Ernesto
Vigo, as founder and executive producer of Elevations, diligently
navigates us through the cosmic rhythms of future beats, discovering
home grown soulful tracks from coast to coast, and importing
cuts from west London and beyond, with the goal of exposing
audiences everywhere to the “broken beat” sound
both via NYC airwaves and on-line streams. In March 2004, Vigo
delivered the demo and concept for Elevations to Angela Harden,
Station Manager at WHCR 90.3fm, “The Voice of Harlem.”
The rest, as they say, is history…and today, Elevations
launches New York City’s only live weekly 2-hour journey
into broken beats, nu jazz, or what the Elevations Krew calls…Future
Soul from the heart of Harlem.
Vígo
was born in NYC to a family of musicians originally from Puerto
Rico. In 1986 he was co-founder of The Skeletones, a 7-piece
ska band with a reggae-funk sound from southern California,
bringing guitar and lead vocals to the mix and releasing a full-length
LP. Interning for his father Julio at KUCR 88.1 fm, and KXLU
89.9 fm, he also picked up skills in radio broadcasting and
musicology. Before returning to NYC, Vigo teamed up with Frank
Sosa (REALIZED Records) and Chris Varga (Malathion LA) to promote
music and social justice activism by organizing benefit performances
with DJ Dusk, Medusa, Poet Named Life, La Paz, and Piri Thomas,
among others. Influenced by Los Angeles community radio stations
like KCRW and KPFK, Vigo began to put together the blueprint
for what would become the Elevations radio show. From radio
selector to DJ, Vigo ventured into turntablism in 1995 as a
jungle/drum’n’bass DJ, and built an expansive collection
around jazz/acid jazz, deep house, jungle/drum’n’bass,
and of course, nu jazz/broken beats. Vigo has played in lounges
and clubs throughout New York City, from Kingsize, NuBlu, 6s&8s,
to the Apartment (APT), and at the Candela Art & Music Festival
in San Juan, Puerto Rico. What's next? Harlemtronik, a music-based
cooperative of musicians and independent, creative thinkers
and technicians in the art of fractured, broken, soulful rhythms
representing Harlem and New York City…to unify and build
our musical movement.
Why
Harlem? Harlem’s always been open to new ideas, cultivating
Jazz music and inspiring new musical forms---creations juxtaposed
with a history of civil rights struggle---that continue to push,
or elevate the musical landscape into new directions through
Elevations and the Harlemtronik unity movement…Harlem’s
second musical renaissance! |