LOUIE VEGA レコード& CD

Review: ***B-STOCK: Dent on the side, product in perfect working order***


It may come with an eyebrow-raising price tag, but what's on offer here is undeniably alluring: a box set of 10 seven-inch singles containing all of the songs from Louie Vega's brilliant Expansions In The NYC album - an all-star affair in which the Masters at Work man celebrated his love of New York disco, boogie and house. The album itself is incredible, with fantastic musicianship, arrangements and vocals, while the cast list - which includes original electrofunk outfit Unlimited Touch, Peech Boys main man Bernard Fowler, Honey Dijon, Cindy Mazelle, Moodymann, Kerri Chandler and his son Nico - is similarly impressive. It's a great product, packed with brilliant music: a fitting finale to this portion of the ongping 'Expansions NYC' project.

Review: It may come with an eyebrow-raising price tag, but what's on offer here is undeniably alluring: a box set of 10 seven-inch singles containing all of the songs from Louie Vega's brilliant Expansions In The NYC album - an all-star affair in which the Masters at Work man celebrated his love of New York disco, boogie and house. The album itself is incredible, with fantastic musicianship, arrangements and vocals, while the cast list - which includes original electrofunk outfit Unlimited Touch, Peech Boys main man Bernard Fowler, Honey Dijon, Cindy Mazelle, Moodymann, Kerri Chandler and his son Nico - is similarly impressive. It's a great product, packed with brilliant music: a fitting finale to this portion of the ongping 'Expansions NYC' project.

Review: Some of Masters at Work man Louie Vega's greatest full-length projects have paid tribute to New York's 50-year dance music story, as well as his personal musical inspirations (most notably the Nuyorican Soul album he penned with long-time production partner Kenny 'Dope' Gonzalez in the 1990s). Expansions in the NYC, his latest epic excursion, treads a similar path, offering a large number vocal-heavy numbers that not only blend elements of disco, boogie, proto-house and house, but also feature some genuinely high-profile vocalists from that era (think Peech Boys' Bernard Fowler, Unlimited Touch). Vega also joins forces with 21st century house star Honey Dijon on the superb 'Feels So Right', while the hook-ups with Moodymann, Kerri Chandler and Joe Clausell are as inspired as you'd expect.

Review: This fine double-pack features more alternate takes of tracks from Louie Vega's vast Expansions in the NYC album. The headline attraction is the epic extended mix of the Rod Temperton penned jazz-funk/disco classic 'The Star of a Story', which not only boasts fine lead vocals from Lisa Fischer and shuffling samba-house beats, but also strings (arranged by Leroy Burgess) performed Kelley Polar and his colleagues in the Apple Hill quartet. The EP also includes instrumental and chunky 'Vamp Dub' passes of that track, plus alternative versions of two other tracks: the organic deep house roll of 'A Place Where We Can All Be Free' and a superb string-laden dub of 'Love Has No Time Or Place', featuring Vega's Elements of Life band, which showcases the orchestral arrangements of Leroy Burgess and the late Patrick Adams.

Review: The Master at Work that is Louie Vega has been a music-making machine all his life but in recent years has continued to reach new heights with various different projects. Here he is back on regular label Nervous with various different versions of his tunes 'Joy Universal' and 'Igobolo.' 'Joy Universal' (feat Two Soul Fusion) is classic Vega - soulful house music awash with Latin influences, loose-limbed percussion and funky basslines. And that template is tweaked over the ensuing tunes, with glorious pianos, jazzy grooves and tropical rhythms all making for a fine EP.

Review: Tucked away on Louie Vega's fantastic - and vast - Expansions in the NYC album were a handful of tributes to disco legends Patrick Adams and Larry Levan. This double-pack brings those tributes to the floor. Vega opens with his Elements of Live band cover of Sine's Patrick Adams-produced 1978 B-side 'Chimi', turning the four-minute cut into a driving-but-bouncy, near 14-minute disco epic rich in restless bass, attractive vibraphone solos and spacey synths. On 'Change Your Mind', which is presented in both full vocal and instrumental forms, Vega recruits the voice of the Peech Boys, Bernard Fowler, and turns down a sparse, heavily electronic workout reminiscent of Larry Levan's early '80s mixes. It's genuinely great, as is the DJ Spinna-sporting, hybrid disco/organic house cover of Adams' classic 'Atmosphere Strut'. In a word: essential!

