Darran Nugent releases homage to Lil Louis

Darren Nugent aka Aruba has been making music since the 90s and releasing great deep house on his Elevation imprint. With his daring homage to Lil Louis causing a stir as a white label early this year, cornerstone label Freerange records now release the ‘Chicago EP’. It’s an exciting time for the veteran producer. We get the chance to chat to the main man himself.

‍Where are you this moment and how are you spending the day?

I’m in Turkey escaping the famous Irish weather with the family. Just spent two weeks in the sunshine and lazing around.

Where are you from, where were you born?

I’m from Galway, which is in the West coast of Ireland. I was born there.

Where are you based these days? What do you love about where you are living?

I live in a quiet,country cottage at the end of a very rural cul de sac around 30 mis from Galway City. I’m surrounded by cows, sheep, country smells. It’s very peaceful here and you can see for miles in all directions.

How is the health of the music scene where you are?

I saw a poster for Cassy a few weeks back and there are some smaller festivals cropping up…one which had Osunlade play here back in March. There are a few passionate heads around keeping the torches lit.

How long have you been making music ?

My first release came out in 2000 on a Swedish label called Clear Blu. I had been tinkering with music all through the 90’s but never made anything I would consider releasing. I started sending out demos in 1999 and people started to reply positively.There was a great Yahoo group that was set up by David Duriez in the early noughties.All the house heads were there (underground people like Jordan Fields, DJSneak, Josh Wink, Phil Weeks and even chart toppers like Spiller etc.). It wasa mecca for house producers to meet and collaborate on things. Jordan Fieldsdid a remix competition there and I gave it a go. I hadn’t remixed anything before and ended up on a vinyl compilation with Ron Trent, Roy Davis Jnr., BooWilliams, Glenn Underground and a whole host of other legends. It was a surrealbeginning.

 Who were your musical inspirations and icons at the time you started to produce?

Laurent Garnier, SvenVath, Dave Angel, Coldcut, The Orb, Orbital, Kevin Saunderson, Derrick May andCarl Cox were a huge influence.

DJ mixes on cassettewere everywhere. House with a real trancey vibe.The X Mix series on K7 wasamazing, especially the Laurent Garnier one.

Trans Lunar ParadiseDJ mix by Dave Angel, that’s where I first heard Chez Damier’s ‘Help Myself’probably. F.A.C.T by Carl Cox. The Trance Europe Express series was eyeopening. Force Inc. Records, Peacefrog records… 

What kind of kitdid you make your first music on?

I had a Boss DR 660drum machine, an old four track but I sold those to get other gear. The firstserious bit of gear was a Roland XV3080 and a Yamaha RM1x. Think I got Rolandmodule in 2000. All of my early Aruba stuff featured the XV3080 heavily. It’son everything.

What actuallycame first for you -- Djing or production?

I was buying recordsand DJ’ing first all the while trying to figure out how the records wereactually made.

How far back doesyour Aruba moniker go?

The first release wasin 2000. I started putting stuff out under my real name first in 2010 I think.

Was it under yourAruba tag that you put out your first release?

Yes. The En Route EPas Aruba on Clear Blu.

Where were youDjing out at that time?

I was DJ’ing in theGPO in Galway around this time and played a few guest slots around the country Dublin,Waterford, Sligo etc.

What kind ofstuff were you playing back in the early days?

Pretty much the sameas now. A bit of deep and techy house. My tastes haven’t changed much in 25years.

You started Elevations Records back in 2001. Who were the artists you had on the label?

I had a lot of different producers from all over really. Some well-known names that were on the label as artists or guest remixers included Fresh & Low, Milton Jackson, Jef K, Kink, Rampa, Pablo Fierro etc.

What was your musical vision back then?  

There was no vision really. It just kind of evolved organically, instinctively and people would send me stuff and If I liked it I would put it out. I would reach out to other producers that I admired, and they reciprocated.

Is the label still going now? What’s happening with it release wise?

Elevation is still here. The last release was back in April and is mostly my own stuff these days. I have a few things cooking and will release those when they are ready. Oddly I haven’t received a demo in a very long time.

Send me some good music: nugentdarran@gmail.com

Which of your releases do you feel made the biggest impact as a label?

‘One Night in Barcelona’ was a huge release and went to number 1 on the Beatport Deep House sales chart. The Aruba tracks were very popular…especially the re-issue of ‘How Low Can You Go?’. Soul Minority’s ‘Retroplex’, El Prevost ‘Do You Remember?’ and Fresh & Low’s ‘Control The Sound’ were definitely highlights for me.

Is there one that you felt went under the radar that we should check?

Maybe ‘Opus’ on Berlin House Music might deserve a second listen. I felt that one was a little special.

When did you start releasing records under your own name?

I’ve been releasing hereand there under my own name since around 2010.

Some might saythat’s a very brave thing to cover Lil Louis.. Did you have any hesitation overit when you were making it? How did you overcome that hesitation..

French Kiss is one ofmy favourite house records of all time. I wanted to emulate some of that energybut it’s not a cover…more of a tribute really. It has a familiar vibe and instruments (that famous Yamaha DX 7 ‘Lately Bass’ preset) and I tried toemulate the sax licks in that unmistakable Lil Louis style.

I heard a very stripped-downOliver Dollar tune that sounded like French Kiss and started doing somethingsimilar and it kind of grew legs.

So it was firstout on a white label. What was the response like to that?

It was phenomenal. I wasn’t sure how it would be received to be honest. When it hit the number 1 spot in a few online shops including Juno and then Decks in Germany my jaw hit the floor. Terry Farley was a huge supporter.

So Freerange Records jumped on it for the label then so the responses must have been great.

It’s a dream come true to have these tracks on Freerange. The feedback and interest has been incredible.

Have you been a big fan of Freerange over the years?

I have been following Jimpster and Freerange forever. I’m very proud and humbled to feature on a label of such quality.  

Give us a round-up of the tracks on the EP aside from The Messiah.

‘It Started in Chicago’ is a love letter to Chicago house music. We all know it started there but here’s another slice of that Chicago vibe …why the hell not! ‘How Does it Feel?’ is a chunky, late night deep stomper with big whopping strings but still deep as you like. ‘Changes’ started out as something akin to Inner City’s ‘GoodLife’ but got somewhat twisted through a minimal house lens. I’m proud of that bassline. It’s phat!

Loving the Abacus Remix edition. How did you get this legend on board?

I’ve been a huge fan of Austin Bascom aka Abacus since forever (those Guidance releases are phenomenal). Both myself and Jimpster, loved that ‘Chi-Town Stories’ track he put out recently and it kind of clicked from that.

What do you feel he’s done to the original and how thrilled are you with it?

He kept the vibe but put his signature deep Abacus stamp on it. I love it.

What are you working on next that you can share?

I have an EP coming on Morris Audio called ‘Strong’ in January. Really excited for this to come out. I’ve been making a lot of music recently and hopefully should have a few more releases in the works.

What is the most recent record you purchased?

Terrence Parker‘s Sounds of Love EP’ on Intangible. ‘Help is on the way’ is classic TP!

Who do you think is making great music at the moment?

Ralph Session, Mathias Kaden, Frits Wentink, Abacus (he sent me a trove of unreleased tracks…amazing music yet to see the light of day), Omar S, Tuccillo, Los Hermanos. Too many to remember.

GRAB IT HERE: https://darrannugent.bandcamp.com/album/the-chicago-ep