Editing Giant Step Records (section)

==Nuyorican Soul (1997)==

In early 1997, Giant Step achieved widespread critical acclaim through its collaboration with '''[[Nuyorican Soul]]''' and a transatlantic partnership with [[Gilles Peterson]]'s UK label [[Talking Loud]]. Nuyorican Soul was a studio project led by Latin house DJs '''[[Louie Vega|"Little" Louie Vega]]''' and '''[[Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez]]''', collectively known as [[Masters at Work]].

Unlike much contemporary dance music of the era, Nuyorican Soul was built around performances by real musicians rather than sampled or synthesized sounds. Contributors to the project included:

* [[George Benson]]
* [[Tito Puente]]
* [[Roy Ayers]]
* [[DJ Jazzy Jeff]]
* [[Jocelyn Brown]]
* India (salsa vocalist)

Three singles from the debut ''Nuyorican Soul'' album reached the top of the [[Billboard charts]]: ''"Runaway"'', ''"You Can Do It (Baby)"'', and ''"I Am The Black Gold of the Sun."'' The album sold over 50,000 units within months of its release.