10 iconic Masters At Work moments

Of course remixing was already a thing in the world of dance music, and had been from the days of Tom Moulton through to Francois K and on to David Morales. But when they came on the scene, Masters At Work perhaps capitalised more than anyone else and helped mould the remix into a must-have accessory for any up and coming popstar. From Michael and Janet Jackson, through to Madonna and even Mel B, everyone developed a thirst for ‘the dub’.

It all started with the remix of Debbie Gibson’s ‘One Step Ahead’ on Atlantic Records. At the time, Gibson was the equivalent of Taylor Swift in the pop world but when MAW were done with her track they had a breezy, soulful house banger on their hands that Frankie Knuckles was playing out. Let’s see someone do that with a Selena Gomez track these days.

A tune that sounds as fresh today as it has every day for the last 24 years, ‘Deep Inside’ is a raw, transcendent, club classic. It perfectly captures the garage sound of early 90s New York while also seeding the foundations for the naughtiest tech house and garage that suburban rude boys would make their anthem. The drums swing from the trees, a bassline bobs along earnestly and that fucking vocal will not leave your head for the entire weekend. Holy mother of god is it a tune. When Kanye West sampled it for his song ‘Fade’, that vocal was the dramatic crux that fuelled the tracks climactic breakdown, leading millions of non-dance music fans to chant the refrain. Not bad for a track made in less than two hours and released as hype for Barbara Tucker’s ‘Beautiful People’.

With Kenny Dope on production, 1995’s ‘The Bomb (These Sounds Fall Into My Mind)’ is another banger under the MAW umbrella. Another track that came together in a short amount of time, the use of the Chicago ‘Street Player’ sample even inspired Pitbull for his moombahton’d EDM hit ‘You Know You Want Me’. But avoid that rabbit hole. Instead, enjoy the original disco-cum-porno styled video that looks like a wet Tuesday afternoon but feels like a lively Friday night. It even got the Beavis And Butthead treatment .

You know you’ve made it when you’re playing the same bill as Prince at the Superbowl. In 2007 Louie Vega was out on the field performing his composition in front of 70,000 people at the stadium and 145 million watching at home on one of America’s biggest days. Big ups.

Back in 1996, Masters At Work were well on their way to becoming the legendary duo today. When we tapped them to do one half of a Mixmag Live! compilation, they duly turned in a mix bursting with signature soul. Highlights include Kerri Chandler's banging 'I Need You' that was released under his Kamar alias, Jaydee's 'Plastic Dreams' and the primal garage of their collaboration with India, 'When You Touch Me'.

Icon noun: a person or thing regarded as a representative symbol or as worthy of veneration.

Yeah, this logo checks out.

As an in-demand house producer, the four-to-the-floor was getting a little repetitive for Kenny Dope. After witnessing jazz dancers at the Southport Weekender he told Louie Vega "no more, let's do something else". What came out of their change in direction was a jazzy, broken beat direction that would earn them a whole legion of new fans including Gilles Peterson, Goldie and Roni Size. 'The Nervous Track' was their first release, a moody groove that laid down the project's live template. Their self-titled album in 1996 featured collaborations with Jocelyn Brown, Roy Ayers, Jazzy Jeff and George Benson to create a veritable stew of house, jazz and latin music.

Whatever you think of the Grammys, being nominated for one is still a musical milestone. As Masters At Work, the duo have been nominated for three. One in 1999, one in 2000 and 2004 while Vega actually won in 2006 for his remix of the Curtis Mayfield classic 'Superfly'.

From Detroit Swindle to Radio Slave to Derrick Carter, you won't find a shortage of DJs and producers that preach the gospel of Masters At Work. And from handbag house to future jazz to garage, the duo have been at the heart of some of dance music's most important genres. Their influence on dance and pop music has been all-reaching while still maintaining a behind-the-scenes attitude to everything they do. Absolute legends.

Louis Anderson-Rich is Mixmag's Digital Intern. Find him on Twitter listening to 'I'm In Love' on repeat