Masters At Work

Masters At Work may lack the hits that would make them a household name, but their influence as Latin house DJs goes way beyond the Brooklyn neighborhood where they grew up.

Nuyoricans Kenny “Dope” González and “Little” Louie Vega formed Masters in 1990 after years of playing house and block parties in the Bronx. Vega, the nephew of El Cantante Hector Lavoe, started spinning records at age thirteen. The two were already famous on the Manhattan circuit having DJ'ed at such legendary clubs like Studio 54 and The Palladium.

As a duo, Masters literally synthesized the jazz sounds of '70s New York Latin soul with disco and house, a combination that came to define Latin house with tracks like I Can't Get No Sleep (featuring salsa singer and hottie La India), Pienso En Ti (with Luis Salinas) and the epic Work. As producers, they created material for house diva Barbara Tucker, Jody Watley, Freedom Williams and an up-and-coming actor/rapper by the name of Will Smith. As remixers, they've "Latinized" tracks for Madonna, British funk outfit Jamiroquai and Janet Jackson – and more.

Taking their electronic Latin jazz back to basics, Masters González and Vega formed Nuyorican Soul, a live band with such legendary musicians as Tito Puente and members of the Salsoul Orchestra. Though the pair have also dabbled in solo releases, its their influential output as Masters At Work that has kept them in the mix, both via mix CDs on prestigious labels like Ministry Of Sound and in numerous festival and club appearances throughout Europe and Asia.