Released September 21 on Defected Records, Defected presents House Masters Masters At Work is a landmark collection of 40 original tracks and remixes from the most impressive discography in house music.
There are few names in dance music today which need less of an introduction than Masters At Work. The ground-breaking project of Louie Vega and Kenny Dope, Masters At Work forged a reputation for genre-eschewing DJ sets and flawless house production throughout their extraordinary careers, while their influence and reach changed house forever.
Taking the distinct and already highly praised production aesthetic of Vega and fusing it with Gonzalez's encyclopaedic knowledge of breaks and hip-hop, Masters At Work created an accessible yet defiantly underground sound that is still being copied and referenced – but crucially never bettered – by many of today’s contemporary producers.
House Masters Masters At Work is the distillation of 25 years of both genre defining and genre defying moments: hand-picked compendium of original productions and remixes set over four expansive CDs.
It would have been all too easy to pick the biggest hits for a ‘greatest hits’ compilation, but House Masters Masters At Work digs a little deeper, and includes some of their less well-known records resulting in a collection fit for the connoisseurs. “We wanted to try and pick out some of the joints that got overlooked the first time around” says Dope of the selection process. “There were tracks that were bigger than others, but that doesn’t mean those other records aren’t as good”.
Vega adds: “Even with those bigger records, there’s an audience that doesn’t know them, so we’re trying to think about the younger kids as well as our older fans with the selection”.
From stone-cold classics ‘I Can't Get No Sleep’, ‘Love & Happiness’ and ‘The Nervous Track’ to the less well-known but equally inspiring strains of ‘Pienso En Ti’ and ‘Dancing In Outer Space’, House Masters Masters At Work will please everyone from hardcore MAW completists to newcomers to this musical force of nature.
Also included are many of their seminal remixes, with exemplary reworkings of The Braxtons, George Benson, St. Étienne, Chris Cuevas and more leading the way.
Masters At Work have always operated according to their own rules and their own sound. Whether it's the sampling techniques of hip-hop, the swing of Latin styles or the soulful euphoria of house – they've always added their own special ingredients. This is what makes Masters At Work genuine dance music legends, and makes House Masters Masters At Work such an essential collection.
Defected presents House Masters Masters At Work is out 21 September (4CD, double LP and digital) on Defected Records - order from Amazon / order from iTunes
Tracklisting
CD1
01. Bebe Winans ‘Thank You’ (MAW Mix)
02. The Braxtons ‘The Boss’ (MAW Remix)
03. MAW featuring James Ingram ‘Lean On Me’ (MAW Mix)
04. Masters At Work featuring India ‘Backfired’ (Album Version)
05. Voices ‘Voices In My Mind’ (MAW Mix)
06. Afro Celt Sound System ‘Release’ (Masters At Work Main Mix)
07. Incognito ‘Nights Over Egypt’ (Masters At Work Main Mix)
08. Nuyorican Soul featuring India ‘Runaway’ (Original Flava 12")
09. Urbanized featuring Slivano ‘Helpless (I Don’t Know What To Do Without You)’ (The Kenlou Remix)
10. Gus Gus ‘VIP’ (Masters At Work Vocal Mix)
CD2
01. Masters At Work featuring India ‘I Can’t Get No Sleep’ (Ken Lou 12” Mix)
02. Masters At Work featuring India ‘When You Touch Me’ (M.A.W. Remix)
03. Funky People featuring Cassio Ware ‘Funky People’ (Masters At Work Main Mix)
04. Ruffneck featuring Yavahn ‘Everybody Be Somebody’ (MAW Style Mix)
05. Simply Red ‘Thrill Me’ (Masters At Work House Mix)
06. Black Masses ‘Wonderful Person’ (MAW Vocal Mix)
07. George Benson ‘Song for My Brother’ (Kenlou 12" Mix)
08. Masters At Work ‘Work’ (MAW Mix)
09. River Ocean featuring India ‘Love & Happiness (Yemeya Y Ochun)’ (MAW Original Remix Extended)
10. Maw featuring Luis Salinas ‘Pienso En Ti (I Think Of You)’ (House Mix)
CD3
01. Saint Etienne ‘Only Love Can Break Your Heart’ (Masters At Work Dub)
02. Lood featuring Donell Rush ‘Shout-N-Out’ (The DJ Dub)
03. Nuyorican Soul ‘The Nervous Track’ (Ballsy Mix)
04. Chris Cuevas ’Hip Hop’ (Masters At Work Dub)
05. Atmosfear ’Dancing In Outer Space’ (Lunar Mix Part 1)
06. D’Influence ‘Hypnotize’ (M.A.W. Piano Dub Mix)
07. The Neville Brothers ‘Fly Like An Eagle’ (Slippin Dub)
08. Debbie Gibson ‘Losin’ Myself’ (12” Masters At Work Version)
09. Uncanny Alliance ‘I Got My Education’ (Master At Work Dub)
10. Masters At Work ‘Our Mute Horn’ (Ken Lou Mix)
CD4
01. Masters At Work ‘The Ha Dance’ (Ken / Lou Mixx)
02. Los Amigos Invisibles ‘Ease Your Mind’ (Masters At Work Dub Edit)
03. House Of Gypsies ‘Sume Sigh Sey’ (MAW Remix)
04. Kathy Brown ‘Can't Play Around’ (M.A.W Dub)
05. Ce Ce Peniston ‘Crazy Love’ (Krazy Dub)
06. Baaba Maal ‘Gorel’ (Piano Dub)
07. Jody Watley ‘Off The Hook’ (MAW Dub)
08. Ultra Naté ‘Show Me’ (Masters At Work Wild Dub)
09. The Brand New Heavies ‘Close To You’ (Masters At Work Remix)
10. B.O.P ‘Zabalaza’ (MAW Original Mix)
