Spin highly recommended the album, praising its "stunning, almost seamless sample-driven tracks."[8]Robert Christgau of The Village Voice gave the album an honorable mention and quipped that it was "West Indian daisy age from boogie-down Toronto", choosing the tracks "Ludi" and "My Definition of a Boombastic Jazz Style" as highlights.[9] The Edmonton Journal stated: "Drawing on their own roots and the music of Chinese, Spanish and Italian friends they grew up with, they've produced an original sound that capsulizes the ebb and flow of '90s dance music."[10]
Ned Raggett of AllMusic noted that "the duo plays around with any number of inspired samples and grooves, from jazz to harder-edged beats, with style and skill."[3]
It peaked at No. 18 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 34 in Canada, where it received gold certification. Over 800,000 copies were sold worldwide.[2][11][12]
In 2013, the album made Ballast's list of the top 50 Canadian albums of all time.[13] In 2018, the album won the Polaris Heritage Prize Jury Award in the 1986-1995 category.[14]
"U Never Know a Good Thing Till You Lose It" – Contains samples of "Sing a Happy Song" by War and "Wild and Loose" and "The Walk" by the Time
"And Now the Legacy Begins" – Contains samples of "Shine Your Light" by the Graingers and "Genius of Love" by Tom Tom Club
"Tune from the Mission Channel" – Contains samples of "Oh Honey" by Delegation, "Kissing My Love" by Bill Withers and "Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud" by James Brown
"Wash Your Face in My Sink" – Contains a sample of "Hang On Sloopy" by Count Basie
^And Now the Legacy Begins (liner notes). Dream Warriors. Island. 1991. 3913102.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
