Louie Vega - Back In The Box (NRK)

[ramon]

Mighty Dub Kats – It’s Just Another Groove
Wow, the legendary Norman Cook. This track has a sample of one of my favorite R&B Dance producer songs (Cloud Nine) Patrick Adams. This track has a great percussion build to a disco sample that has such a good feeling I used to play this track at the Sound Factory Bar at our (Don Welch, Barbara Tucker and myself) Underground Network parties. The Underground Network parties were a great era in NY from 1991 - 1996, I was the resident DJ. To this day there are still UN parties thrown by Barbara Tucker and Don Welch.
I remember mixing the song thru the percussion build with other songs and when it came to the hook, the dance floor exploded with a frenzy! It is a dancers record, it became a huge song around the world, I can proudly say I was one of the first to play it in NYC.

Gypsymen – Hear The Music (Tee’s Mix)//House Of Gypsies – Samba//Swing Kids – Good Feelin (TNT Bonus Mix)
These tunes, produced by Todd Terry and Kenny Dope respectively, made a huge impact on clubland. With "Hear The Music" and "Samba", Todd Terry was very clever at sampling 3 or 4 different records and creating an entire new song out of it. In "Hear The Music" he sampled Unlimited Touch's "I Hear Music In The Streets" and the scat was just too catchy, which was actually Todd Terry scatting. Samba also had a hypnotic scat, vocals courtesy of Todd Terry and a latin/afro feel to the track. Tribal music started coming in and this track was perfect at the time. To this day you can put this track on and the dance floor still erupts. Swing Kids, Kenny Dope cut this track for Nervous Records, I was always fond of the tail end of the track when the chords came in, if you notice on the mix I brought in the track with the vamp and went back to the top with the full version. As a DJ I always found an interesting part of a song or track where I could bring it in. It was not always necessarily the beat intro for a track. In this case it was the vamp. Kenny the beatmaster, was very clever here with drum programming. He came up with a beat that's been sampled so many times, even by Todd Terry. Todd used it on "Samba". This was at the very beginning of Masters At Work, Kenny and I met in 1990 and I played this song at a club in NYC named Roseland and another called the Hideout. What a tune!

Crystal Waters - Gypsy Woman (She’s Homeless)
In the late 80s the Basement Boys were unstoppable in the underground scene, they had Ultra Nate's "Its Over Now", 33 1/3 Queens on Nu Groove, "Tonight" by Those Guys and the superjam Gypsywoman. We were all so proud of them, a song that began underground crossed overground and became a huge pop smash. Sold well over a million copies, every producers dream. Crystal Waters has a unique voice and an infectious scat that had the world singing to her tune. I remember Larry Levan playing this song at the Palladium, after the Paradise Garage closed he threw a few parties at this club and this song was fresh out the box. Frankie Knuckles, David Morales, myself and others were hittin this track hard. This song has to have one of the best kicks (the bass drum) in house music, keyboards, a killer chord progression (Neal Conway) and groovy bassline. Mastered by Herb Powers, all of these elements made an A team and a pure 100% club/pop hit! Check out the groove at the top, after the mix, I extended that groove since it feels so in the pocket with the new bassline I played.

Interceptor - Together
This is a Murk Boys early track, a male vocal track that was pure underground house. They won me over with this and I was looking for Murk productions here after. Later on in the years we met them and I brought them over to play at our UN party. In return they threw a party for us and DJ'd with us in Miami. The party was called Masters At Murk, if you have one of the tee shirts they are priceless. We've been friends ever since, Murk Boys- thanks for the inspirational tracks!

Groove Collective – I Want You (She’s So Heavy) (Eric Kupper Remix)
Groove Collective, the NY band which came from the Giant Step family, were always one of my favorite bands from home. When they recorded this Beatle's remake and teamed up with Eric Kupper (producer/keyboardist) I picked up this piece of vinyl right away just because of their names.
Eric Kupper remixed this song and gave it a whole new feel. The second half of the song has a Trombone solo which you can hear over and over.
This instantly became a number one record for me at the Underground Network Parties in NYC. The vinyl is also one of the thickest pieces of vinyl you could get. If you have a copy, you have a classic piece.

