Diva Divo - Dance Magazine

He’s one of the biggest DJs on the planet, but Louie Devito isn’t looking to remind anyone. “I don’t need ‘DJ’ in front of my name,” he says. “To this day, if a club puts ‘DJ Louie Devito’ [on the performance listing], I flip out. If someone is coming to this club, they know who I am.”

They certainly do: Louie Devito has become synonymous with dance music, primarily thanks to his constant onslaught of compilation releases. From his most recent guest stint on the Pacha series to his own famed NYC Underground Party releases, Louie has always been busy bringing club hits to a mainstream audience. “I think I’m helping dance music,” he says of his quest to get the genre more attention. “The more people that listen to it, the more people that buy into it and support it.”

If he’s trying to get the genre more recognition, he’s doing a great job. Unlike most DJs, elusive figures who hide in the booth behind a shroud of ultra-cool mystery, Louie Devito has made himself a Brand Name among hardcore clubbers and casual dance fans alike. In a sea of faceless DJs and producers, he’s unusually recognizable: “I was just walking down Boylston Street on the way over [to the interview],” he says of Boston’s major boulevard. “A handful of people were like, ‘Oh my God… that’s Louie Devito!’” Indeed, when he steps into the lobby of the Westin Copley Hotel for an interview before his gig, Louie is immediately recognizable. He’s an interesting mix of high-class (meticulously groomed and attired), low-maintenance (he casually waves off a lemon for his water) and major industry success. Indeed, his profile is big enough that his compilations are guaranteed hits with even the most casual dance music fans: “People trust me so much that they can look at a CD and not know one of the songs on it… but if my name’s on it, they say, ‘well, Louie mixed this and he put his stamp of approval on it. So I’m gonna like it.’”

Actually, Louie is the first to admit that his compilations are primarily designed to be accessible, commercial mainstream fare: “The first NYC Underground Party wasn’t really too ‘New York City,’ definitely not underground, and when I first put it out a lot of the music was six months or a year old. Other DJs told me, ‘you’re not going to sell anything; this music is from last year!’” Little did they understand the business method behind Louie’s madness: “I’m like, ‘It’s last year to me and you and someone who goes out every weekend.’ But to a person who only goes out here and there… they don’t know this music! That was my idea: spread dance music to more people. There are only a handful of people who can say they go out every Friday or Saturday night. Most people casually go out.”

Bringing radio-friendly dance music to virgin ears has earned Louie international acclaim, huge record sales, and a pimped-out bachelor pad in New Jersey. But it has cost him a degree of credibility – and respect – among his DJ peers. “Once you get this big, they use that term ‘sell-out,’” he says. “Some days I do feel like people look at me and are like, ‘he’s not helping, he’s hurting.’ And that hurts. I feel that maybe they don’t respect what I’m doing.” But Louie has the respect of his most important critic: himself. “You know what? I’m proud of my success,” he says. “I’m never gonna say I’m not proud of what I accomplish.” Besides, the paychecks don’t hurt: “Listen, if someone wants to have that starving artist mentality, God Bless you. I don’t.”