When “Be Free With Your Love,” Drop Out Orchestra‘s collaboration with Vinny Vero, began making the rounds a few weeks ago, it was a bit of fortuitous timing. All eyes were on the U.S. Supreme Court, hearing oral arguments about equal marriage in two separate cases. But now, especially in light of last week’s events, the track’s message resonates even more loudly.

I caught up with the very busy Vero, who graciously filled me in on all things “Be Free With Your Love” — a single that marks the DJ/producer’s debut as a lead vocalist — and beyond. As his slate of various projects attests, no other man lives and breathes music quite like Vero.

POPSERVATIONS: How did your collaboration with Drop Out Orchestra come about, Vinny?

VINNY VERO: “Through mutual friends we found out we were fans of each other’s work. We sent emails back and forth at the end of 2011 with an idea to collaborate at some vague point in the future. They didn’t have plans to be in New York City anytime soon and they weren’t going to be in Sweden when I planned to be there. In 2012, about two weeks before I went to Sydney to play a few DJ gigs for Mardi Gras, the Drop Out guys mentioned that they were going to be there. We set up time to meet between our shows and we hit it off. They sent me a few tracks. I chose my favorite and away we went.”

You’ve been working behind the scenes of the music biz and behind the decks and board as a producer and remixer for quite a while. What’s it like to step out from there and be out in front as a vocalist for the very first time?

“At first, it wasn’t supposed to happen that way. When I finished writing the song and recorded a rough demo of it, I sent it to the Drop Out guys and they loved it. They asked me when I could record the vocals. I thought they were asking me who could I get to sing it and when could I record the vocalist. They turned around and said they wanted me to sing it. They thought it sounded great and a male vocal on the track is what they thought would work best. I was flattered, but I didn’t want to do it. They spent a couple of months trying to convince me to sing it. Finally, I gave in and told them I would, but I wouldn’t be offended if they didn’t like it and wanted to get a real singer. Halfway through recording the vocals, I got very comfortable and started to like the sound of it. So, I threw caution to the wind and just went with it.”

What inspired the message at the heart of “Be Free With Your Love”? I know the collaboration was in the works for a while, but now it seems well timed to all the recent talk of marriage equality and gay rights in the news.

“The inspiration for the track came from a news article I read about two gay men in a relationship that lived in the U.S., but only one of them was a citizen. The other man was a citizen of the UK and was in the process of being deported. Since the U.S. doesn’t have rights of citizenship for married gay couples, the British citizen was forced to go back to his homeland. The man from the U.S. gave up his job and moved to the UK to be with his partner. I co-opted a phrase from a sentence in the article. As the fight for same-sex marriage found its way to the top of the 24/7 news cycle, I started to pull more inspiration from that while simultaneously making the song about the power of music on the dancefloor. In times of struggle, people like to let loose, dance, be free, and have a good time. So, the song has a double meaning.”

Tell me about the lyric video for “Be Free With Your Love.” Can we expect a traditional video too? Will you make an appearance?

“The lyric video has been a fantastic experience because the designer I produced it with [Johan Mauritzson] went way beyond the visual expectations of a typical lyric video. There are stills of Drop Out Orchestra and me in it, but overall, it’s a beautiful and engaging piece of work. It’s colorful, thought provoking, timely, and has a touch of humor to it. There are ongoing discussions about a traditional video, but the lyric video is very strong. I’m not sure we need to do a traditional one. If we do one, I’m sure I’ll make a little cameo in it. Why not?”

Besides “Be Free With Your Love,” what else has been keeping you busy these days, Vinny?

“This year, I’m celebrating my 25th anniversary in the entertainment business. And it’s my busiest ever. Currently, I’m working on songs with Gravitonas, a Swedish group led by Alexander Bard who was the brains behind Army Of Lovers and Bodies Without Organs. We wrote a few songs together and hopefully their next single will be one of them. Also, I’ve produced recent remixes for The Brand New Heavies, Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, Gravitonas, Saint Etienne, and Bright Light Bright Light.

Drop Out Orchestra and I are talking about recording the follow-up to “Be Free With Your Love” with an eye toward an EP. In addition to that, I’ve been producing a number of reissues for various labels. This year, with Cherry Red, I produced the deluxe edition of All That Jazz, the debut album from Breathe. That was released at the beginning of March. Up next is an expanded edition of Basia’s debut album, Time And Tide, which just celebrated its 25th anniversary. It’s scheduled to be released at the end of May. And then two of Julia Fordham’s albums, Porcelain and Swept, are being given the deluxe treatment. Those will coincide with her UK tour which starts in June. Two others, her self-titled debut and Falling Forward, will follow after that.

I have about 25 other projects in the works with various companies. To top that all off, I just returned from Sydney where I played several DJ gigs for this year’s Mardi Gras. For the rest of the year, I’ll be playing in New York, London, Stockholm, Paris, Boston, and Los Angeles, including several major Pride events in those cities as well. It’s quite full on at the moment. Loving every minute of it.”

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I suppose one could say that Vinny Vero is being free with his love. We should all try doing a little more of that.

Alongside the original version, the “Be Free With Your Love” single presents remixes by Vero (with Steve Migliore), Coqui Selection, Caporale & Serious, Opolopo, and Ray Grant. I’ve got big love for the disco-meets-progressive house sound that Spain’s Coqui Selection brought to the track.

Purchase Drop Out Orchestra feat. Vinny Vero – “Be Free With Your Love” via iTunes, Amazon MP3. Grab a free download of the Opolopo Dub (not included on the single) via SoundCloud.