DJ Junior Vasquez

In the world of DJs and club music, Junior Vasquez is God. Revelers view him as the 'Mohammad Ali' of the dance floor, unleashing beats so hard and powerful, he is said to 'turn them out' at his weekly parties. For those not familiar with the lingo of the New York City underground, to be "turned out" is to experience a state of blissful exhaustion. To be so tired from dancing, you know you should stop, but you can't. The music won't let you. The pounding beats, and the man behind the beats, Mr. Vasquez himself, are in control and you, the loyal partier, willfully submit to his every command.

Junior Vasquez has been at the forefront of the dance music scene for over twenty years now. He started out, as many of today's young DJs do, making mix tapes for friends in the early eighties. One of his friends, a young visionary who was just beginning to make a name for himself among the Bohemian art set, invited Junior to DJ at a private party he was throwing in the West Village. The artist was Keith Haring and the parties were the now infamous Carmine Street Pool Parties.

The young DJ, with his transfixing mixes of the day's biggest dance hits and underground club nuggets, became an instant sensation among downtown trendsetters and soon Junior was in search of a permanent venue to reach a wider audience. His only option was to open a new club, which he did. Bassline, in New York's Tribeca, became Junior's first house and he welcomed a seemingly ever-growing crowd. So many, in fact, that within two years, the crowds outgrew the space. None of the city's established venues were equipped properly for his needs. (Junior is the consummate perfectionist when it comes to his craft)

Junior needed a new home, one that he envisioned as "strictly afterhours, strictly underground." His answer was The Sound Factory, the legendary club that is still considered to have been the Mecca of all dance clubs. (It later became Twilo and is currently Spirit.) The young crowd that filled The Sound Factory to capacity every weekend were not merely club music fans, they were worshippers. The Sound Factory was more than a place to let loose and have a good time, it was sacred ground.

Meanwhile, outside of The Sound Factory booth, Junior Vasquez was actively being pursued by the biggest names in show business. Working alongside the prolific producing team of Arthur Baker and Shep Pettibone, Junior was courted by artists like Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince and Cyndi Lauper. MC Hammer, the biggest name in hip hop at the time, re-cut his "Pray" video to Junior's mix and John Mellencamp opened his 1992 World tour with Junior's version of "Love and Happiness".

The day Junior decided to leave The Sound Factory for Tunnel, his legion of fans dutifully followed; and then multiplied. Junior proved to have the power to transform gutted warehouses into all night dance arenas where people from different walks of life—black, white, straight, gay, muscled guidos and pink-haired transvestites—came together as one.

It's a strange power of unity that Junior has managed to achieve time and time again with every change of venue: from Tunnel to Palladium, Twilo to Earth and Earth to Discotheque. Every venue has become legendary in its own right; defined by its own sound created by Vasquez and his favored diva-of-the-moment.

Palladium, popularly known as Arena, is most remembered by Junior's original mixes of Whitney Houston's "Step By Step", Toni Braxton's "Unbreak My Heart", and Madonna's "Don't Cry For Me Argentina." Twilo introduced Mary J. Blige's "Your Child" and Nelly Furtado's "I'm Like A Bird". Earth featured Deborah Cox and Kevin Aviance’s post 9/11 anthem "Alive".

The secret to Junior's long and distinguished career is his keen awareness of music's ever changing landscape and his uncanny ability to remain two steps ahead of music's cutting edge.

Four years ago, Junior founded his own record label, JVM. Though not averse to working with big name talent, Junior's main focus has been on fostering relationships with new artists and producers, giving them a direct outlet to the dance world's biggest DJs and underground devotees the world over. Newcomers such as the Swedish pop band Alcazar, piano sensation Casey Stratton and the male vocalist phenomenon Jason Walker, have benefited under Junior's tutelage – and have achieved chart-topping results.

Its no wonder many of today's biggest young DJs name Junior Vasquez as their inspiration. Junior's an icon, a luminary, a pioneer. And he's not done yet.

Junior Vasquez is currently producing special events at three of New York City's mega-clubs: Spirit, Roxy and Crobar. He also maintains a busy DJ schedule throughout the world.

http://www.juniorvasquezmusic.com/