Dance music legend David Morales has said he is ‘honoured’ to play for free at a gig for one of Britain’s longest-running Covid patients.
The globally-renowned hitmaker said everybody in the industry is praying for his peer Steve Laviniere, who was hospitalised in March 2020.
Steve, who is part of a long-standing DJ act with twin brother Bobby, has been in hospital for 17 months, and although he can open his eyes he only shows flickers of awareness.
Bobby was also hospitalised with Covid a few days before Steve in March 2020 but recovered after two weeks, while his sibling was put in an induced coma in an intensive care unit.
The pair, aged 57, have been a much-respected part of the London house music scene for decades, playing under the stage name ‘Bobby & Steve from Groove Odyssey’.
Morales has known the twins for almost three decades and will headline Dance for Stevie at the Ministry of Sound on October 3.
He told Metro.co.uk: ‘It is not about giving money, if it was I could just write a cheque.
‘It is important to lend my name and my brand to show the unity and support to such a very important cause. You have to respect people like Bobby and Steve, who are game-changers and have been supporting this scene for many, many years.
‘They have managed to last 30 years, which is hard for anyone to do, and they have always represented and supported the industry and been respected.
‘They have an audience who love the music, it’s not about VIP tables and big-spenders at the bar, when people come, they come out to dance, to appreciate the music.’
The Grammy-award winner is among a stellar line-up of pioneering DJs also including Trevor Nelson, Norman Jay MBE, CJ Mackintosh and Barbara Tucker.
Despite having his pick of any event on the planet, he immediately said ‘yes’ to the fundraiser, where his brand of soulful house music will unify support and help raise funds to support Steve’s eventual return to his home in Crawley, West Sussex.
‘There’s some great DJs coming together for this in support for Bobby and Steve,’ Morales said.
‘We are showing the love. Everybody in the industry knows what Steve is going through and our prayers go out to him and his family. It’s an honour for me to be asked, because they weren’t asking just anybody to participate.
‘This is not some bullshit event, this is something really important and special.
‘They have reached out to people who are part of their history, who they respect and love. I didn’t have to check, as soon as they asked me I said, “no matter what, I’m there”.’
The DJ and producer, 58, who is based in Bologna, Italy, has produced and remixed hits for stars including Mariah Carey, U2, Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Madonna, and Whitney Houston.
He was one of the first superstar DJs to regularly tour the globe and is credited for consolidating house music’s presence in the top 40 charts with hits such as the anthemic Needin’ You.
But despite being able to command huge booking fees, the native New Yorker said the best club nights were the ones without massive hype and appearance fees.
He said: ‘You know what I love the best? Give me a room with two hundred people that love music that are in my face, where it’s intimate. The best gigs in the world are the ones that pay no money.
‘The crowd doesn’t care about the hype of a DJ, they are there for the music. Bobby and Steve are not just promoters, they are DJs who set the tone to represent their brand.
‘They don’t even have ask DJs to play because they are DJs in their own right. Bobby and Steve have done what all good DJs want to do, which is share the love with their peers because it’s their party.
‘This is where people who they have supported show their true colours. I’m not doing this for the money, this is the moment I am returning the support they have shown for David Morales.’
The twins believe they caught the virus on a trip to play a gig in Madrid.
Steve was treated in East Surrey Hospital before being moved to another London hospital, where he is in an on-site nursing home.
The DJ suffered heart and organ failure and although he is out of the coma he has been diagnosed with prolonged disorder of consciousness, meaning he cannot communicate or move his body, although he can blink and has a sleep pattern.
Steve was able to return home for the first time in June to be with Bobby, his wife Julie and other close family.
His prolonged battle with complications from Covid pre-dates that of Derek Draper, the husband of Good Morning Britain presenter Kate Garraway.
Steve was first admitted for treatment on March 29, the day before Mr Draper was hospitalised.
Bobby, from Redbridge, east London, has previously told Metro.co.uk how a ‘miracle’ would come true if his twin is able to make a full-time return.
The concert and a GoFundMe page are raising funds to renovate and adapt Steve’s house with a view to his eventual return and long-term rehabilitation.
Bobby said: ‘We’ve been DJing since 1984 and we could have filled up the bill a million times over, but to have people like David Morales saying “count me in bro” is a beautiful thing.
‘It shows that people stick around to help others.’
Tickets are available here and the GoFundMe page can be found here.
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