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Active since the '80s as a DJ, producer, and label operator, and as one-half of Masters at Work, Little Louie Vega is a permanent part of dance music history. Vega made a name for himself behind the decks in the New York City club circuit prior to branching out with studio work. Besides producing his own releases with an array of vocal and instrumental collaborators, he has remixed tracks for commercial dance-pop vocalists and underground producers alike. Remarkably eclectic across four decades, Vega has been deeply immersed in an array of club music styles -- house being foremost, and has all the while kept the genre's connections to disco, freestyle, rap, and Latin jazz illuminated. Among his most notable career achievements are number one Billboard club hits such as "Ride on the Rhythm" (with Marc Anthony, 1991) and "I Can't Get No Sleep" (Masters at Work featuring India, 1993), and a Grammy award in the category of Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical (for his remix of Curtis Mayfield's "Superfly," 2003). His revered discography of mix albums and studio projects includes Louie Vega Starring...XXVII (2016), which was Grammy-nominated for Best Dance/Electronic Album. Vega has never lost touch with his roots, epitomized by NYC Disco (2018).

Born and raised in New York City's Bronx borough, Vega grew up surrounded by music, as the son of saxophonist Luis Vega, Sr. and a nephew of salsa legend Héctor Lavoe. Vega began DJ'ing as a teenager, after he watched some high school friends spin records. He was soon a regular at parties and founded a small label. While spinning at the infamous Studio 54, Vega met house producer Todd Terry, who regularly gave Vega new cuts to try out on the crowd. Vega's own first remix commissions, across 1986 and 1987, included Information Society's "Running," Debbie Gibson's "Only in My Dreams," and Noel's "Silent Morning." By then, he was a fixture in the N.Y.C. club scene, with the DJ booths of the Devil's Nest, Hearthrob, and the Sound Factory also familiar territory to him.

Vega debuted as a solo producer in 1989 with "Don't Tell Me" for TVT and "Keep Pumpin' It Up" for SBK One. Both singles were issued under the name Freestyle Orchestra, the first of Vega's many aliases, though the majority of his subsequent solo output has been credited to his birth name. Additional early success resulted after Vega was commissioned to do songs for the movie East Side Story, which placed him in the path of singer Marc Anthony. Vega and Anthony signed to Atlantic as a duo and released the single "Ride on the Rhythm," which featured Vega's father on saxophone and topped Billboard's club chart in 1991. Shortly thereafter, he and Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez became established as Masters at Work, but Vega eventually continued to record quite frequently as a solo artist and remained sought as a remix producer. Most notably, he won a Grammy for his work on an update of Curtis Mayfield's "Superfly" (Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical; 2003).

Although Vega has had a full career as an individual, he is more widely known as one-half of the production team Masters at Work. He met partner Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez through fellow producer Todd Terry, who originally used the name for some late-'80s output. Since 1990, Vega and Gonzalez have issued dozens of 12" productions, mostly on their own MAW label. They've peaked commercially with the chart-topping India collaboration "I Can't Get No Sleep" (1993), and have remixed the likes of Jamiroquai, Madonna, and Michael Jackson, among tracks by dozens of other artists. As Nuyorican Soul, the two worked with such jazz legends as Tito Puente and George Benson for a self-titled album (1997) that reached number 25 on the U.K. chart. The success of Nuyorican Soul cut a path for Vega to lead another all-star affair, Elements of Life, with help from fellow deep house heavy weights Josh Milan and Kevin Hedge of Blaze, along with top-tier session vocalists Cyndi Mizelle and Lisa Fischer. That group's activity culminated with the album Eclipse (2013). The collaborative spirit continued through Louie Vega Starring...XXVII (2016), on which Vega worked with material from Funkadelic, Jocelyn Brown, and long-term collaborator and wife Anané. That album was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Dance/Electronic Album.

Across the decades, Vega has also continued to tour the world as a DJ with his unique blend of classics, obscurities, and Latin dancefloor anthems old and new. His selecting and DJ'ing skills have been showcased on over 20 commercially released DJ mixes, such as Little Louie Vega at the Underground Network NYC (1993), Back in the Box (2007), and Vega on King Street: A 20 Year Celebration (2013). NYC Disco (2018) applied many of his skills with a selection of remixed, edited, and reworked club classics of the late '70s and early '80s. ~ Andy Kellman & Diana Potts

Marc Anthony is a multi-talented singer, dancer, actor, songwriter, producer, and fashion designer. He is inarguably one of the world's biggest pop stars, and the top-selling salsa artist of all time, considered the only rightful heir to the late Hector Lavoe's throne. Anthony has sold tens of millions of recordings, won multiple Grammys, Latin Grammys, and dozens of other awards. Since releasing 1997's Contra La Corriente, he's regularly scored Top 200 albums and Top Ten Latin Albums that include 2007's El Cantante, 2013's 3.0, and 2019's multi-platinum-certified Opus. As an actor he has appeared in starring and supporting roles in films including The Substitute, Big Night, and Blue in the Face. He starred as Lavoe in El Cantante, had a recurring role in the television series Hawthorne, and appeared in Broadway productions such as Paul Simon's The Capeman. While rightfully regarded as one of the great salseros to emerge in the 20th century, he continues to innovate by embracing and exploring new directions and trends in Latin music and pop; he has employed tenets from hip-hop, electro, rock, soul, and trap, as on 2022's Grammy- and Latin Grammy-winning Pa'llá Voy and 2024's Muevense.

