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Features
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Gatecrasher presents house music god Junior Vasquez
Reported by benz
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Submitted 23-09-05 11:50
We are honoured to have spoken with one of the true legends and pioneers of house music. Having embarked on his long and illustrious DJing career in 1984, Junior Vasquez (neé Donald Mattern) built up his reputation spinning during the birth of the house music scene in New York, USA. He has been playing since the music came into existence, and his been responsible for some of the most famous episodes in house music history. At one time the most famous and in-demand DJ in the world, his name has barely been mentioned in our country in the last 6 or so years. Now he’s back to remind the UK why he was so god damn big in the first place.
Co-founder of New York’s legendary Sound Factory club (later known as Twilo), Junior Vasquez and his club become known the world over for being what house music was all about. As well as hosting some of the most memorable and talked-about parties in the history of the New York clubbing scene, he has for many years been jetting around the world every month to reaffirm people’s faith in him at the same time as winning fans worldwide with his ever-changing, forward-thinking sound. The next month, for example, sees him play England, Switzerland, Bulgaria, and Poland. On top of this he also established himself as one of the most sought after names in production, remixing household pop star names by the truckload as well as creating his own classic tracks (such as ‘If Madonna Calls’, which famously sampled a answer phone message that the gap-toothed Anglophile left for Junior). He has remixed and produced more Billboard Club Play (the official US dance music chart) number one dance tracks than anyone in the world. He was, quite simply, the biggest name in house music in the world.
By the turn of the millennium, however, his name wasn’t quite what it used to be here in the UK. Although he has been continuously in demand in the US and many other countries, UK dance music fans weren’t really feeling his sound anymore. Years of drug addiction hardly helped either. But now, back on top of his game and feeling as good as ever, Junior Vasquez is overjoyed to be returning to our fair island to show us lucky lot what he is doing in 2005, and why he is still so popular and relevant. Gatecrasher meets Heaven on Friday 30 September is the date, and the main man will be playing a very special 6 hour set. If you remember him from the first time round, or want to be filled in on one of the most important men in dance music history — you need to be there.
Your name was once ubiquitous in the UK, but in recent years we have heard very little from you. What have you been doing recently?
I was much more connected with the UK music scene when I played at the original Sound Factory. I broke a lot of records by producers like Murk, Roger Sanchez, MK, Farley & Heller, Danny Tenaglia, X-Press 2 and many other guys. But outside of my club, these guys only really had a following in Europe. After Sound Factory closed in February 1995, I took my music in a completely different direction, and I was hired by a lot of pop acts to remix about every song under the sun. That’s when I started doing more work for Madonna, Cher, Cyndi Lauper, Deborah Cox, Whitney Houston, Mary J. Blige, Toni Braxton and Elton John. I became a gay circuit dj in the US, and musically I was completely disconnected from the ‘underground’. Thankfully I’ve been lucky enough to have four major residencies since Sound Factory closed, and my following in NYC is as devoted as ever.
Are you still as much in love with dance music and DJing as you have ever been?
Absolutely. I have returned to my roots in terms of the kind of music I love, and I am quite busy remixing and producing lately. I am still in demand as a pop remixer. In the past two weeks, I’ve finished great new mixes for Destiny’s Child, Britney Spears and even Barbara Streisand. But in my DJ sets I still play a lot of cutting edge tracks that definitely influence the sound of my own productions.
Do you still produce tracks? Was writing music always something you felt very natural doing?
I love to produce. I spend about four days a week in the studio. I’ve just completed two albums for artists I’m developing: Jason Walker and Vernessa Mitchell. It’s the best work I’ve ever done.
Do you feel that yourself and the other people who were so instrumental in creating the Twilo/New York scene have left the dance music world a legacy which has extended outside the city itself? Do you think you guys have had a lot of influence over the years?
I know that the Twilo years were very special to a new generation of clubbers, and I loved being back in that space (it was the original Sound Factory), but in my opinion, the Friday night Euro party with DJs like Sasha and Digweed, Paul van Dyk, Carl Cox, etc. had nothing at all to do with my Saturday night party in the same space. I was basically playing all of my own productions/remixes for a gay crowd, and the Euro party there on Fridays was very bridge-and-tunnel, lots of kids, lots of drugs. We all did share the great Steve Dash/Phazon sound system though.
