# Erick Morillo
**Erick Morillo** (1971 – 1 September 2020) was a Colombian-American house music DJ, record producer, and label owner, best known for producing the 1993 global dance hit "[I Like to Move It](https://www.edgepedia.org/i-like-to-move-it)" under his Reel 2 Real project and for founding the house label Subliminal Records.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/erick-morillo-mn0002364132) • [2](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/sep/03/erick-morillo-obituary) He was found dead at his home in [Miami Beach, Florida](https://www.edgepedia.org/miami-beach-florida), at the age of 49, days before a court hearing on a sexual battery charge.[3](https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/florida-dj-found-dead-less-than-month-after-rape-charge/2020/09/01/da06ed30-ec9b-11ea-bd08-1b10132b458f_story.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born / died | 1971 in New York, NY; 1 September 2020 in Miami Beach, FL, aged 49[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/erick-morillo-mn0002364132) |
| Signature hit | "I Like to Move It" (1993) with Reel 2 Real on Strictly Rhythm, featuring the Mad Stuntman; later featured in the Madagascar film franchise[2](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/sep/03/erick-morillo-obituary) • [4](https://pitchfork.com/news/erick-morillo-i-like-to-move-it-dj-dead-at-49/) |
| First success | "Muevelo" with Latin reggae star El General, 1991, a platinum-selling hit[5](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/erick-more-morillo-mn0000803870/biography) |
| Label | Subliminal Records, launched in 1997 with production partners Harry "Choo Choo" Romero and Jose Nunez[6](https://ra.co/dj/erickmorillo/biography) |
| Awards | Best International DJ and Best House DJ at the DJ Awards three times each, between 1998 and 2006; Muzik magazine Remixer of the Year, 1999[2](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/sep/03/erick-morillo-obituary) |
| Residencies | Pacha Ibiza (a 13-year Wednesday residency he began in 1997), Ministry of Sound in London, and Centro-Fly in New York[7](https://unityradio.fm/erick-morillo-space-ibiza-pacha-ibiza-subliminal-records/) • [5](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/erick-more-morillo-mn0000803870/biography) |
| Cause of death | Accidental "acute ketamine toxicity", with MDMA and cocaine intoxication noted as contributory, per the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner[8](https://mixmag.net/read/erick-morillo-cause-of-death-confirmed-news) |
## Early life
Morillo was born in New York to Colombian parents and spent most of his childhood in [Cartagena, Colombia](https://www.edgepedia.org/cartagena-colombia), where he grew accustomed to salsa and merengue music.[2](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/sep/03/erick-morillo-obituary) • [5](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/erick-more-morillo-mn0000803870/biography) He returned to the United States at age 11 with his mother, Elisa, and his sister, Sheila, and attended Emerson High School in [Union City, New Jersey](https://www.edgepedia.org/union-city-new-jersey).[2](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/sep/03/erick-morillo-obituary) Sources place the start of his DJing at either age 11 or 12; he began by playing weddings for friends and family and then sets at local New Jersey clubs.[6](https://ra.co/dj/erickmorillo/biography) • [2](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/sep/03/erick-morillo-obituary) After high school he took a studio engineering course at the Center for Media Arts in Manhattan.[5](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/erick-more-morillo-mn0000803870/biography)
Through his friend, the singer [Marc Anthony](https://www.edgepedia.org/marc-anthony), he met the house producer "Little" Louie Vega of Masters at Work, who became a mentor.[6](https://ra.co/dj/erickmorillo/biography) In 1991 Morillo collaborated with the Latin reggae artist [El General](https://www.edgepedia.org/el-general) on "Muevelo", a mixture of reggae, house, and rave that became a surprise platinum hit.[5](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/erick-more-morillo-mn0000803870/biography) He worked with Vega on the 1992 house anthem "Ride on the Rhythm".[9](https://www.thewrap.com/erick-morillo-dj-music-producer-dies-at-49/)