Gerideau – Take A Stand For Love (Blaze Mix)
Blaze are one of my favorite songwriter/producers of house music. They are the true pioneers of our music and have written some of the biggest tunes including "One Dream" by Elements Of Life featuring Anane for Cirque Du Soleil and the Superbowl 2007. They were also remixers, and when they put their hands on this song it really complimented the voice of Gerideau. "Take A Stand" became an instant Shelter and UN Classic, a NY Anthem. Gerideau's voice has been compared to that of Stevie Wonder, so can you imagine if Stevie sang on a house track, this would be the closest we would get.

Nick Holder – Summer Daze
My memory of "Summer Daze" is DJing in South Africa to over 30,000 people. YFM, the infamous radio station, gave our music huge support and asked me to play their birthday party. To my surprise they played lots of our music on the airwaves, and lots of my favorite jams from other artists. This track was so big, when I played the song the crowd of 30,000 were chanting the hook, it was an out of body experience!
To this day I'm friends with BOP, DJ Vinny, El Maestro, DJ Fresh, DJ Pepsi and many more in Johannesburg, South Africa.

K-scope – Latin Blues Part 1
From Body & Soul to Dance Ritual in NYC,”Latin Blues” really worked all crowds at home, I'm sure the same overseas. Eric Kupper blew me away with this latin groove and some blues chords. I've spoken to Eric Kupper and we are both going to remake the track and give it a new twist as well. The organ solo rises to the top and this makes it a perfect isolator jamming piece. Check out Joe Claussell working this track on an isolator or crossover. A classic Twisted Record!

Vinnie Colaiuta – Momoska
Vinnie happens to be an incredible drummer, who has played with some of the most talented artists in music, Sting to name one. He produces his own jazz albums. On one of his albums was this song "Momoska" which Timmy Regisford started playing at Shelter. It became an instant classic. I and other DJs played it as well. I had the pleasure of meeting Vinnie in an airport while traveling, and I have to say, he was the coolest. Herbie Hancock plays piano on "Momoska" and really tells a story. And the bassline on this one is bangin! Another friend, Antonio Ocasio, put "Momoska" out on his label Tribal Winds, if you can find a copy on vinyl which is rare, pick it up and fast.

Aphrohead – In The Dark We Live
A huge worldwide club record, which put Felix Da Housecat on the map for me. When this record was played, it crossed the worlds of Soul and Techno. The syncopated kick (bass drum) also started something new in Drum programming for house music. And the “pipe hit”, I call, which is a sound in the record that sounds like you're hitting a pipe with a hammer. It was dark, deep and raw! Another Underground Network classic. A guaranteed floor rocker.

Romanthony – Let Me Show You Love
I was in Naples when this song came out and Claudio Cocolutto played it in front of 5000 people, place went nuts. I see Romanthony as the Prince of House Music (the artist Prince). His tracks were and are always so unique.

Black Science Orchestra – Where Were You?
I remember when Ashley Beedle told me he did this tune with his crew, I first heard it at the Sound Factory Bar on Frankie Knuckles Night (Fridays), it instantly became a Frankie Knuckles classic. There are certain DJs that can make a record his or her own, Frankie is definitely one of them. He made this track sound like no other would. When the break came with the Tramps sample "Where Were You When The Lights Went Out" it was a cosmic explosion. I went right away to pick up vinyl on this and played it at Sound Factory Bar immediately on my night (UN). The bassline and organ sound playing bass thumped and rumbled the birthas (bass cabinet/speakers). It was unreal, then the boyz (Ashley/Diesel & crew) came out with the next Black Science Orchestra which I made my own immediately. Two in a row for the boyz, in a matter of months. Much respect to Black Science Orchestra!

Norma Jean Bell – I’m The Baddest Bitch (In The Room)
Moodyman & Norma Jean Bell are such a talented group, I always look out for tunes with their names on it, always interesting productions coming from their camp. Raw & very true to the heart music. Norma Jean Bell can sing and the sax is a wonderful sound on her jams. She can play & sing, multi-talented. Moodyman, what can I say, I've been playing his tunes for years and to this day always on the lookout for another Moodyman Classic!

Night Moves – Transdance
I believe this track was way ahead of its time, especially with the drum programming. I remember hearing this track when it was first released at Zanzibar, Tony Humphries rocked us all with this song. Many a late nights at Zanz with Humphries and this song, he would ride it with other jams, but this one always stood out. The lead vocal; very UK new wave and super synthesized sounds. I just played this song at Roots, NYC (my residency in NYC with Keving Hedge of Blaze) and in Paris at 5 Beats in Djoon a few weeks ago and people came up asking what it was. I had the pleasure of meeting the producer of the project over emails and have to say it’s an inspirational track for me.