ReSolute presents: Masters At Work

Who they are

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  Masters At Work

  New York City · 3 bookings since Apr 2024

  “Their name says it all – Masters At Work.”

  their own biography

  the whole biography

  Their name says it all – Masters At Work. For over a decade, "Little Louie" Vega and Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez have shepherded dance music down new paths with their inventive production style and imaginative feel for different musical forms. The two native New Yorkers have amassed an overwhelming body of work in that time, one that includes hundreds of original productions, remixes and side projects, redefining the way we think of music in clubs. Vega and Gonzalez defiantly mix everything they can find – house, hip-hop, funk, disco, Latin, African and jazz – into a universal groove. And in doing so, MAW has become a cultural mélange unto itself, emblematic of the multicultural society in which we live. Masters At Work won the ‘Outstanding Contribution’ Award at the US Dancestar Awards at the Miami Winter Music Conference 2002. Our Time Is Coming is the group's third official album, second under the MAW moniker. Comprised of wonderful new compositions and a handful of their most popular singles from recent years, it is indicative of the ambitiously eclectic MAW sound: a vibrant dance groove culled from a mesh of Latin rhythms, jazz and soul. Vega and Gonzalez composed, produced and arranged the album's 15 songs, using crafty studio work and live instrumentation and help from some regular collaborators (India, Roy Ayers) and a few special guests (Patti Austin, James Ingram, Stephanie Mills). Our Time Is Coming combines new compositions with popular MAW singles from recent years, all co-written, produced, arranged and mixed by Vega and Gonzalez, who recruited a number of friends and influences to add to the sessions. The title track boasts the inimitable influence of Roy Ayers on vibes and background vocals. "Like A Butterfly (You Send Me)," the opening selection, features the lovely Patti Austin on vocals with lyrics co-written by Blaze and background vocals arranged by Austin. The legendary James Ingram appears on "Lean On Me." Elsewhere on Our Time Is Coming, the diversity of Vega and Gonzalez rears its head with the Latin-jazz-influenced "Pienso En Ti," featuring guitarist and vocalist Luis Salinas, and the deep-house funk of Billie’s "Every Now And Then." And it's nearly impossible to throw on the Soca-influenced "Work," (featuring Puppah Nas-T with vocals by Denise) and casually bob your head – this is a full-body experience. It was a dream of Vega and Gonzalez’s to record with Afrobeat king Fela Kuti. Unfortunately, their hopes were dashed when Fela passed away in August 1997. So instead, "MAW Expensive (A Tribute To Fela)" reworks Fela’s signature "Expensive Shit," maintaining its dedicated tribal flavor. Our Time Is Coming is Masters At Work at their finest, a wonderful accomplishment especially given the scope of Masters At Work's robust discography. It's rare to see artists push their creative impulses so consistently and with such acceptance, and even more rare to see it sustained for so long. But as this album reveals, Vega and Gonzalez continue to do so with unequaled ability. If anything, the album's title is too appropriate, for as much as the artists have done in the last eleven years, there is certainly more that lies ahead. The History: "Little Louie" Vega and Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez officially started their union as Masters At Work in 1990. Vega, a prodigious DJ around New York, met Gonzalez, a producer, through burgeoning house DJ Todd Terry. Gonzalez’s song "Salsa House" was a favorite of Vega, who fell for its Latin-influenced, everything-goes flavor. Desiring to remix the song, Vega asked Terry for an introduction, and almost instantly the two bonded over their insatiable appetite for music of all kinds. Vega was born in the Bronx in 1965 and raised in an environment rich with Latin music. His father was an accomplished saxophone player and his uncle was renowned salsa singer Hector Lavoe (of Fania All Stars fame). While Vega embraced the music of his Puerto Rican heritage, it was his pair of club-hopping sisters – regulars at David Mancuso's famous late-'70s Loft parties and at Paradise Garage – who introduced him to the vitality of dance music. Already taken with roller-disco and hip-hop, Vega attended Paradise Garage for the first time in 1980. There he witnessed the magic of DJ Larry Levan, whose ability to blend music from seemingly every genre and era