Instructed in music theory and composition by his father, Anthony (who was born in 1968 in New York City) grew up listening to Latin musicians including Rubén Blades, Hector Lavoe, and Willie Colón, and contemporary pop recordings by Air Supply and José Feliciano. At age 12, Anthony and his sister were discovered by David Harris, a producer of demos and commercials; Anthony was hired to sing background on several productions. His songwriting skills became evident, and an early composition, "Boy, I've Been Told," became a Top 40 hip-hop hit for school friend Safire. Anthony subsequently sang background vocals on Safire's debut album and on albums by the Latin Rascals and Menudo.

Teaming with producer and disc jockey Little Louie Vega, Anthony recorded his debut album, When the Night Is Over, in 1991. The Latin hip-hop-style album, which featured guest appearances by Tito Puente and Eddie Palmieri, included the single "Ride on the Rhythm," which reached the top slot on Billboard's dance music charts. On November 22, 1991, Anthony was the opening act on a show at Madison Square Garden that celebrated Puente's 100th album release. Anthony's second album, Otra Nota (produced and arranged by Sergio George), was a better representation of his salsa roots and included the original tune "Juego o Amor." Todo a Su Tiempo, released in 1995, was a continuation of Anthony's collaboration with George.

Anthony began working with producer/arranger Angel "Cucco" Peña on his fourth album, Contra la Corriente, and it won the 1999 Grammy for Best Tropical Latin Performance. A self-titled English-language album released in 1999 was an overt attempt at crossing over to the mainstream, and it reached the Top Ten of the main Billboard album chart, with "I Need to Know" peaking at number three. While 2002's Mended was an even greater commercial success, Anthony continued to release Spanish-language albums that were closer to his roots, like 2001's Libre and 2004's Amar sin Mentiras. His profile was further raised by starring as salsa legend Héctor Lavoe in 2007's El Cantante, which co-starred his then-wife, Jennifer Lopez. All of the Lavoe songs in the film were sung by Anthony, and the El Cantante soundtrack album was released featuring these versions.

In 2010 he released another Latin album, Iconos, on which he covered classic pop ballads. Anthony and Lopez separated in 2011, eventually divorcing in 2012, but continued to work together on the Latin talent search show Q'Viva! The Chosen. Anthony appeared on Robi Draco Rosa's comeback-from-cancer recording Vida in the spring of 2013. He also issued "Vivir Mi Vida," which topped Billboard's Latin Songs chart for 18 straight weeks, making it the longest-running number one salsa single of all time. His highly anticipated return-to-salsa album, 3.0, was released in July, his first release of original tropical material in nearly a decade. The album received a Latin Grammy for Recording of the Year. After years on television and in cinema, Anthony undertook his "Legacy Tour" in 2018, during which he revisited music from throughout his career. In September he dropped the multi-platinum-selling Latin trap jam "Está Rico" with Bad Bunny and Will Smith and duetted with Prince Royce on the singer's hit "Adicto." The tour went so well that Anthony extended it into 2019. He issued Opus in May. It went to number one at Top Latin Albums, and number two on the Tropical Albums list; he received one of two Grammys issued for Best Tropical Album in a tie with Aymée Nuviola's A Journey Through Cuban Music.

The full-length Pa'llá Voy arrived in March 2022 and found him reunited with "Otra Notra" producer Sergio George. The album was titled after its single, a reworked cover of Senegalese band Africando's "Yay Boy," originally sung in the Wolof language, and released in 1994 on their Tierra Traditional, Vol. 2 album. Anthony's update adopts New York’s instrumental-leaning salsa gorda style popularized in the '80s. The track entered the Tropical Airplay chart at number four. Pa'llá Voy hit number 20 on Billboard's Top Latin Albums chart and peaked at three on the Tropical Albums chart. It won the Latin Grammy Award for Best Salsa Album and took home the Grammy for Best Tropical Latin Album. It was also certified Gold.

After a pair of collaborations, including 2023's "La Fórmula" with Colombian star Maluma, Anthony kicked off 2024 with the bachata-infused solo single "Punta Cana." He reteamed with George for the long-player Muevense. Released in April, the ten-song set doubled down on rootsy tropical salsa, bachata, and merengue played by a crack band. A chorus of male backing singers joined him on the title track to dazzling effect. The album hosted a number of love songs including "Amarte a la Antigua" and "Pasemos a los Besos." Muevense placed well inside the Top 40 in eight countries during its first week of release. ~ Craig Harris