Ultra Naté: A Family Thing

ULTRA NATÉ:
"I think 2018 will be another strong year for music. There’s some good music being made and people are stretching out again. There is also political unrest in countries around the world. When these kinds of circumstances exist in a big way, the music industry and nightlife culture tend to flourish as people look to their creative selves and music to soothe and inspire them. People need to dance and take the edge off from their daily lives. At Deep Sugar, the tagline is “experience it for yourself,” because it’s not for me to try to sell you on the positive energy and amazing dance vibes we try to create. It’s the give-and-take relationship between us as a community. Here are my most moving nightlife moments of last year."

Inaya Day & Ultra Naté's "Over Me"
(Frankie Knuckles & Eric Kupper Director's Cut Mix)

Deep Sugar's 2017 New Year Eve Party in Baltimore
"Our party, Deep Sugar, brought in 2017 with a serious bang (a dance marathon from 9pm till 9am) and simultaneously I had a show in New York. I finished my show in New York by 2am and raced to the 3am train out of New York. The last one of the night! I arrived back in Baltimore shortly after 6am and was on the decks again by 7am. I ended up playing until 10am in the morning. The crowd was still at peak hour energy when I walked in. The New Year’s eve random’s had all faded by then so it was just a room full of heads ready to go to the last song! It was magical!"

Kings Of House, Winter 2017, New York

"It was a homecoming of sorts. There was an energy in the air as more and more of us from the industry showed up throughout the night. It quickly became a family reunion. It was reminiscent of some of the best days of the underground house music scene in New York. Be Be Winans and family were there to perform and gave an amazing show that left everyone breathless! The live performance from a great artist always elevates the level of an event."

Ultra Naté & Quentin Harris as Black Stereo Faith's "SNL"

Deep Sugar's Block Party, Spring 2017
"For the last two years, we’ve had the opportunity to do the party outside
as a block party in one of our downtown neighborhoods called Federal Hill. This year a good friend of ours who is of Indian descent proposed that we celebrate the coming of spring with a festival of love called Holi. Lisa and I didn’t know much about it, so she further explained that they generally dress up in white and throw vibrantly-colored powders in the air, at each other, and all over the place! It sounded pretty fun and crazy and it was about love so I was sold. Our crowd had never really heard of it either but quickly caught on and had such a good time with it! Having the party outside was so beautiful and so freeing! Can’t wait to do it again for 2018!"

The Annual Liverpool Disco Festival
"It felt great to be back in the UK this year a few times. I have a special bond with the Brits—they were the first to break my records in a big way starting back in 1989. I always get a range of emotions when I return to the UK as so many of those early memories come flooding back. In the beginning of my career, house music was solely an underground thing, but that first trip to England changed my perspective on this music as a career. It was the first time I heard our music on commercial radio and saw it being embraced by the mainstream! LDF was one of those events where once you were finish your set, you were running to catch this one or that one and the other one. It took place in three different buildings with each one having a multi DJ/artist lineup of many people I call friends. It was the nostalgia of days gone by, the roots of my life as an artist coupled with the new interest and energy of so many generations that made it top notch!"

On Friday, January 12th, Le Bain presents Deep Sugar NYC
celebrating the release of "Over Me (Remixes)"
feat. live performance by Inaya Day & Ultra Naté
DJ sets by Ultra Naté, Lisa Moody, & Rissa Garcia
The Standard, High Line | 10pm