The Tenth Anniversary Collection, Pt. 1: 1990-1995

Masters at Work's Tenth Anniversary Collection is a prescient, inestimably valuable four-disc compilation of MAW tracks covering the first five years of what may be the greatest partnership in house music. As surprising as it is to see a single-artist house box set, perhaps the label of release (BBE) makes it a bit more fathomable, considering MAW's Kenny Dope has mixed volumes in two different BBE series (Hip Hop Spectrum and Strange Games and Funky Things). Still, BBE spared no expense with this box, licensing tracks from many different labels -- always a problem considering the large number of outside productions MAW takes on -- and fashioning a lavish box with stellar liner notes to complete the set. Thanks also in part to Little Louie Vega and Kenny Dope themselves, The Tenth Anniversary Collection is also compiled excellently. Since separate discs cover vocal productions, dubs or remixes, beat workouts, and club tracks, fans of Masters at Work for different reasons can focus on facets of their production genius, whether it's a tight club track or a glorious vocal production. Rare and influential MAW tracks ("Blood Vibes," "Justa 'Lil' Dope," "The Bounce," "Our Mute Horn") share space with elegant, evocative vocal productions (Marc Anthony's "Ride on the Rhythm," Martha Wash's "Carry On," Barbara Tucker's "I Get Lifted"), while the duo's best remixes (for Tito Puente, Lisa Stansfield, Simply Red, Ce Ce Peniston, and Alison Limerick) show their diversity. Of course, four discs may be too much for any but devoted fans, but there's so much great house music packed into this set, it's definitely worth taking a chance for anyone interested in the history of dance music.