Remixer Of The Week - Junior Vasquez

Starting this week, one remixer/DJ will be chosen and then their best mixes from their entire body of work, to date will be ranked by me. :-)

It would be most appropriate to begin with a DJ who has made his mark on clubland ever since he came onto the scene in the 80's. Whether it be with his editing with the legendary Shep Pettibone, or remixing or producing or writing, Junior Vasquez has always been revolutionary and original. Has remixed many, many songs. Many hundreds if not thousands. While many mixers have come and gone, Junior has remained on top and in much demand.



Here are some of his remix highlights* of his remixing career:

Pre-Sound Factory
Ellis D -My Loleatta
Janet Jackson - State Of The World
Paul Lekakis - My House
Prince - Thieves In The Temple

Sound Factory
Billie Ray Martin - Your Loving Arms
Junior Vasquez Get Your Hands Off Of My Man
Junior Vasquez - Nervaas
Junior Vasquez - X
Ké - Strange World
Kristine W. - Feel What You Want
Lectroluv - Dream Drums
Livin' Joy - Dreamer
Madonna - Bedtime Story
Madonna - Secret
Vernessa Mitchell - Reap (What You Sow)

Tunnel
Cher - One By One
Junior Vasquez - If Madonna Calls
Madonna - You'll See

Arena
Cher - Paradise Is Here
Deborah Cox - Who Do You Love
Deep Forest & Peter Gabriel - While The Earth Sleeps
Dolly Parton - Peace Train
Elton John - Rocketman
Everything But The Girl - Missing
Funky Green Dogs - Fired Up
k.d. lang - Theme From The Valley Of The Dolls
Kevin Aviance - Cunty
Madonna - Crazy For You
Skunk Anansie - Brazen (Weep)
Wes - Awa Awa
Whitney Houston - Step By Step

Twilo/Juniorverse
Catapila - Void (I Need You)
Charlotte - Skin
Hypertrophy - Beautiful Day
Kylie Minogue - Too Far
Lisa Stansfield - Never Gonna Fall
Macy Gray - I Try
Mariah Carey - Heartbreaker/If You Should Ever Be Lonely
Mary J. Blige - Your Child
Ministers De La Funk featuring Jocelyn Brown - Believe
Sade - By Your Side
Vernessa Mitchell - This Joy

Earth
Christina Aguilera - Beautiful
Funky Green Dogs - Rise Up
Justin Timberlake - Cry Me A River
Lamya - Empires
Nelly Furtado - I'm Like A Bird
Rosabel featuring Jennifer Holliday - And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going
Vivian Green - Emotional Rollercoaster

Post-Earth
Amuka - Craving
Beyonce - Crazy In Love
Britney Spears - Breathe On Me
Britney Spears - Toxic
Ceevox - Music Is My Life
Christina Aguilera - Ain't No Other Man
Darren Hayes - So Beautiful
Deborah Cox - Easy As Life
Emmy Rossum & Gerard Butler - The Phantom Of The Opera
Jason Walker - No More
Kelis - Milkshake
Maroon 5 - This Love
Mary J. Blige - Your Weeping Child
Vernessa Mitchell - Love Will Find A Way
Vivian Green - Cursed

* Note: Only a select number of mixes from each of the various eras were chosen as there were so many mixes done that were considered exceptional that this list could go on and on. :-)

Your favorite mixes not listed above? Please feel free to list what your favorite mixes from the various eras were.

Casey Stratton - House Of Jupiter

This song was a pretty big hit in clubland a few years ago with Junior Vasquez's fantastic remixes. This one has been updated by rising star Peter Bailey. His mix is very synthy and uplifting. It gets to be a bit repetitive in places, but in the context of a club, this will be a floorfiller once the clubbers realize what they are listening to. While Junior's mixes are still where its at, this one is a very good alternate.

Amerie - Take Control

This song has already become a hot item overseas, especially in the UK. The original is a borderline UK Garage-styled track. Remixes by DJ Leo & Guy Robin, Karmatronics and Tracy Young transform this for the clubs.

