Album Notes

Kevin Hoover was first introduced to the music business in 1993 when he began working with his good friend, legendary DJ, producer and remixer, Frankie Knuckles, in the role of Personal Assistant. In this position Kevin handled the day to day running of Mr. Knuckles’ affairs, traveling with him as his Tour Manager on his continuous world-wide travels as a DJ, coordinating interviews, photo and video shoots, sitting in on recording sessions, providing input on mixes and even assisting Mr. Knuckles in pre- and post-production of his sophomore album project, the 1995 release, Welcome to the Real World.

Kevin also gained behind the scenes knowledge of the industry by helping Knuckles campaign to be elected to the Board of Governors for the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS). Knuckles’ election to the New York Chapter helped bring about the inclusion of Dance music to the Grammy categories. “Best Dance Recording” and “Remixer of the Year” are categories that were added to the Grammy's in 1997. It was only fitting that when the thousands of NARAS votes were counted, the first Grammy for remixer went to Knuckles, also known to the world as the Godfather of House Music.

In 2000, Kevin sought to challenge himself outside of his comfort zone of working with Mr. Knuckles. Jermane Britton (a dear friend and fellow Chicago native whom had also relocated to New York), advised him of his plans to leave R-Senal Records (Roger Sanchez) and start his own label. Seeing their shared vision prompted Jermane to offer a full partnership to Kevin in Kid Dynamite Records, which they launched Fall 2000.

Since it's inception, Kevin has supervised over a dozen releases for the record label, guided the label from traditional retail distribution into the electronic age of digital distribution and online marketing and brokered several lucrative licensing deals with domestic, European and Asian record companies. Also, thanks to the encouragement of the people around him, Kevin has worked diligently to hone his own skills as a composer and producer. These productions lead to remix and production work for several singers, rappers and Reggaeton artists as well as a licensing deal with TWI, the television division for IMG World, to provide them with music for television shows they produce. Hoover has also laid the groundwork for taking Kid Dynamite into television production with the development of an on-air lifestyle magazine. All of this coupled with his work in photography and design has caused Kid Dynamite to expand from being solely a record label into a multimedia corporation.

When asked why the alias "Nino Cacera," Kevin said that it's difficult to be taken seriously as both an artist and a business person when working in the entertainment industry. By choosing a moniker that bore no resemblance to him, Mr. Hoover has successfully managed to maneuver the delicate balance between artist and entrepreneur. But he says, "now is the time to lower the mask and live fully in my truth."