Review: Louie Vega's forthcoming "Expansions In The NYC" album was apparently created in part as a tribute to the roots of house music as he sees them. You'll find plenty of nods to classic styles of old in this second sampler EP. The A-side boasts two thrill-a-minute, sweat-soaked "Nico Funki" dubs of "How He Works" - muscular and forthright affairs rich in squelchy proto-house bass, righteous vocal samples and a nagging, almost familiar piano riff. The fun continues on side B via the breezy brilliance of "Can't Slow Down" - a fine slab of organic, disco-tinged house in Vega's now familiar style - and the superb "Vince Montana Tribute", a cut in the style of the vibraphone player and Salsoul arranger complete with Candido style disco drums.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Creasing on the top right corner of the outer sleeve, slight dents to the others, otherwise unopened and in excellent condition***


Some of Masters at Work man Louie Vega's greatest full-length projects have paid tribute to New York's 50-year dance music story, as well as his personal musical inspirations (most notably the Nuyorican Soul album he penned with long-time production partner Kenny 'Dope' Gonzalez in the 1990s). Expansions in the NYC, his latest epic excursion, treads a similar path, offering a large number vocal-heavy numbers that not only blend elements of disco, boogie, proto-house and house, but also feature some genuinely high-profile vocalists from that era (think Peech Boys' Bernard Fowler, Unlimited Touch). Vega also joins forces with 21st century house star Honey Dijon on the superb 'Feels So Right', while the hook-ups with Moodymann, Kerri Chandler and Joe Clausell are as inspired as you'd expect.

Review: Louie Vega and the legendary Nervous Records linked up for an epic new album project last year and teamed it with various singles. Expansion in the NYC is yet another landmark project in a career littered with them for Vega, and these two tunes, like all he ones before, prove why is still at the top of his game. Obviously, the production is high class. It exudes warmth and musicality, but the ideas too are fresh. 'Another Day In My Life' is a rolling, soulful house track with chunky drums and an aching vocal sample. On the flipside is 'Deep Burnt (feat Axel Tosca)', another US garage tinged groove with noodling jazz keys, heart-melting chords and a feeling of joy that Vega does so well.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Slight surface marks/scratches on the record, otherwise in excellent working condition***


Louie Vega and the legendary Nervous Records linked up for an epic new album project last year and teamed it with various singles. Expansion in the NYC is yet another landmark project in a career littered with them for Vega, and these two tunes, like all he ones before, prove why is still at the top of his game. Obviously, the production is high class. It exudes warmth and musicality, but the ideas too are fresh. 'Another Day In My Life' is a rolling, soulful house track with chunky drums and an aching vocal sample. On the flipside is 'Deep Burnt (feat Axel Tosca)', another US garage tinged groove with noodling jazz keys, heart-melting chords and a feeling of joy that Vega does so well.

Review: It would be fair to say that post-disco outfit Unlimited Touch's 1980 single "I Hear Music In the Streets" is one of the greatest boogie/electrofunk records of all time. Louie Vega clearly agrees, because late last year he decided to gather together the remaining members of Unlimited Touch and record a fresh 2020 version. The A-side "Touch Mix" is the bomb. It features a more organic-sounding disco-boogie groove than the 1980 original, with delicious guitars, bass and electric piano/organ underpinning seriously good group vocals from the sometime Prelude-signed outfit. Over on the flip, Vega serves up an electric piano solo-laden dub mix, as well as a "Classic Boogie" take that naturally sounds very similar to the band's much-loved original version.