Amerie's sassy vocals are highlighted on all the mixes. DJ Leo & Guy Robin go for a nice soulful house type of mix. This is a very classy, sophisticated type of mix. This is nice for the lounges and early in the evening. Although, this one is totally perfect for tea dances and lounging by the pool or the beach. Karmatronics provide a meatier, peakhour house mix. And Tracy Young provides a very accessible circuit house mix. It sounds very much like something out of Junior's 2003 World and Sound Factory's remix sessions (it's a good thing!). This one is very energetic and driving.

Overall, this remix package is very impressive. All the mixes bring something special.

Kim English - My Destiny

Although this one first garnered some attention and buzz last year through Exacta and Junior's own mixes, this one has been made over for premium peak-hour consumption with the help of Kobbe & Austin Leeds and Ron Carroll.

Kobbe & Austin Leeds may seem like an unusual fit for a vocal track like this, however, it workes really well. This one has a nice synthy bassline that sounds best when turned up loud. The twisted background sounds and those gothic bells really give this mix some personality. All of the vocals are not used in the main mix. The dub has even less, but it's very suitable. The dark, twisted production shines here. The Radio Edit has full vocals though.

Ron Carroll goes for a mildly subdued house production. However, the beats and bass pattern resemble the sound Offer Nissim has become famous for. This is a premium mix for circuit. However, there's very few vocals in the mix. It is almost like a dub. The Dub has no vocals at all, however, it is totally different from the main version. The Radio Edit, surprisingly, has full vocals though. This one could be saved through a new mix that stitches beginning and ending of the vocal mix with the edit in the middle.

Overall, both sets of mixes could be floorfillers. Get all of them.

Nelly Furtado - Say It Right (Junior Vasquez Mix)

The official mixes and several unofficial ones were reviewed a while back. Junior Vasquez announced that he was doing a mix of this just a short time before Red Party, where he unveiled it.

He gave the mix a wide preview during this past week.

His mix keeps all of the vocals. They are the focal point of the mix. He keeps the instrumental production very simple. He also took the melody from the original version and "clubbed" it a little. Many of the other mixes had did away with that aspect. Throughout the epic 10 minute mix, there are plenty of fun vocal effects. A dub with just those would be so perfect.

This mix was definitely worth waiting for. This is easily the best mix of "Say It Right."

Angelique Kidjo featuring Peter Gabriel - Salala

She is back with a new album called Djin Djin. This Beninese artist has been on the World music scene since the early 90's and has carved out a niche for herself.

In addition to the stunning, traditional-sounding tracks, Ms. Kidjo has had several of her songs remixed for club consumption. Junior Vasquez most notably remixed "Shango" and "Wombo Lombo" during his fruitful Arena era. It was only appropriate that he take on "Salala" as well.

Peter Gabriel is a guest vocalist on this track which is a nice, simple guitar-driven track with that infectious chorus. It's a feel-good track.

And Junior takes this one makes it over in the style he has done other similar tracks including "Awa Awa" by Wes and "While The Earth Sleeps" by Deep Forest & Peter Gabriel. He actually samples some elements and riffs from the latter for this mix. It is just an amazing mix. He really has a knack for preserving the original integrity of these kinds of songs and still bringing something totally knew. His Tribalelectro Mix should be at the top of your must-have list.

Limp Wristed featuring Dawn Robinson - What's The T?

This one is a nice throwback to those runway/bitch anthems that flooded clubland many years ago. We are way overdue for songs like this. Aside from the comedic value many of these have to offer, these are just so much fun to dance to.

Damon Butler formerly of boyband EYC and Dawn Robinson formerly of En Vogue team up for this track. Hard to believe, eh? This is a great track with some great mixes. Josh Peace delivers the goods on his mixes with a nice Junior-esque runway mix. It has a killer bassline and keyboard. Totally awesome. Manny Lehman's is a decent circuit mix. It's more early evening/peak hour. Josh's are perfect for all occasions.

This simple but hilarious track will definitely "werk" the crowds.

Dane Cook - Just Wanna Dance

Comedian Dane Cook is not singing on this track. However, there are some choice samples of him during a comedy routine. The samples come from a bit he did about nightclubs and dancing from his Harmful If Swallowed stand-up special from a few years ago. The snippet chosen by remixer Blake Jarrell is totally genius. And the loop he creates from Dane's "sound effects" makes for a really creative mix. This one has some medium hard beats. This would work well in a dark house or circuit set. This one is in the same fashion as Junior's infamous mixes of Margaret Cho and Zsa Zsa Gabor, however this one does not wear on your nerves after a while. Check it out. The whole Harmful If Swallowed audio CD could make for an endless supply of material for more tracks in a similar vein.

