Nuyorican Soul

Nuyorican Soul is Jazz Music and House performed by Stateside Puerto Rican (Nuyorican) groups or music, that started in the 90s with themes derived from Nuyorican culture. Nuyorican Soul, to a great extent, does not refer to any single style or approach. Some of these groups do not at all, or use many specific Latin instruments or sounds. The main unifying factor, whether or not any explicitly Nuyorican Soul is heard, it has a strong Soul, Jazz and House influence, a rather independent and relaxing approach to making music that comes from outside the music industry.

Nuyorican Soul is the distinctive style of House and Soul music performed by Stateside Puerto Ricans from New York and the Midwest through the East Coast region of the United States that contains themes of their cultural experiences. Although the genre is broad and diverse, encompassing a variety of styles and subjects, the overarching theme of Nuyorican Soul is its House influence and incorporation of instruments like the Sampler, Drum Machine, and Sequencers.

Masters at Work

Masters at Work is the house-garage production and remix team of "Little" Louie Vega and Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez. They first worked together using the name in 1990. The name was given to mutual friend Todd Terry who recorded several tracks under that name during the 1980s by Gonzalez earlier. Vega is also the cousin of Eric Vega, a popular event creator and promoter in New York City.

The duo also produced music together under the names MAW, KenLou, Sole Fusion, Hardrive, and Nuyorican Soul.

Their Nuyorican Soul project had the duo working extensively with real (as opposed to sampled or synthesized) musicians, in a variety of styles including Latin, disco, jazz, and more. Musicians who took part in this project include Vincent Montana Jr., Roy Ayers, George Benson, Jocelyn Brown, Tito Puente, and members of the Salsoul Orchestra. The self-titled album released under the name Nuyorican Soul in 1996 included original tracks as well as cover versions of songs by the performers with which the duo was working, such as "Sweet Tears" (Roy Ayers), and "Runaway," originally sung by Loleatta Holloway with the Salsoul Orchestra, here sung by India and featuring musicians from the original recording of 1977.

Nuyorican

Nuyorican is a portmanteau of the terms "New York" and "Puerto Rican" and refers to the members or culture of the Puerto Rican diaspora located in or around New York City, or of their descendants (especially those raised or still living in the New York area). This term could be used for Puerto Ricans living in other areas in the Northeast outside New York State. The term is also used by Boricuas (Puerto Ricans from Puerto Rico) to differentiate those of Puerto Rican descent from the Puerto Rico-born.

The term Nuyorican is also sometimes used to refer to the Spanish spoken by New York Puerto Ricans. An estimated 1,800,000 Nuyoricans are said to live in New York city, the largest Puerto Rican community outside Puerto Rico. Nuyoricans are not considered Puerto Ricans by some island Puerto Ricans due to cultural differences; this is a very controversial topic amongst both groups of Puerto Ricans. Nuyorican has a broad meaning; originally it meant Puerto Ricans, both island-born and mainland-born, living in New York, but many island-born Puerto Ricans use the term to describe assimilated Americans of Puerto Rican descent, living in any US state, or very assimilated or "Americanized" people of Puerto Rican ancestry, who largely lost touch with traditional Puerto Rican culture, and grew up culturally "American", though oftentimes still identify pridefully with Puerto Rico.Ethnic enclaves centered on Puerto Ricans include Spanish Harlem, Manhattan; Williamsburg, Brooklyn; and the South Bronx.