Masters at Work

This double-CD box set, commemorating the tenth Southport Dance Music Weekender, has little to do musically with the antiquated British holiday camp where the event takes place. It does have a lot to do with the New York musical stew produced by Masters at Work, the DJs selected to mix this compilation. The first disc by Little Louie Vega defines the city's '90s garage sound that led to some of dance music's biggest hits of the era. Vega goes right for the dancefloor, opening with the global smash "Supernatural" by Kim English. Such a brazen move might seem like a lazy way to thrill listeners were it not for the fact that Vega himself is a legend in the New York music community. He reminds listeners of that fact with the next track, MAW's own Nuyorican Soul remake of the Vincent Montana Jr. disco classic "Runaway." Like most elder statesmen, Vega is not afraid to embrace the spiritual powers of music, evoking the religious-like fervor of house with Ultra Naté's "Free" (another worldwide hit) as well as the gospel-powered "Testify" by Jay Williams. The second disc, mixed by Kenny "Dope" Gonzales, demonstrates that while he might be world famous for his house productions, he is still deep down a Bronx hip-hop head. Gonzales drops records from well-known contemporary N.Y.C. rappers Jay Z and Mobb Deep as well as past legends A Tribe Called Quest and KRS-One. And perhaps as a nod to his U.K. patrons, he adds two tracks by British hip-hop phenomenons Camp Lo. The selection is good, while the mixing is nonexistent. Gonzales simply moves from one track to another, occasionally utilizing a quick Kenny Dope vocal sample to assist the segue way. There might be scores of better hip-hop mixes out there, but Vega's mix more than sells this set. And as a whole, it illustrates the house/hip-hop crossover that is natural for millions of music fans -- a fact that is has always been the premise of the Southport Weekender. ~ Joshua Glazer, All Music Guide