In 2008, Erick Morillo - wait for it - "slowed down a little bit". That might come as a bit of a surprise to anyone who caught him at one of the massive gigs he's been playing all year or at his hugely successful Subliminal Sessions at Pacha this summer. Or, in fact, anyone who has picked up a shopping list of must-have tunes with his name on. "I'm taking off a weekend a month and I've just taken my first Wednesday off in Ibiza in seven years," he insists. "It's been an absolutely amazing year, on all fronts. The DJ gigs continue to get better and bigger and people still love what I do - which is awesome." Although the first six months of the year were quiet on the release schedule, it's been a heavy production year for Morillo, and he's enjoyed a bit of company in the studio. Harry Romero, José Nunez and Dwayne Harden joined him for 'I Fee l Love', Deborah Cooper sang for him again, and he's got records due with Richard Grey and Steve Angello. Most excitingly, his DJ DLG hook up, 'Where Are You Now', was declared an Essential New Tune by Tong and formed the cornerstone of the Morillo-mixed 'Subliminal Sessions 12'. More compilations will follow with a Strictly Rhythm collection coming soon and a Playboy Mansion disc arriving next year. "I've embraced more styles of music and been more open this year," Erick says of his DJing. "There's so much music you really have to do your homework and if anything has changed I do a lot more homework these days than I've ever done."