MASTERS AT WORK - TO BE IN LOVE

The Masters at Work are arguably one of the greatest dance music production duo's of all time. If Larry Levan was the remixer of the 80's then "Little" Louie Vega, and Kenny "Dope" Gonzales, more or less owned the 90's with their productions. Their Nuyorican Soul album from 1996 is brilliant with a timeless quality that still sounds fresh today.
To Be In Love was released at the tail end of the first Nuyorican Soul project, with MAW at the top of their game. Written by Salsoul Orchestra band leader Vincent Montana Jr, and featuring the vocals of Louie Vega's ex wife India, To Be In Love is uplifting and epic, the vocals soar and India's singing in the breakdown is just magic. For mine this is close to the best thing they have ever released...


Masters At Work Presents India - To Be In Love

MICHAEL WATFORD - LOVE CHANGE OVER

Hard Times started out as a night club in and around Leeds in the U.K. The brains behind it was a farmer called Stephen Raine. Hard Times THE LABEL was born in 1994, when he turned the club success he was having into his own record label focusing on US House & Garage. It attracted such American house heavyweights as Todd Terry, Benji Candelario and Roger Sanchez to release records under the Hard Times banner. As quickly as it sprung up the label disappeared, but not before giving the world Love Change Over by Michael Watford. For mine, the mid 90's marks THE golden period for U.S Garage. And this song is a beautifully uplifting, soulful and gospel tinged gem, which wonderfully captures the whole ethos and spirit of what garage was all about...


Michael Watford - Love Change Over (Fire Island Vocal Mix)

REVANCHE

Revanche, was a short lived studio group, the brain child of Jacques "Fred" Petrus who went on to have greater success with acts like Change, Macho and the Brooklyn, Bronx & Queens Band.
The Jacques Petrus way was to take the U.S Soul/Funk/Disco blueprint and replicate it using Italian musicians, bump up the melody, then use American singers (like Luther Vandross and Jocelyn Brown) on the vocals. The result was Italo Disco which sounded like it was made in the the States.
Music Man is the one and only Revanche album, recorded in 1979. I found my copy for $6.00 at my local Dixons. The standout track is 1979 It's Dancing Time, however at the moment I'm really partial to You Get High In N.Y.C, which is a catchy, philly soul inspired, if somewhat camp disco workout... So I'm featuring it... Gotta love it...


Revanche - You Get High In N.Y.C