Janet Jackson - With U

This is the 3rd song off of her current album 20 Y.O. No official mixes have been done for this one yet. However, Chad Jack managed to make a mix from the album version. Using some really clever EQing, he managed to make the original blend in really well. The new mix is very electro and has underlying tribal beat. This mix is a good bridge between house and circuit. Junior Vasquez has been playing this a lot on his weekly XM radio mix show. That is the only place this mix can currently be heard. A dub sample had been posted on Chad's website and MySpace earlier this year but no vocals were present to give an idea of what the mix would be like. It works really well. The effects done on the vocals really break up the mix and give it some atmosphere. A dub with just the manipulations would be great too. Tune in to Junior's mixshow to hear this.

Mario Vazquez - One Shot

Former American Idol contestant Mario Vazquez is back with another single off of his debut album. Official mixes by Ospina Sullivan will be shipping to DJs soon.

Until then, be on the lookout for the Drew G. Montalvo and Abe Clements "Mary-Thon" Mix. This is an unofficial mix, however, it is of premium quality. Drew G. has been gaining prominence on the NYC scene in the last few months through his remixes and regular spinning engagements at various clubs.

It is a dark, electro, and synthy mix. Clocking in at almost 10 minutes, it is a journey through sound. The vocals come in early enough though. It's full vocals from that point onwards. The vocal effects and loops are really nice and fit the mix well, especially in the middle. The energy of the mix doesn't let up until the end which is a great thing. The few dropouts and beatless portions are quite strategic and could work really well for those creative DJs out there.

The bass-synth hook is quite noteworthy. It is a recreation of the one Junior Vasquez created in his famous mix of "Your Child" by Mary J. Blige. It is not quite as in-your-face as it could have been. It blends in with the whole track quite well.

This mix is a must-listen.

Krystal Cruz - Shadows Of Your Love

Although the original versions by Midnight Society and Corbo & Atchison came out in the early part of 2006, this song was resurrected through a scorching mix by rising mixer Altar.

This new mix immediately gained significant attention when Junior Vasquez played this mix on his Junior's World show on XM Satellite radio in the early Fall. Within just a matter of hours, fans were clamoring to find out the artist and remix info. This song was played several more times to similar fanfare.

After several months, this mix has finally been released through Beatport in a collection of previously unreleased mixes.

This tribal, emotional journey through sound is almost 10 minutes long, but it never feels long enough and beckons to be played over and over. Krystal's amazing vocal delivery is easily one of the best vocals on a club record in the last several months.

Pick up Altar's Love Anthem now!

Nelly Furtado - Say It Right

This was the third single off of Nelly Furtado's critically and commercially acclaimed album Loose. Though this came out a long time ago, many mixes of this have been done, both official and unofficial. This mid-tempo ballad had been a frontrunner for being a single since the album was first released in the Summer of 2006. Many had been clamouring for remixes which came just in the nick of time. Just as it took off on Pop and Rhythmic formats, it got played on Dance stations in the original mix which clocked in at a danceable 123 BPM.

Bad Boy Bill, Friscia & Lamboy and Peter Rauhofer did the official mixes this time around.

Bad Boy Bill's mix was funky house and a bit electro. It did help bring out some of the emotion of the song. It's the most accessible of all the mixes.

Friscia & Lamboy have done a tribal/electro hybrid mix. It's a very simple electro mix. It's a good peak hour mix. This one would work best on Dance radio.

Peter Rauhofer has done three mixes!

Part 1 is a mild tribal/heavy electro mix. There lots of interesting synths and unusual synths. It works really well. Some may find it to be excruciating because of the "clashing" of the synths in some places. It's very unique. This is the big room mix of choice.

Part 2 is also known as the "Trance Anthem." It is a much darker mix. This has the feel of mixes done during Rauhofer's trance experimental phase in the late 90's when he did mixes for Pet Shop Boys, Eurythmics and Ayumi Hamasaki. It's not as big room and trancey though as say something Tiesto or Above & Beyond would do. However, it is very uplifting and really brings out further beauty in Nelly's vocals. This is one of Peter's best mixes in a while. And this is the mix of choice for this song.