What happened to Twilo in the end? We always got little snippets of the story over here but the whole tale is not very well known…
The owners of Twilo fought very hard to keep the club open, and we were all blamed for the drug problems that eventually caused the club to be closed by the city. But the truth of the matter is that the kids on Friday nights were too immature to handle their partying, and unlike the slightly older and more mature gay crowd on my Saturday nights, there were lots of overdoses. The other factor that caused it to close was the drug GHB. That drug is evil. It makes me sick to think that a few young drug addicts caused the club to close. The space has reopened since then as Spirit, but they’ve sucked the spirit out of what was once a great club.
Have there been lots of problems with the authorities and clubbing in New York? What do you think needs changing with regards to the laws and so on?
I went through a few years of addiction and luckily recovered. My opinion is that if the clubs cannot survive without drug dealing on the premises, then they should be closed. I don’t want to play at a club where my crowd’s not focused on the music. If it’s just going to be a crack house, then I say shut it down.
What have been your most memorable nights in New York? Do you feel such an affinity for anywhere else in the world?
My favourite in New York might be the club that most caused the UK to turn its nose up at me: ARENA at Palladium. It was massive, the sound was huge, and it was like an amazing concert with drag performances and lots of visuals every Saturday. The big songs were my remix of ‘Rocket Man’, ‘Come Together’ and some of the Kevin Aviance stuff, plus Whitney and Deborah (Cox). It was the farthest thing from ‘underground’ but it blew my mind every week.
Which young or up and coming DJs have impressed you recently? Do you get much time to check out new talent?
There are new young DJs like Chad Jack and Tracy Young who do work for JVM, my label. I really don’t go out to clubs much, but I love listening to new tracks and mixes by young producers like Phil Ber, Tomer G and Tim Letteer.
Do you feel your sound has changed much over the years? Or is the general mood and feeling of it still very much the same?
It’s changed many times...I went from deep house to tribal to underground vocals to x-beat to pop vocals to epic, back to tribal, then to huge build-up tracks, then... basically I like to be at the forefront of new sounds…I get bored with music very quickly, so I’m always testing sounds that push the limits.
There is such a plethora of styles of music around these days. Aside from what you play in your sets, what other music do you really dig at the moment? And what about genres that you dislike?
I don’t listen to club music outside the studio or the club. Right now I'm listening to Vivian Green’s new album — she’s one of my favorite artists.
We are here to talk to you today as you are playing a very special 6 hour set at Gatecrasher meets Heaven on Friday 30th September. When did you last play in the UK? Are you excited about returning to London?
I’m very excited to finally do it right. I’ve played in London twice, and neither time I was quite in touch with how to play there. I’ve been preparing a lot and am nervous but excited.
London is widely believed to be the clubbing capital of the world. Do you agree with this? Which other cities do you feel have particularly vibrant and exciting club scenes?
I haven’t been out in London much, so it’s hard to say. I like the clubs in Tokyo; AgeHa is definitely the best club in the world that I’ve ever seen. Also the club scene in Sao Paulo is a lot of fun.
Gatecrasher is one of the greats of UK clubbing, having been a scene leader for many years now. Have you played for them before? What do you know about the establishment?
Gatecrasher has a great reputation for its events. I feel honoured to play at both Gatecrasher parties.
And what about Heaven? Have you played there before?
It’s my first time…
What can we expect from your set on the night? With such a long set time, what kind of a journey do you hope to take the clubbers on?
I will start with some new tracks that have rocked my dancefloor in NYC over the past few months, then move into some hard-edged vocal tracks that pack a punch, then work a few classic Sound Factory tracks that were big on both sides of the Atlantic, and then wrap up with a set of some of my brand new productions.
Photos courtesy of www.juinorvasquezmusic.com
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Junior+Vasquez
www.juniorvasquezmusic.com
www.gatecrasher.com
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Region:
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London
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Music:
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House. Deep House. Funky House. Prog House. Tribal House. US House. Vocal House.
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DJ's:
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Main Room:
Junior Vasquez
Guy Williams (DTPM)
Star Bar:
Chris Rayner
DJ Boris B2B Mr Chip
DJ Egoiste
Eddie Johnson B2B Ramsden
Jay Rodrigez
LiquidEyes
Dakota Bar:
Hosted by Smokey Beats
Frank Tope
Different Strokes
Timo Garcia
Jafar (Mulletover)
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The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable.
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