Hex Hector

From the late 1970s onward, when his grandmother first introduced him to Salsoul recordings, Hex Hector channeled his energies into New York’s perpetually vibrant house music scene and eventually reached its summit, securing a Grammy and substantial industry influence. While some producers rework tracks by their peers, Hector instead reworked material by leading pop figures including Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin, Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, Diana Ross, and others. Labels routinely turned to him when they needed a hit single adapted for club play. In addition to those high-profile assignments, he maintained an active presence as a DJ across New York’s premier venues. Although his reputation afforded him considerable leverage, he issued relatively few solo albums; beginning in the early 2000s he did put out several mix albums, yet continued to concentrate chiefly on remixes, the very skill that earned him a 2001 Grammy.

Born into a Puerto Rican household in New York, Hector split his childhood between his parents and his grandmother. The latter kept music playing constantly, drawing from an eclectic range that encompassed Santana, Cal Tjader, Al Green, the Rolling Stones, and the full Salsoul catalog, the preeminent source of late-’70s disco. That environment shaped him decisively, prompting him to begin DJing local parties in 1979. He soon immersed himself in the city’s major clubs, experiencing Larry Levan at the Paradise Garage, Kenny Carpenter at Bonds, Jellybean Benitez at the Funhouse, Afrika Bambaataa at the Roxy, Mark Kamins at Danceteria, and comparable settings. By 1986 he had secured a residency at the China Club, where he formed a friendship with a then-unknown J-Lo. In subsequent years his bookings expanded to Palladium, Tunnel, Limelight, and Sound Factory, among additional spots. Only in the late ’90s did his remixing work begin to overshadow his DJ career. A 1996 collaboration with Soul Solution on Toni Braxton’s “Un-Break My Heart” produced a major dancefloor success and opened the door to further commissions; within a few years he had established himself among the most sought-after remixers for the aforementioned pop superstars.