Soul Heaven presents: MASTERS AT WORK listings

Soul Heaven presents: Masters at Work Saturday 28th May Masters at Work return to London for a rare DJ performance at Canvas in the heart of Kings Cross. Their name says it all. "Little Louie" Vega and Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez are Masters at Work. Louie Vega and Kenny Gonzelez have made a monumental contribution to dance music. After meeting at a very early time in dance music they successfully added a lifetime of style and quality and raised the standard of production on dance music. Hailing for NY city the duo have repeatedly drawn on a rich musical tapestry that and cross-cultural rhythms of Afro-beat, classic disco, hip-hop, house, jazz, Latin and R&B that grouped together to form the NY underground influenced by a varied selections of artists from Africa Bambaataa to Larry Levan and David Mancuso. There live performances comprise of Kenny Dope making the beats and Louie adding the rhythms as they perform collectively and separately what is a breath taking display of music. MAW have single-mindedly attempted to put Lonnie Liston Smith's words of wisdom into practice. "Expand your mind. "Our feet have followed. MAW will be performing a 9 hour musical marathon interspersed by surprise vocals and performances they will be orchestrating a musical marathon. In Canvas 2 another musical giant takes to the decks in the form of Hip-Hop pioneer DJ Jazzy Jeff hosting the room. While Kenny and Louie have shaped House music, Jeff contribution to Hip-Hop as been no less impressive. Philadelphia born Jeff came to international notoriety in 1985 alongside Will Smith aka the Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Although now the limelight belongs to Will in 1985 it was Jeff that attracted the crowds as he was famed as one of the best scratchers and turntablists of his day. Widely regarded as the inventor of the 'transformer' and chirp scratch, which can be found on the "magnificent jazzy jeff" and "getting jiggy wit it." Jazzy Jeff should also be remembered as the first corporately sponsored DJ and designer of the first mixer to be made specifically for the scratch DJ, the modern classic, Gemini 2200, or the Jazzy Jeff Signature series. His performances capture an accessible side of rhythm and bass caressing dancefloors with feel good vibe. More details to follow shortly. Canvas 1: Masters at Work (Little Louie Vega and Kenny Dope Gonzalez) and friends Phil Asher (Restless Soul) Canvas 2 hosted by BBE: DJ Jazzy Jeff BBE All Stars Canvas 3: Soul Heaven residents Andy Ward (Soul Central) Aaron Ross (Radio 1Xtra) DJ Rupert (Swing City Records) Craig Bartlett (L’America) Garfie Canvas 4: Sounds Heavenly Danny Mayes Tony Zahra Robert Redford Adam B Dave Lynam Hamish Dunn Joe Junior Lynda Phoenix Canvas 5: FAITH Terry Farley Stuart Patterson Dave Jarvis Vikky Paris £20.00 Tickets are available from www.ticketweb.co.uk and selected outlets throughout London or by calling 08700 600 100 and on the door 0870 246 2050 or www.clubtickets.co.uk 10pm-6am Canvas, Goods Yard, Kings Cross Freight Depot York Way, N1 0UZ Tel: 020 7833 8301 Email: info@canvaslondon.net www.canvaslondon.net Masters at Work Biography Their name says it all. "Little Louie" Vega and Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez are Masters at Work. Their achievement is nothing short of immense for, having met at a time when dance music was beginning to sound stale, they successfully injected it with a decade's worth of inventive vitality. In the process the dance duo have repeatedly drawn on a rich musical tapestry that spans the cross-cultural sound waves of Afro-beat, classic disco, hip-hop, house, jazz, Latin and R&B, as well as the varied selections of Africa bambaataa, Larry Levan, David Mancuso, Red Alert, Tony Humphries, Bruce Forest and John "Jellybean" Benitez. The embodiment of the eclectic sound of the New York underground, MAW have single-mindedly attempted to put Lonnie Liston Smith's words of wisdom into practice. "Expand your mind….."Our feet have followed. Louie and Kenny were introduced to each other by Todd Terry, and began to collaborate when Vega invited Gonzalez to lay down some beats on his and Mark Anthony's first album, "When The Night Is Over". MAW's debut re-mix came soon after with Debbie Gibson's "One Step Ahead", which established them as the hottest new item on the underground scene. The first Masters at Work production, "Blood