without being too much mistaken that the keyboards were probably a Jupiter 8 and a Juno 606. The trumpets are obviously taken from a sample (We will confirm all this, with the release of the documentary on the House Music that Lil Louis apprehends to release).
For nearly 10 minutes and on a Machiavellian construction, where the rhythm will slow down in the middle of the track to almost stop entirely before slowly resuming and finding its cruising tempo. The effect on the dancers is diabolical, from Chicago (where Lil Louis plays this track for more than a year without revealing that he is the author) to New York, London, Paris, and Ibiza.
Where it will not be uncommon to see girls simulated in front of the boys suggestive acts by pushing the same sexual rales as the "singer" in the break, very quickly, the track will be licensed on big labels, FFRR in England that Pete Tong, hysterical, signs very quickly, and Epic Records for the North American market. French Kiss will break the doors of all the European top 10, will be ranked N°2 in England, and N°1 on the dance charts in the United States. His first album, "From The Mind of Lil Louis," will be released sometime after the worldwide triumph of "French Kiss."
The move will influence many producers, especially German, and we can say with hindsight that it is the German Trance starting point, which will begin a few months later (for better or for worse). With this success, Lil Louis will leave Chicago to settle in New York in 1990 and begin a brilliant career as a deejay internationally, playing in the most prestigious house clubs on the planet. He will strike again very hard in 1992 with a masterpiece of House Music and his album ''Club Lonely'' where he will be one of the first to mix Jazz and House Music and will make dance the whole world once more in 1995 with the Magistral ''Freedom'' on the mythical label Strictly Rythm.
A new album has been planned for a long time but constantly postponed, and it is one of the most awaited albums for fans of Dance Music. Whether it comes out or not, Lil Louis has entered the legend of Black Music in the Dance category and will remain one of the most respected and appreciated producers for his music and his kindness as a human being.
other Fast facts about lil louis
Burns started to play the drums and bass aged eight and soon developed an interest in DJ'ing.
His first notable break as a DJ came at the tender age of 12 when he was asked to play at a party that his mother was hosting.
The party was organized to unite the gangs in Chicago, and when the DJ fell ill, it fell on Burns to step in.
Using an open-reel tape deck, he mixed Philly soul with Disco to produce a sound that we would now define as 'House.'
Soon after, he began to DJ in adult clubs and was given his enduring stage name 'Lil Louis' after the police raided the River's Edge club while he was DJ'ing one night.
Clearly a reference to his young age, the arresting policeman obviously thought 'Lil Louis' was an appropriate tag for the young DJ, and he has been known as that ever since!
Louis was one of the first DJs to regularly play Disco in his sets which often got him fired from whichever club he was working at. However, the crowds loved it, and he developed a considerable following among the nightclub scene in Chicago.
At the tender age of just 16, Louis opened his first nightclub in Chicago. This would be the first of many!
In 1977 Louis organized what is widely considered to be the first rave in one of his clubs.
As one of the most renowned DJs in Chicago, record companies often asked Louis to feature their new releases in his sets. As such, many records and their artists got their break in the industry thanks to Louis.
He can also be credited with pioneering the technique of the 'edit' in DJ sets. Something that other DJs then began to incorporate into their own sets.
In 1980 Louis decided to begin recording in the studio. At first, he aimed to produce tracks for club-goers rather than for the mass market.
His first release in 1987 was Frequency/How I feel on the Dance Mania label.
In 1989 he released his biggest-selling single, 'French Kiss,' which sold 6 million copies worldwide and topped the charts worldwide.
'French Kiss' started life as an instrumental track and features an extended breakdown where the tempo slows down gradually before eventually coming to a complete stop. As the record gained traction, vocals were added, and its popularity exploded.
The BBC banned 'French Kiss' for including sounds of a woman's heavy-breathing!
In the same year, he released his first album, 'From the Mind of Lil Louis,' which included a heady mix of Soul, Jazz, and House styles.
After releasing his second album, 'Journey with the Lonely' in 1992, he continued work as both a DJ and producer.
He has produced and co-written for many notable artists, including Jay-Z, Basement Jaxx, and Lil Kim.
In 2004 he announced his retirement from DJ'ing and embarked on a final tour, 'Last Dance.'
His decision was borne from a desire to do new things, and this included writing his first book, 'A Man's Diary,' which chronicled his dating life.
'A Man's Diary' was later made into a play in which Lil Louis starred as himself.
In 2012 he released a film that documents House music's history, 'The House that Chicago Built.'
Since then, he has been relatively quiet on the music scene.