Review: Anyone with even the smallest interest in disco and boogie will have heard Unlimited Touch's 1980 classic 'I Hear Music In The Streets'. It's a stone-cold killer that should be approached with caution. Louie Vega, of course, is respectful, and these versions are not remixes but rather re-makes, with the Masters at Work man being joined in the studio by all manner of guest musicians and vocalists - including original members of Unlimited Touch. The standout version is the near 11-minute A-side 'Touch Mix', an all-live post-disco version rich in classic disco bass, guitars, electric piano keys and spacey chords. The short-ish 'NYC Expansions Dub' cans the vocals and emphasises the various instrument solos, while the 'LV Classic Boogie Mix' is an almost note-for-note remake of the 1980 original.

Review: Straight off the heat of his last ambitious collaborative opus Starring XVIII, Louie Vega returns with a remarkable disco album in collaboration with Nervous founder Michael Weiss. Inspired by the influential legacy of Sam Records, the album pays homage to the late 70s melting pot with originals, remakes and star appearances from the likes of Luther Vandross. Part 1 runs the gospel gamut with rich feelgood moments such as the First Choice cover "Love Having You Around" and the naughty undertones of Vandross's most upbeat cut in decades "Get Myself Together" and plenty more. And this is only the half of the story. Yet another unique, masterful body of work.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Creasing to corners of outer sleeve, product unopened & in excellent condition***


Straight off the heat of his last ambitious collaborative opus Starring XVIII, Louie Vega returns with a remarkable disco album in collaboration with Nervous founder Michael Weiss. Inspired by the influential legacy of Sam Records, the album pays homage to the late 70s melting pot with originals, remakes and star appearances from the likes of Luther Vandross. Part 1 runs the gospel gamut with rich feelgood moments such as the First Choice cover "Love Having You Around" and the naughty undertones of Vandross's most upbeat cut in decades "Get Myself Together" and plenty more. And this is only the half of the story. Yet another unique, masterful body of work.

Review: One of the musical highlights from Louie Vega's NYC Disco album, "Rebel Nation" is a collaboration between grammy award winner Louie Vega, legendary multi-platinum producer Patrick Adams, and Nulu Records president, international DJ and artist Anane. Patrick initially had the idea for the song after seeing a recent Star Wars movie. Louie saw the vision of what it could ultimately be with live music additions, and Anane added the inspired lyrical content and vocal performance. In Louie's own words, "I call Anane a chameleon, because she transcends so many different sounds with her voice. She gave the track just the right feeling vocally. It's a very punk-rock approach; the kids speaking out, all kinds of people making the statement, Get Up! Stand Up! Let's Rise! Rebel Nation."

Lauded critically and on dancefloors worldwide in its original album version, the track has now been given the all-star remix package treatment with contributions from Danny Krivit, Carl Craig, Soul Clap and Felix Da Housecat X Chris Trucher.

Review: Part two of Louie Vega's latest authentic adventure; what began as a remix project on a series of Sam Records classics quickly became a brand new artist album with Louie and Nervous boss (and son of Sam Records founder Sam Weiss) Michael Weiss orchestrating some of the finest remakes and originals imaginable. Following the Luther Vandross-featured first part comes this exceptional sophomore packing highlights such as Louie and wife Anane's sultry cover of Indeep's seminal "Last Night A DJ Saved My Life", the insatiable late night energy of "Dancing For Your Love" and the soul melting sultry style of "Love Fantasy". Exceptional to the last disco detail.

Review: Louie Vega's Expansions In The NYC album remains a classic of the house master's vast ouvre. It was an all-star affair from the Masters at Work icon which same him pay homage to New York disco, boogie and house with fantastic musicianship, arrangements and vocals from a superb cast which includes Peech Boys main man Bernard Fowler, Honey Dijon, Cindy Mazelle, Moodymann, Kerri Chandler and his son Nico. Two of the cuts from it now make their way onto this 12" on Nervous in the form of the soulful delights of the sooth a-side 'Another Day In My Life' and the jazzy, piano laced dancer that is 'Deep Burnt' (feat Axel Tosca) on the B-side. Life affirming stuff.