## Reel 2 Real and "I Like to Move It"
In 1993 the New York house label Strictly Rhythm released Morillo's "The New Anthem"/"Funky Buddha" 12-inch, and later that year the single "I Like to Move It" under his Reel 2 Real project.[5](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/erick-more-morillo-mn0000803870/biography) The track featured the rapid-fire dancehall vocals of the [Trinidad and Tobago](https://www.edgepedia.org/trinidad-and-tobago) rapper the Mad Stuntman (Mark Quashie), who shared the writing credit.[2](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/sep/03/erick-morillo-obituary) It became a global smash hit, and the reported earnings of about $2 million allowed Morillo to build a career as an international DJ.[2](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/sep/03/erick-morillo-obituary)
The song gained a second life in cinema. It opens the dance scene in the 2005 DreamWorks animated film [Madagascar](https://www.edgepedia.org/madagascar), sung by the lemur King Julien, and appeared in three further Madagascar films and a spin-off television series.[2](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/sep/03/erick-morillo-obituary) Strictly Rhythm rushed Morillo into the studio to record a full album, *Move It!* (1994), which produced several singles that did particularly well in England; a second Reel 2 Real album followed in 1996, yielding the hit "Mueve la Cadera (Move Your Body)".[5](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/erick-more-morillo-mn0000803870/biography) Morillo then ended the project and concentrated on DJing.[5](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/erick-more-morillo-mn0000803870/biography)
## Subliminal Records and DJ career
In 1997, after nearly a year of planning, Morillo launched Subliminal Records with his production partners Harry "Choo Choo" Romero and Jose Nunez; the AllMusic biography dates the launch to 1998.[6](https://ra.co/dj/erickmorillo/biography) • [5](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/erick-more-morillo-mn0000803870/biography) The label became known for a funk-fueled, soulful New York house sound, releasing records by producers including Pete Heller, Bob Sinclar, and Ministers de la Funk, and it won "Best Label" awards in 1999 and 2000.[5](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/erick-more-morillo-mn0000803870/biography) • [10](https://www.mad.club/elements/magazine/2006/3.pdf)
Morillo's DJ career centered on Ibiza and London. He began a 13-year Wednesday residency at [Pacha Ibiza](https://www.edgepedia.org/pacha-ibiza) in 1997 and bought a house on the island in 2002, and he held a residency at the [Ministry of Sound](https://www.edgepedia.org/ministry-of-sound) in London, which he described as one of the few American DJs to hold.[7](https://unityradio.fm/erick-morillo-space-ibiza-pacha-ibiza-subliminal-records/) • [6](https://ra.co/dj/erickmorillo/biography) In the early 2000s he ran a weekly Subliminal Sessions night at New York's Centro-Fly club and released a series of Subliminal Sessions mix albums.[5](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/erick-more-morillo-mn0000803870/biography) At the peak of his touring schedule he played up to 30 gigs a month, and [DJ Mag](https://www.edgepedia.org/dj-mag) ranked him number 24 in its Top 100 DJs poll for 2007.[6](https://ra.co/dj/erickmorillo/biography) • [11](https://djmag.com/top100djs/2007/24/Erick-Morillo)
His debut artist album, *My World* (2004), featured collaborations with Puff Daddy, DJ Rap, Boy George, and a reunion with the Mad Stuntman; its lead single "Break Down the Doors" featured The Audio Bullys.[6](https://ra.co/dj/erickmorillo/biography) Later singles included "Elephant" with [Alexandra Burke](https://www.edgepedia.org/alexandra-burke), a UK Top 5 hit.[6](https://ra.co/dj/erickmorillo/biography) He produced under many pseudonyms, including Ministers De La Funk, The Dronez, RAW, Smooth Touch, RBM, Deep Soul, and Li'l Mo Ying Yang, and remixed artists from [Whitney Houston](https://www.edgepedia.org/whitney-houston) to [Basement Jaxx](https://www.edgepedia.org/basement-jaxx).[6](https://ra.co/dj/erickmorillo/biography) • [9](https://www.thewrap.com/erick-morillo-dj-music-producer-dies-at-49/)
