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Three-time
Grammy nominated Kenny Dope, one of the most prolific artists of
the modern music age, has been entertaining and astounding the masses
alike with his fusion of house, hip-hop, Latin, jazz, soul, and
broken beats. Known as a living encyclopedia of beats, Kenny Dope
is a purveyor of sonic masterpieces.
Born in 1970,
Kenny Dope grew up in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park and by the early
eighties he was absorbing the hip hop beats that were being played
at the local street parties. Along with his partner, Mike Delgado,
Kenny organized a series of neighborhood parties under the Masters
at Work alias, and these were regularly attended by Brooklyn hero
Todd Terry.
In 1990 after
an introduction by Terry, Kenny and DJ “Little Louie”
Vega immediately hit it off and began a creative partnership appropriately
dubbed Masters At Work. As the MAW sound became more pervasive in
clubs, they became more sought after by artists and labels, eventually
remixing and producing artists such as R. Kelly, Janet Jackson,
Daft Punk, Barbara Tucker, India, Luther Vandross, BeBe Winans,
George Benson and many, many more.
Kenny Dope’s
breakthrough as a solo artist came with the recording of the breathtaking
Bucketheads album in 1995. A track called “The Bomb! (These
Sounds Fall Into My Mind)” was the standout track, fulfilling
Kenny’s ambition to make “something raw, something that
was fun.” With its driving drums, screeching sound effects
and extended sample from Chicago’s “Street Player”,
the song was an instant sensation on the underground and before
long he was gate-crashing the European pop charts with his first
major hit.
Following the
success of the Bucketheads album, Kenny took a break from his solo
career, focusing on his collaborative work with Vega. The Nuyorican
Soul album marked a particularly important moment, and had Kenny
Dope’s unerringly creative imprint written all over it. Kenny
was behind every aspect of the album’s creation, and tracks
such as “Nautilus” were handpicked by the man himself.
The album’s release marked Kenny Dope’s transition into
one of America’s most important contemporary producers.
For the last
decade Kenny Dope has had his hands full releasing literally thousands
of tracks, remixing hundreds of singles, and globe trotting to DJ
all over the world. In his production work, Kenny consistently shows
his distinctive ability for programming superior beats while blending
a myriad of music styles to deliver the ultimate mix. With his long-established
reputation as a DJ extraordinaire, Kenny showcases a melting pot
of house, jazz, funk, soul, and hip-hop while keeping the show colorful,
energetic and soulful.
While production
and touring account for most of his time, Kenny has also established
Kay-Dee Records with Scottish funk DJ legend Keb Darge. Kay-Dee
will be the imprint for rare reissued classic funk records, “There
is so much great music out there that we decided to find it and
bring it to the masses”, Kenny said. Kay-Dee will also be the
label that Kenny will use to featuring up and coming bands as well.
Whether its
sitting behind the control board, playing to his followers, or searching
for the next great re-release classic, the beat master will continue
to shine as the master at work.
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Guest
DJ