into a seamless groove would foreshadow the spirit of Masters At Work. Through the mid-'80s, Vega began to make a name for himself as an up-and-coming DJ, playing house and freestyle in Bronx and Manhattan hotspots like Devil's Nest, Roseland and Studio 54. He was also doing remixes and original rhythm tracks, including one of his early breaks remixing Information Society's "Running" for Tommy Boy. Gonzalez was born in Brooklyn in 1970. As a kid, he initially shunned Latin music, falling in love with the rebellious party beats of hip-hop. He worked as a buyer in a local record store while a teenager, mastering his skills as a DJ playing on the side. In the late-'80s, Gonzalez and a friend began organizing popular neighborhood block parties under the guise Masters At Work. Gonzalez met Todd Terry through these parties and lent Terry the fresh MAW moniker for two eventual club hits – "Alright, Alright" and "Dum Dum Cry." In return, Terry let Gonzalez borrow his drum machine and recording equipment, on which the blossoming producer recorded several tracks for the influential Nu Groove Records, including "Salsa House." The MAW Union The first collaboration between Vega and Gonzalez came in 1990 when Vega produced the debut album for singer Marc Anthony, an underground club prodigy at the time. Writing with India and other collaborators, and arranging the album himself, Vega brought in Latin masters Tito Puente and Eddie Palmieri to record the album, and turned to Gonzalez for some beats. Credited as "Masters At Work featuring Tito Puente and Eddie Palmieri," the recording of the album set the conceptual framework for future MAW productions: combining live instruments with sampled beats, and veteran masters with new innovators. Soon others were seeking the MAW sound, and Vega and Gonzalez began remixing artists ranging from Debbie Gibson to Saint Etienne. They also began making their own original tracks, like "Blood Vibes," a hip-hop/reggae blend that marked their first original production, and "Our Mute Horn," a Miles Davis tribute track that gave a nod to their jazz influences. As the Masters At Work sound became more pervasive in clubs, they became more sought after by artists and labels, eventually remixing Bjork, Deee-Lite, Neneh Cherry, Soul II Soul, Donna Summer, Janet Jackson, Daft Punk, Incognito, Brand New Heavies, Stephanie Mills and many, many more. Sometimes a MAW remix is literally a re-mixing of the original, like adding a bass line and some minimal keys (Daft Punk's "Around the World") Other times, their remixes are total re-imaginations of the songs, as was the case with Saint Etienne's "Only Love Can Break Your Heart". MAW also began producing for their own coterie of artists, like Barbara Tucker and salsa singer India, as well as for artists like Luther Vandross, BeBe Winans and George Benson. These were artists who had no foothold in the dance world but, based on their collaborations with MAW, were given instant respect. In addition to their own solo departures – e.g., Gonzalez’s hip-hop influenced guise The Bucketheads and Vega's DJ residencies at Sound Factory Bar – the group collected some of their own original tracks and released The Album in 1993. Alternating between hard, head-nodding hip-hop and more inspired house tracks, it was their first album released under the Masters At Work name. Nuyorican Soul MAW alter-ego Nuyorican Soul was born in 1993, a play on their heritage (Puerto Rican), residence (New York City) and style of music (soul). They debuted the guise on "The Nervous Track" (Nervous Records), giving us a glimpse of the Nuyorican concept – a groove that wasn't just thumping beats but musically sophisticated and engaging as well. A subsequent track, the hot club hit "You Can Do It (Baby)!" featuring George Benson, helped the project gain critical mass with fans, and after being signed by influential music maestro Gilles Peterson, Vega and Gonzalez recorded the first Nuyorican Soul album. Released in 1997, the self-titled album was a mix of exemplary salsa, jazz and soul musicians (Roy Ayers, Eddie Palmieri, Jocelyn Brown). There was a discernable Latin jazz influence on songs like "Runaway" (a Salsoul Orchestra cover), a classic soul feel on the Rotary Connection gem "I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun," and a nod to hip-hop with a cover of Bob James' oft-sampled classic "Nautilus (Mawtilus)". Yet while the album's cover songs gave a nod to their influences, nobody could have imagined the timelessness of the Nuyorican sound.
  Discography ↗
  Their RA profile lists Defected Records, Chillifunk Records, King Street Sounds, BBE and 6 more.