## Personal struggles and final years
Morillo married the Australian-born model Yasmin Sait-Armstrong in 2012; they divorced within a year.[2](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/sep/03/erick-morillo-obituary) That same year he was escorted from a DJ set in [Long Island](https://www.edgepedia.org/long-island) in apparently poor health, and he subsequently spent time in rehabilitation for alcohol and ketamine addictions, which he said he had defeated by 2017.[2](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/sep/03/erick-morillo-obituary) He had spoken publicly about his drug problems, telling the Miami New Times in 2016 that he had been to rehab for ketamine use three times.[12](https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article245413175.html)
In August 2020 Morillo was arrested and charged with sexual battery against a woman he had met while both were DJing at a private party on Star Island in December 2019. He denied the accusations but turned himself in after a rape kit tested positive for his DNA; he was freed on a $25,000 bond with a hearing scheduled for September 4.[3](https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/florida-dj-found-dead-less-than-month-after-rape-charge/2020/09/01/da06ed30-ec9b-11ea-bd08-1b10132b458f_story.html) • [13](https://www.local10.com/news/local/2020/09/01/dj-erick-morillo-found-dead-in-miami-beach/?nav=off)
He was found dead at his home on La Gorce Drive in Miami Beach on the morning of 1 September 2020, three days before the hearing; police reported no apparent signs of foul play.[13](https://www.local10.com/news/local/2020/09/01/dj-erick-morillo-found-dead-in-miami-beach/?nav=off) The Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner ruled the death an accidental overdose from "acute ketamine toxicity", with MDMA and cocaine intoxication as contributory causes, noting a ketamine concentration within the range of toxicity and fatalities.[8](https://mixmag.net/read/erick-morillo-cause-of-death-confirmed-news) After his death, further allegations surfaced in the electronic music scene, including a Mixmag report detailing accusations from ten women.[14](https://ra.co/news/73981)
## References
1. [Erick Morillo, AllMusic biography](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/erick-morillo-mn0002364132)
2. [Erick Morillo obituary, The Guardian, 3 September 2020](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/sep/03/erick-morillo-obituary)
3. [Florida DJ found dead less than month after rape charge, Associated Press via The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/florida-dj-found-dead-less-than-month-after-rape-charge/2020/09/01/da06ed30-ec9b-11ea-bd08-1b10132b458f_story.html)
4. [Erick Morillo, "I Like to Move It" DJ, Dead at 49, Pitchfork](https://pitchfork.com/news/erick-morillo-i-like-to-move-it-dj-dead-at-49/)
5. [Erick "More" Morillo biography by Jason Birchmeier, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/erick-more-morillo-mn0000803870/biography)
6. [Erick Morillo biography, Resident Advisor](https://ra.co/dj/erickmorillo/biography)
7. [Erick Morillo interview, Unity Radio](https://unityradio.fm/erick-morillo-space-ibiza-pacha-ibiza-subliminal-records/)
8. [Erick Morillo's cause of death has been confirmed, Mixmag, 23 November 2020](https://mixmag.net/read/erick-morillo-cause-of-death-confirmed-news)
9. [Erick Morillo, DJ and 'I Like to Move It' Producer, Dies at 49, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/erick-morillo-dj-music-producer-dies-at-49/)
10. [Mad club magazine, October 2006 (French)](https://www.mad.club/elements/magazine/2006/3.pdf)
11. [Erick Morillo, Top 100 DJs 2007, DJ Mag](https://djmag.com/top100djs/2007/24/Erick-Morillo)
12. [Facing rape charge, DJ Erick Morillo found dead in Miami Beach home, Miami Herald](https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article245413175.html)
13. [DJ Erick Morillo found dead in Miami Beach days before hearing in rape case, WPLG Local 10](https://www.local10.com/news/local/2020/09/01/dj-erick-morillo-found-dead-in-miami-beach/?nav=off)
14. [Erick Morillo cause of death confirmed, Resident Advisor, 19 November 2020](https://ra.co/news/73981)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Music scenes › Transnational genre scenes › Electronic dance music (EDM) and rave culture › Artists, groups, and people: Electronic dance music (EDM) and rave culture › House music artists › US pioneers: Chicago, New York, Detroit (1980s–1990s)*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license