Part 3 is basically a toned down version of Part 1. It's much shorter and concise. It's not as "schizophrenic" with the "clashing" synths. It bears a striking resemblance to Trentmoller's remix of "What Else Is There" by Roysopp. Peter may have been influenced by that slightly as he has been playing that song for the last several months in his sets. This is really dark and twisted.

There's many unofficial mixes of this song as most DJs wanted to tailor this song for their own sets. Cajjmere Wray, Peter Bailey, Scott Ferguson & Michael Tank and even Junior Vasquez have done mixes.

Cajjmere Wray's mix is very dark and driving. The deep synths and chugging beats give this mix a lot of energy. Quite well done.

Peter Bailey continues in that same vein and his mix is very minimal and sparse. The beats are very simple as is the rest of the production. The real highlight is the rest of the mix. There's some cool synth work and vocal effects. This mix is a bit long, however, some creative DJs could cut it down a minute or two and go between the sparse and complex portions of the mix.

Scott Ferguson & Michael Tank have done a very energetic circuit mix. It's almost appropriate to call this a trance/circuit mix. The synths and driving beats are quite amazing on this one.

And finally there is the mix by Junior Vasquez. His is the newest one of them all. He premiered his new mix at the Onyx event at Pacha in NY this past weekend. It has yet to be heard by the general public. However, those who were in attendance said that the mix was one of the best Junior mixes of the year. There has been some talk of the mix seeing an official release in the future. No further details available at this time.

What remains to be seen is how many mixes will be done for the next single "All Good Things (Come To An End)."

Ceevox - Music Is My Life

This song has been getting a lot of play from Junior Vasquez since last Fall. This finally got released a couple of weeks ago on the JVM label. This beautiful ode to music gets the remixing treatments by Junior Vasquez.

Ceevox's soulful vocal performance just soars over this amazing production in the Junior's Immaculate Mix. And immaculate it is. It's very classy, sophisticated and calls to mind some of the great house that came out in the 90's and early 2000's. There's a dub, instrumental, beats and a "keyapella" also. On it's own, the pella is just a joy to listen to.

This one really needs no other remixes as this one is the perfect blend of house and circuit and would work in both environments effortlessly. It's perfect. One of the best vocal releases from JVM in a while. Here's to hoping for some more gems like this.

All these mixes can be purchased at Beatport.

NSA featuring RuPaul - Computer Love

The search for love online is the subject of this campy new single fronted by RuPaul. The lyrics are relatively simple throwaway-ish. But this is worth a listen for a chuckle or two. This one is already a favorite of Junior Vasquez's. He has been playing this in his mixshow the last few weeks. Matt Piso's mix is the one he has been playing.

The CD promo comes with 4 mixes.

01. M@t!'s Lubed & Ready Mix (9:41)
02. Backroom Mix (7:21)
03. My Girlfriend's Out Of Town Mix (9:04)
04. No Recip Mix (8:49)

Matt Piso's M@t!'s Lubed & Ready Mix is quite housey and straightforward. It has that same sort of vibe that Fumi Kondoh brings in mixes that he engineers. The Backroom mix is much harder and darker. This one sounds good turned up loud late at night. The My Girlfriend's Out Of Town one is hard but a lot more electro. The No Recip mix is hard and electro too. There's some really interesting synth elements that are very "scary" sounding. It's cool though.

Overall, this one is good as a novelty track. This one lacks the timelessness that many other RuPaul tracks have had but it's still better than some of what is out there.

2-4 Grooves - The Way I Do

This is a cover of the Melissa Etheridge song from a few years ago. The original is a simple electro-dance pop track. There's a few mixes. For the U.S. release on Tommy Boy, Junior Vasquez has done a mix. His mix has a slight electro slant to it, channeling the original 2-4 Grooves track, however, it's got that deep bassline that Junior is known for having in his productions and tracks. His mix uses all the vocals and isn't repetitve. The Radio Mix is very short and concise. It's almost 4 minutes long, but it's a well-done 4 minute edit. The full mix is just a lovely extension of this. Alternate between the original and Junior mixes to keep it fresh. Look for this one in the next few weeks.