Vibes"/"The Ha Dance", reinforced their reputation, and Gonzalez and Vega have successfully straddled both ends of the music industry ever since, suffering the category-ridden nineties as if the confining notion of genre was just an illusion, re-mixing and producing groovy garage, deadly dubs, Juicy Jazz, lavish Latin and heavenly hip-hop. Along the way Kenny and Louie created their very own blend of beats in the form of the ground breaking "Nervous Track", and the concept culminated in 1997 with the critically acclaimed Nuyorican Soul album, which brought together a dazzling talented and eclectic collection of artists and musicians. Roy Ayers, George Benson, Jocelyn Brown, India, Jazzy Jeff, Vince Montana, Eddie Palmieri, the late and deeply mourned Tito Puente, Hilton Ruiz and Dave Valentine all appeared, delighted to be part of such an incredible project. A string of hits that spanned the underground and the charts followed: "You Can Do It (Baby)" featuring George Benson, "Sweet Tears" featuring Roy Ayers, "Runaway" featuring India and "I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun" and "It's Alright" featuring Jocelyn Brown. Nightworld couldn't believe its ears. A testament to their impeccable musical roots, the Nuyorican Soul album didn't just break new ground. It tore up the entire terrain of dance music. This was the first time that anyone had dared to bring together such diverse array of talent on a single album - an imaginative leap that could only have been thought up on the dance floors of New York. In addition, the album demonstrated that DJ re-mixers, so often scored as a breed head-banging automatons, could transfer their talent to the business of production. And once again Louie and Kenny were at the head of the pack. A unique urban species, the dazzling duo have also been busy running their own fantastically successful label. Launched in 1995 MAW records has consistently broken new boundaries in the form of Gonzalez and Vega's fusion of jazz, Latin and funk, hypnotic beats and emotive vocals, as well as the very best of New York's finest up and coming artists. The label broke the smash hits "Everybody Be Somebody" by Ruffneck featuring Yavahn and "To Be In Love" featuring the always remarkable India. Recent hits on the label include Kenny and Louie's tribute to Fela Kuti, "MAW Expensive", "Latin Lover" by the wonderful Stephanie Mills and "I Love To Love" by Jody Watley featuring Roy Ayers. All of this and more will feature on Louie and Kenny's ten-year anniversary album, an extraordinary collection of music that catalogues the duo's staggering contribution to dance music. Released by British label BBE, the collection features the very best of MAW's work with international artists such as India, the Brand New Heavies, Incognito, Daft Punk, Mel B, Simply Red, George Benson, Lisa Stansfield, Matha Wash, Tito Puente, Ultra Nate, and Luther Vandross, as well as cutting-edge underground collaborations with figures such as Kenny Bobien, Dajae, Four Hero, Monday Michiru, Donell Rush, Roni Size, Barbara Tucker and Michael Watford. And much, much maw. And who can forget that the Masters posses prolific turntable skills? These DJs extraordinaire are a highly sought after presence in the international party arena. Such is their exploit in this domain that they have ventured to produce some of Dance music's most memorable events. For instance, the highly publicized and very exclusive Masters at Work Winter music Conference annual barbecues which culminated earlier this spring with a 10th anniversary celebration, as well as the Nuyorican Soul concert at Central Park Summer Stage which drew an audience of 11,000 screaming fans! Vega and Gonzalez guarantee success and enormous turnouts. Even though the two-time Grammy nominees have been collaborating for ten years, they're as prolific today as they've ever been. Those Masters - they sure know how to work. Jazzy Jeff Biography He's the DJ, we all know that, but DJ JAZZY JEFF, also known as JEFFREY TOWNES, is also a record producer and business man while filling the role as Philadelphia's resident creative and professional inspiration for new talent in R&B, POP, HIP-HOP, JAZZ and SOUL genres. "I want to take what Mr Gamble and Mr Huff did in the 70's and continue the progression of the "PHILLY SOUND" he explains. As the founder and head of A TOUCH OF JAZZ, Jeff nurtures the careers of a roster of young producers, writers and artists