Erick Morillo, the manufacturer and DJ behind the club struck “I Like to Move It,” was discovered dead at his home in Miami Beach Tuesday, September 1st, news country Regional 10 reports. He was 49.
In a statement shared with Wanderer, Miami Beach Authorities Public Information Officer Ernesto Rodriguez stated, “Investigators reacted to the scene and did not observe any apparent signs of foul play. The cause of death will be identified by the Miami Dade Medical Examiner’s Workplace.”
Morillo’s death comes weeks after he was detained and charged with sexual battery for an occurrence that took location at his Miami Beach home in December2019 Morillo denied the allegation, but turned himself in to authorities after a rape set tested favorable for his DNA.
Morillo was born in New york city City and invested his early years in Cartagena, Colombia, before returning to New Jersey. He began DJing in his early teenagers and developed a sound that mixed house, hip-hop, reggae and Latin music.
Under the moniker Reel 2 Genuine, Morillo scored his very first major hit with “The New Anthem” in 1992, while the list below year he teamed with the Trinidadian artist the Mad Stuntman for his signature track, “I Like to Move It.” The tune hit Primary in several nations throughout the world, and while it only peaked at Number 89 on the Billboard charts, it became a pop culture staple, appearing in all manner of commercials, sporting occasions, TELEVISION programs and motion pictures (it was used frequently in the animated Madagascar franchise).
At the turn of the century, Morillo left Reel 2 Real behind for new tasks centered around his new imprint, Subliminal Records, which launched an array of records and hosted a popular club night in New York. Amongst the dance strikes Subliminal put out was “Enjoyable” by Da Mob, a group including Morillo, José Nunez and DJ Slip with vocals from Jocelyn Brown.
Morillo continued to tape-record and release music, including a 2004 album My World, while he also spun records worldwide. During the early 2000 s, he frequently made top accolades at the DJ Awards– among the most significant prizes in the electronic music market– including Best Home DJ three times (1998, 2001 and 2003) and Best International DJ 3 times (2002, 2005, 2006).