Soul Heaven Presents Masters At Work

Recreate a piece of the Soul Heaven atmosphere, wherever you are.

For over a decade, ‘Little’ Louie Vega and Kenny ‘Dope’ Gonzalez have spearheaded dance music with their inventive production style and imaginative feel for different musical forms.

These 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. Vega and Gonzalez defiantly mix everything they can find – house, hip-hop, funk, disco, Latin, African and jazz – into a universal groove - the Masters At Work (MAW) groove.

Both grew up in musical families and were exposed to Latin and soul music from an early age. Kenny Dope’s father played percussion and Louis Vega was introduced to music by his famous late uncle Hector LaVoe who is widely regarded by many as being one of the greatest salsa singers of all time. It is no wonder they always wanted to be musicians, although Louie did have early aspirations of being an aircraft pilot!

Both attended the block parties in their native New York and their musical landscape incorporated Africa Bambaata, Marley Marl, Larry Levan and Grandmaster Flash. Finally they met through a mutual friend who just happens to be the legendary producer Todd Terry.

It wasn’t too long later before they made their own musical mark with the release of Nuyorican Soul, a project that brought together some of the Worlds best known artists including the legends Tito Puente, Eddie Palmieri and George Benson. They have also worked with Madonna, Luther Vandross, Donnna Summer and Michael Jackson.

With all these different inspirations, until recently it was a difficult task to bring all these influences together to represent a whole where they could fully express themselves. The logical step was to create ‘Soul Heaven’, an event dedicated to all forms of soul music.

Partnered by well-known London promoter Oliver White, Soul Heaven at The Ministry of Sound, London, was a big hit, attracting over 3000 people per event – the most successful regular event ever in London to represent this genre of music and this year the event celebrates its 6th birthday. The popularity and success of Soul Heaven has inspired Kenny & Louie to put together the compilation Soul Heaven presents Master at Work.

“This compilation was made to capture the essence and atmosphere, musically of Soul Heaven. The feeling of a Soul Heaven night is what we have achieved,” explains Louie.

The result is a triple pack CD with an exclusive mix of 48 tracks by various artists. Both mixes are firmly aimed at the dancefloor, containing a combination of both brand new and retro tracks alongside reworked classics featuring artists like Roy Ayres, Frankie Feliciano, Moloko, Kerri Chandler, Terry Hunter and DJ Spen. There are also a host of exclusive re-edits and remixes specially created for the project, and as the tracks roll, you can't help but allow your body to get into the groove. All we can say is this is house like it should be!

Also included is a bonus CD that showcases the specially selected tracks that have inspired and influenced Kenny Dope and Louie Vega over the years. You’ll find a wide range of producers that have won over this DJ duo including acts such as Jamiroquai, Blaze and Roni Size.

Soul Heaven: Masters At Work is released 27th February 06. Click here for a full track listing.