Marvin Burns, known by his stage name Li'l Louis, is a Chicago-born house-music producer and DJ. He scored a number of hits on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in the 1980s and 1990s, three of which hit #1.
His best known song, "French Kiss" spent two weeks at No. 1 on the U.S. Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in 1989. Originally an instrumental, the track features a several-minutes-long breakdown in which the tempo gradually slows down to a stop. As the song gained popularity, vocals by Shawn Christopher were added. Even with its erotic sound, it crossed over to some pop radio stations and climbed to No. 50 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was a big success throughout Europe reaching No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart, despite being banned by the BBC, and in Germany, and No. 1 in the Netherlands. The video was directed by Marek Budzynski. British Drum 'n' Bass producers Ed Rush & Optical later produced a remix.
In the track "Teachers" from the 1997 Homework album by Daft Punk, Lil Louis is one of the many musicians mentioned.
Laurent Garnier's 1997 single "Flashback" contained a remix made by Lil Louis called "Lil Louis Civilized Instrumental Painting."