Split Decision for New York DJs Vega, Morillo

Little Louie Vega and, to a lesser extent, Erick Morillo, are so synonymous with house music that devotees of the genre are wont to think of them as infallible. However, even the most ardent followers of the New York-based DJs had to be disappointed at times with their respective sets, particularly Vega’s, at a sold-out stop Saturday at Giant.

Much of the problem stemmed from the show’s awkward setup. Although both are headliners, they were not treated as equals here. Morillo went on first, in the big room; Vega, who began his three-hour set after midnight, was relegated to the club’s smaller room. Thus, Morillo had the advantage of much more crowd energy to feed off of, as well as the club’s impressive light show. Granted, he was more of the showman . But his song selection was not as eclectic as you’d like.

Vega, who spun the more familiar dance tunes, including a sped-up mix of the Talking Heads’ “Once in a Lifetime” and Daft Punk’s new club hit “One More Time,” was almost sullen by comparison.

The mood carried over into his set as well, as he failed to display any of his legendary DJ skills, such as inciting the audience with dramatic musical rises or the stopping and starting of records.