Masters at Work

Biography

Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez first used the name Masters at Work for block parties he threw with Mike Delgado in the late 1980s. He later let Todd Terry borrow it for his 1987 singles "Alright Alright" and "Dum Dum Cry," which were edited by Delgado and Franklin Martinez. Terry had been inspired by Gonzalez's parties and became an influence on him. When Little Louie Vega was brought in to mix one of Terry's freestyles, he met Gonzalez.

The two officially started using Masters at Work as their own name in 1990. In 1993 they launched the side project Nuyorican Soul, a name that combined their New York City roots, Puerto Rican background, and love of soul music. This project focused on working with live musicians across Latin, disco, and jazz styles. Contributors included Vincent Montana Jr., Roy Ayers, George Benson, Jocelyn Brown, Tito Puente, and members of the Salsoul Orchestra.

Their 1996 self-titled Nuyorican Soul album featured original songs and covers of tracks by these performers, such as Roy Ayers's "Sweet Tears" and a version of "Runaway" originally recorded by Loleatta Holloway with the Salsoul Orchestra, here sung by India with musicians from the 1977 session. The duo has earned three Grammy nominations for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical. In 2021 they revived MAW Records and released their first new track in two decades.

Legacy

UK DJs remixing their tracks in the 1990s helped birth speed garage. The duo is also widely credited with sparking the Golden Age of Latin house. Resident Advisor described them as possibly the most influential duo in house music history. Their 1991 track "The Ha Dance" left a major mark on the Black and Latino LGBT ballroom scene and vogue.

Its beat has been sampled and remixed so frequently that it is now almost interchangeable with ballroom music. The vocal "Ha" falling on the four-beat works with vogue's dramatic "dip" move. They have remixed artists ranging from Michael Jackson and Madonna to Daft Punk and Earth, Wind & Fire.