  often with HoneyLuv, Soul Summit Music, MUSCLECARS, none of them here that night

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  Love Injection

  New York City · 32 bookings since Sep 2023

  “Co-founded by Barbie Bertisch and Paul Raffaele in 2015 as a monthly print fanzine, Love Injection’s continued multi-faceted expansion and evolution reflects the ongoing process of celebrating people and culture, seeking to fill in the gaps of dance music and nightlife culture’s untold stories and histories, and bring new perspectives to familiar ones.”

  their own biography

  the whole biography

  Co-founded by Barbie Bertisch and Paul Raffaele in 2015 as a monthly print fanzine, Love Injection’s continued multi-faceted expansion and evolution reflects the ongoing process of celebrating people and culture, seeking to fill in the gaps of dance music and nightlife culture’s untold stories and histories, and bring new perspectives to familiar ones. The pair host the Love Injection radio show on NYC’s beloved online radio institution, The Lot Radio, on the air every Saturday morning since February 2016.This sonic extension of Love Injection the print fanzine provides the duo, and their occasional esteemed guest hosts, the latitude to explore sounds unrestricted by the demands of the nocturnal dance floor. The newest branch of the Love Injection family tree is its record label, Love Injection Records. Conceptually, the label lives and operates with similarly fluid aesthetics, with one foot in the dance world and one outside of it. Counter to the modern trend of increasingly short DJ sets that leave little room for texture and nuance, Barbie and Paul’s preferred mode of DJing is the all-nighter – an extended journey/narrative with a beginning, middle, and end.
  SoundCloud ↗Bandcamp ↗

  Recently at public records, H0L0, Good Room · often with MUSCLECARS, Alyssa Stowers, Colleen 'Cosmo' Murphy, none of them here that night

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  Toribio

  New York City · 119 bookings since Aug 2023

  “A triple threat who lights up a room when behind the decks, in the studio and on stage, TORIBIO is a lifelong student of rhythm.”

  their own biography

  the whole biography

  A triple threat who lights up a room when behind the decks, in the studio and on stage, TORIBIO is a lifelong student of rhythm. Analyzing melodies and chords with a musician's ear, the Dominican-American artist blends different genres and moods in all his creative pursuits–DJing, producing, singing, playing instruments, and even his skills on the mic. Thanks to a childhood spent playing in church and jazz drumming, the Florida-born, New York-based act has a natural sense of harmony. He takes on the role of musical cartographer in his Afro-Latin band, Conclave, whose debut album was named one of Resident Advisor's best in 2021 and praised by both Rolling Stone and the New Yorker. Acting as the ensemble's bandlander, vocalist, and key instrumentalist, TORIBIO connects jazz, soul, and house from various cultures with style and grace. His speciality in sonic connections are especially tangible in his DJing. Gliding from pan-Latin club to raw electro to jazz to old-school funk, his sets are a masterclass in building energy and tension. Whether playing Boiler Room or clubs in Mexico City and Tokyo, he knows how to work a crowd with selections and transitions that are as precise as they are powerful. As a producer, his edits and originals are DJ weapons, rinsed by the likes of Gilles Peterson, Rich Medina, and Theo Parrish. His original tracks have been remixed by the likes of Louie Vega, Joe Claussell, and DJ Spinna. Known for fostering community through movement, his Brooklyn block parties (Public Service NYC) embody the spirit of New York’s dance culture while his newly formed imprint B.D.A. is quickly becoming known for bringing these vibes to vinyl. A TORIBIO show is a full-body experience— as he always says, “bring dat ass, and your feet will follow.”
  SoundCloud ↗Bandcamp ↗
  House on 16, Deep House on 6, Disco on 6 and Downtempo on 6. styles on their catalogued releases

  Released on BDA (4) (2) and Bastard Jazz Recordings (1); their RA profile also lists BBE, Fool's Gold, Darker Than Wax, Razor-N-Tape and 4 more. labels on their catalogued releases and on their RA profile

  Recently at BASEMENT, Outer Heaven, Gabriela · often with Mickey Perez, MUSCLECARS, Carozilla, none of them here that night