House music is about big names and big personalities, and neither are much bigger than Kenny ‘Dope’ Gonzalez. You don’t last 25 years in the industry without being short of a bit of talent and time and time again Kenny has proved that he is the man to beat. Whether it’s his pioneering work as one half of Masters at Work and NuYorican Soul, or his more recent endeavours with Mass Destruction, Kenny’s beats take some serious beating.
Kenny is and has always been a perveyor of an organic sound, one that is far removed from the computer-led production methods that have become so prevalent over the last few years. "I didn’t know how to produce a song when I first came into the game" he says "but I learnt from playing music. For me the computer stuff is the easy way out, everyone has a computer and everyone has a program to make a record. But I think people have to dig deep and make the programs work for them. A lot of these pre-made loops and beats take away the essence of recording."
Each of Kenny' productions has his own indelible stamp of quality, and it's this quality that makes the new collection so essential, presenting 20 of his greatest works unmixed across 2CDs of unparalleled house music. Dope stuff from a true House Master.
Kenny Dope House Masters is out 22nd February no 2XCD and download - click to listen & pre-order.