and houses them all in a studio complex in the downtown area. A TOUCH OF JAZZ encompasses the studio, production company and the music publishing concerns. A web site launch is in the works. So, how does one person juggle all of these responsibilities and still have time to tour with long-time friend and musical partner WILL SMITH? "I don't sleep much," says JEFF, "I love all of the things that I am doing, so I just make it work." Most days, JEFF can be found in the control room of his studio at A TOUCH OF JAZZ. Whether he's producing his protégé JILL SCOTT, who made her debut on Hidden Beach/Epic Records this spring, or writing producing tracks and Executive Producing the smash Willenium album or organising a Sunday jam session for local musicians including JAMES POYSER, BILAL OLIVER and JEFF LEE JOHNSON. "Having a studio has allowed me to practice and grow as a musician. It's the ultimate workshop or a factory for songwriters and producers. I wanted to create a collective, a real-life school of a sort." While he advocates and possesses a strong belief in recording with live musicians, JEFF is also one of the foremost programmers, utilizing the ever-evolving range of technological developments. He observes, "You've got to use the equipment to your advantage, but most importantly, you've got to use your creativity. For a time, it was all about what could be created with the machines, I want to bring back the live sounds, which I feel can not ever be accurately reproduced by a computer and then to utilize the best technology to enhance the production." "If you listen closely enough, you can find the soul in any music," JEFF says. And, his goal is to bring soul into the new millennium. Among many other qualities, JEFF possesses an old soul. Listening to him talk about his influences who range from QUINCY JONES to KENNY GAMBLE and BERRY GORDY and watching as he guides the ten-member team of A TOUCH OF JAZZ Producers, one can only be reminded of these icons in their earlier days. When told of this comparison JEFF says, "Wow, those are big shoes to fill. I get quiet when I get those comparisons. I'm too busy focusing on my work." In addition to the executives, JEFF also cites the "chord oriented" musicians like LYLE MAYS, THE YELLOWJACKETS, PAT METHENY and MARCUS MILLER, to name a few. A natural talent, JEFF has never taken music lessons. "I play a thousand instruments in my mind," JEFF says, "and that's where I compose the music. I can create the beats that will make you cry or dance or want to celebrate, the turntable is the instrument I play." Among his many credits, JEFF is the writer of the theme song for "The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air," and a track on the Simpsons compilation album. His professional collaboration with WILL SMITH, which dates back to 1985, has resulted in sales of over 10 million albums. Most recently, the evolution of the two stars' relationship was exemplified when JEFF served as the Executive Producer on the multi-platinum International smash "Willenium" as well as produced most of the tracks. The others were written and/or produced by members of A TOUCH OF JAZZ's team. In late spring 2000, Hidden Beach/Epic Records introduced its debut artist, JILL SCOTT, who JEFF has developed and delivered to the label. He serves as Executive Producer on the album. A TOUCH OF JAZZ team members wrote and produced the whole album. JEFF also served as Executive Producer on KENNY LATTIMORE's Columbia release From The Soul of Man for which he also wrote and produced two tracks while his A TOUCH OF JAZZ team-mates wrote and produced another seven. Currently, JEFF is in the studio recording the solo debut of HOOTIE & THE BLOWFISH's DARIUS RUCKER as well as in various stages of work on a number of other projects including PAULA ABDUL and TATIANA ALI. THE TOUCH OF JAZZ facility houses three complete 48-track digital and 24-track analogue rooms. In addition, the studio offers an extensive collection of vintage microphones, keyboards and tube gear, a personal passion of its owner. The studio employs 12 people and also serves as a location for Sunday jam sessions. With one foot firmly planted in the history of the Philadelphia sound and the other leaping into the future, JEFFREY ALLEN TOWNES aka JAZZY JEFF is proud of his decision to make a musical home base in his hometown. "I love that I call MR GAMBLE at any time and talk to him about what is happening in music," he says.