Rico DeLargo The Vibe Elevator | Taste & Tempo 7/20/12 9:11 PM The Vibe Elevator // Rico DeLargo MARCH 10, 2010 | FEATURED, MUSIC If there is one man who can instantly uplift the energy and feeling at party its Rico DeLargo. I was fortunate enough to catch up with the man with the golden horn for an exclusive interview… T&T:How long have you been playing trumpet and how did you get your start? Rico:I’ve been playing for 20 years. Damn, does that make me sound old? T&T: Umm HELL YES. haha Rico: I started very young!! Haha. My older brother played the trumpet in Puerto Rico for salsa bands and then for the Police of Puerto Rico. He was the first person to put a trumpet in my hands and then I went on to play in middle and high school. My big break for what I’m doing now came in 2007 when I was offered a residency at Tao Beach in Las Vegas for Sunday Sunset Sessions. That first season at Tao Beach was amazing!! T&T: Yes! I definitely remember those days. How many trumpets do you own anyway? Do you have one trusty horn or a few to choose from? Rico:I’ve been playing the same Bach Stradivarius for over 10 years. It’s like my girl. I get sick of looking at her sometimes but when she touches my lips, we fall in love all over again and make magic together. T&T:What motivates you as a musician? Rico:The opportunity to enrich someone’s life. Everyone loves music but most have absolutely no idea what it takes to make those songs they enjoy. When they see me performing on a live instrument next to the DJ they get a small taste of the effort and passion it takes to make music. T&T:Well who and/or what are some of your influences? Rico:Miles Davis is definitely one of my inspirations. He always did his own thing and did it with SWAGGER!! There are so many great musicians and artists I could name. In a nutshell, there are tons of people who have influenced me http://tasteandtempo.com/2010/03/10/the-vibe-elevator-rico-delargo/ Page 1 of 7 Rico DeLargo The Vibe Elevator | Taste & Tempo 7/20/12 9:11 PM over the years and the way they did so was my sparking emotion within me. When I hear something that makes every cell in my body overload with nostalgia, THAT’s when I’ve been influenced. Miles, nostalgia, sex and maybe a little Patron are just a few of my influences. T&T: Nice Recipe! Now your always traveling playing different cities and always playing with different DJ’s. Does a lot of planning go into your sets with DJ’s or is it more of an “off the cuff” performance? Rico: Not much planning at all really. I generally tell them a track or two that I like so they get an idea of what to play but I generally like for the DJs to play whatever they feel. Everything I play is improvised and I usually play with the emotion that I have been feeling in the hours leading up to the gig. If I had a shitty day I will play differently than if I had just had sex. T&T:How important is the chemistry between yourself and the DJ you are performing with? Rico:Extremely important. Chicago House icon JJ Flores once told me that whenever we are in the same city, I am always welcome to perform on his stage or in his booth. You have no idea what that means to me and it fuels me when I perform with him. Whenever I feel an equal admiration situation like that, I always KILL it and pour out positive energy onto the crowds. T&T: Anybody else? Rico: Jack Lafluer from Vegas is the same way. He will say “this mixer is yours too when we play together. You come up and make any changes you want to the mix”. Whenever a DJ makes me feel that comfortable, the performance is 10 times better. Rico: There is a flip side to that coin though. T&T: Uh Oh… Rico: I won’t name any names but I once had to play with a very high profile DJ in Vegas and his vibe was so incredibly negative towards me. I was shocked. And this motherfucker used to play in a band!! I figured of all people, he and I would vibe out great! WRONG! He was whack and I played like shit that night. T&T: Ha ha I heard that! Negative energy is a vibe crusher. Well then who would you say is your favorite DJ to play with? Rico: Damn. Good question. There is a cat out of Santa Barbara named Freddy Anderson (A.K.A. DJ Sparx) who I really enjoy playing with. He knows all the tracks I like and I just tell him when I’m ready and he pulls up a banger within 2 or 3 tracks for me. He’s a super talented DJ and he’s always dancing behind the decks with tons of energy. I like that type of vibe because the crowd sees it and responds with energy. I also love playing with my boys on the S.K.A.M. label (Vice, Gusto, Chris Garcia, etc.). I feel like all these guys are super talented and feel that they respect what I do. It’s a great feeling to have that respect from such an elite crew. T&T: If you could pick one DJ to play with that you have not played with yet who would it be? Rico: I would probably have to say Erick Morillo. I watched him shut down LIV in Miami during WMC last year. It was 6am, the place was still full and everyone was holding up 7 fingers when the music shut off. They just wanted one more hour of that energy. I’d love to be a part of such a night. Plus the guy can go in so many emotional directions throughout the course of a set. You feel his passion for music when you watch him perform and I have been told that the same is felt when people watch me play. Him and I together would be stellar. T&T: Sounds like a good combo he is definitely one of the best doing it. As far as gigs go I know 2010 has been a great year for you so far. What has been your most memorable performance thus far in 2010? http://tasteandtempo.com/2010/03/10/the-vibe-elevator-rico-delargo/ Page 2 of 7 Rico DeLargo The Vibe Elevator | Taste & Tempo 7/20/12 9:11 PM Rico: I just played at Playhouse in Hollywood with Skam Artist Chris Garcia. I felt like that show let people know that I have made the move to Hollywood from Vegas and am ready to make my mark. But WMC is coming up so if you ask me after that week I will most likely have a different answer. HAha… T&T: I know your super busy playing a lot of live performances, but do you also do any recording, production or studio work? Rico: I am currently recording with some different people. I sent some samples over to DJ Sneak not long ago and projects with Scooter and Lavelle and JJ Flores are brewing. Just Tweeted back n forth with Andy Caldwell today and he wants to get together after WMC so we’ll see if that turns into something fruitful. I’m really itching to record a lot. The goal for this year is to be featured on some tracks that go on Beatport and to have all my DJ friends playing tracks that feature my sound. Morrison – Contact (DeLargo Remix) T&T: Well we will definitely be on the look out! I know you will be at Winter Music Conference in Miami this year where will you be playing? Rico: Aww man. All over the place! Shore Club pool Wednesday. Casanova Lounge Wednesday night with tons of heavy hitters like Charles Feelgood, Andy Calwell, etc. Clevelander rooftop Thursday, pool party with JJ Flores on Friday. Shore Club pool party on Sunday and then with Scooter and Lavelle Sunday night at BED. T&T: What is the most played song in your ipod? Rico: “Feel the Vibe” by Axwell. I’m the Vibe Elevator!! That is my new theme song. Haha… T&T: WOW! that one brings back memories haha that’s one of my favorite tracks of all time. Nice choice Okay last but definitely not least what are Rico Delargo’s main ingredients for the perfect party? Rico: The perfect party is filled with positive people who dance (can’t stand playing at a venue where no one is moving), super fast bartenders serving strong cocktails, great sound system, hot girls that aren’t snobby bitches, a great DJ that plays mostly house but a lil bit of everything and……………NO ENDING TIME! http://tasteandtempo.com/2010/03/10/the-vibe-elevator-rico-delargo/ Page 3 of 7 Rico DeLargo The Vibe Elevator | Taste & Tempo 7/20/12 9:11 PM Heat Ultra Lounge NYE 2010 from Chris James on Vimeo. Popularity: 36% [?] Bookmark It 11 Comments 1. Buy Tramadol June 19, 2010 at 10:58 am Aw, this was a really quality post.