Kenny Dope - In the House

A master who truly deserves his title, Kenny Dope is one of the greatest DJ-producers of all time. Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez is the embodiment of the eclectic sound of New York. His prolific body of work fuses soul, Latin, Afro-beat, jazz and funk, with house, hip-hop, disco, rap and R&B. To music connoisseurs, this regular Puerto Rican New Yorker is nothing short of a deity.

Kenny is one half of the most revolutionary house production team of the past decade – Masters At Work. Since 1990, Kenny’s studio partnership with "Little" Louie Vega has maintained an awe-inspiring output of dancefloor classics, spearheading the evolution of house music as we know it. The MAW Records imprint is now one of the biggest selling vinyl labels in the world!

Not limited to one genre, Kenny is an undisputed remix champion. His list of clients includes the biggest names in music - from Michael Jackson to Madonna, Ray Charles to Roni Size, The Braxtons to Björk, Donna Summer to Daft Punk, Armand Van Helden to Aaliyah, Janet Jackson to Jamiroquai… nearly everyone has a Kenny ‘Dope’ Gonzalez touched track in their collection somewhere! Simultaneously, Kenny has continued his stunning solo career, with house releases as The Bucketheads and The Untouchables - plus a wide range of hip-hop projects, many on his own Dope Wax label. Kenny's 1995 release under the Bucketheads moniker, 'The Bomb (These Sounds Fall Into My Mind)', topped the dance charts and is still the ultimate disco cut-up.

With his MAW 1997 multi-Grammy nominated 'NuYorican Soul' album, Kenny changed the direction of modern dance music. Acclaimed as an aural encyclopedia of dance, its cross-cultural blend of styles, seamlessly mixed with live instrumentation, featured such all-time greats as Roy Ayres, George Benson, Jocelyn Brown and Tito Puente.

Defected proudly presents a 3CD mix by New York City’s crowned king. A triple disc set with a seriously upfront selection - Kenny’s mix proves his mettle as one of dance music’s greatest innovators. Album Description

Not as thrilling as I thought

I hate when DJ's play a weak song and you're standing on the dance floor trying to signal him to move on to the next track or do something dramatic. This happened one two many times on this CD. I actually considered returning it before I opened it because Dope Gonzales has a hip-hop flavor rather than an actual house flavor and I thought it was sent in error. I held it for 2 wks until I consulted a NY DJ about it. Whatever he and LLV do as MAW is magic, but there is something less desired here. But I will say that he did start jamming towards the last five jams of the first CD. But at a club, I would be demanding my $$$ back. Anyone wanna buy a copy of this? I have one for sale April 13, 2005

One of the best.

To anyone who is thinking about picking up something from Defected's 'In the House' mix series. This would be a good place to start. Kenny Dope really showcases his talent on these discs. The track selection is composed of mostly newer stuff. Which makes his approach a little different than some of the other dj's on this series. But make no mistake,this is good stuff. High energy mixing and excellent track selection. A real standout. January 24, 2005

A Deep House Must Have!

I have all of the Defected's In The House CDs but this by far, has gotta be the best one yet. There are so many favorites on these 3 CDs... It's definitely a classic. May 7, 2004

Spectacular

I couldn't agree more with the previous reviewer. Defected has been on fire with its "In The House" series. Defected Records truly represent what House Music is all about. And, what better way to select the top dj's of the world, than to have one of the TRUE house master mixing a 3 cd compilation. Excellent! January 22, 2004

Absolute masterpiece

Ok. To disclose some bias first, I am somewhat of the opinion that if it is touched by the hands of Kenny Dope Gonzalez or Little Louie Vega (i.e., Masters at Work), or any combination thereof, that it is gold. Yes, MAW have the absolute midas touch. That being said, consider this review:

Those of you who have gotten this far, you probably either know what to expect or you are just cross-referencing anything on the Defected label. In either case, you've come to the right place. Not only is Defected CONSISTENTLY putting out some of the absolute finest house music on the scene by way of releases from Junior Jack, Kid Creme, Miguel Migs, Sandy Rivera (of Kings of Tomorrow fame), etc., but Kenny Dope Gonzalez represents the cream of the crop of the scene. When you combine the two forces, you are sure to have a gem. In this case, you definitely do.

This is three cd's filled with some of the best music out there, mixed by the master himself. It is non-stop from start to finish and truly, and I can't say this of a ton of releases, there is not one dud on here.

I cannot stress this enough: Get this, get this, get this. You will love it, it's a bargain given the amount of music you are getting, and it will give you pleasure for years to come. Also, look for more by the Masters at Work team if you are knew to this gentleman, as well as snatching up more of the Defected releases, particularly Miguel Migs and Sandy Rivera editions (two separate editions). January 18, 2004

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