-Jake Brennan
Junior Vasquez is the biggest DJ/producer/remixer on the planet. So why has he never won a Grammy?
With over twenty years in the music biz, Vasquez has produced and remixed all the top divas including Whitney, Mary J, Britney. And who could forget his very famous falling out with the material girl? If you’ve just crawled out from under a rock, Junior and Madonna were tighter than Barry Manilow’s face until Vasquez released “When Madonna Calls." It included a sample of a phone message Madge had left on Vasquez’s answering machine. Madonna felt violated and the two were never the same again.
But that hasn’t stopped Junior. In fact, with his remix of Christina Aguilera’s “Ain’t No Other Man,” he's bigger than ever before. The track is considered a serious contender for the Grammy, an honor many in clubland feel is long overdue. Here is what the industry’s power players are saying:
Hex Hector - Former Remixer of the Year Grammy Winner"Junior Vasquez not winning a Grammy is the equivalent of Martin Scorsese not winning an Oscar! This long overdue recognition should be corrected NOW!"
Hosh Gureli - VP A&R RCA Music Group (J/Arista/RCA)"Vasquez is in a league of his own. Having played to three generations and still going strong is a testament to his legendary status. He will be talked about 100 years from now. Most importantly is his ability to transform a record into an experience. 'Ain't No Other Man'shows how he can adapt to this ever changing musical landscape and impact a whole new generation again with #1 Sales, #1 Radio & #1 Club Play."
Matthew Knowles - Music World Entertainment"Junior's remixes for MusicWorld artists Beyonce, Destiny's Child and Sunshine Anderson have all been top mixes. He is part of our family and we look forward to working with him on future releases."
Ricardo Companioni - Billboard Magazine"With his remix of Christina Aguilera’s “Ain’t No Other Man” Junior turned in one of the best mixes of his career, thereby helping the song spend 2 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Dance Club Play chart and 5 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Dance Airplay chart."
Shep Pettibone - Madonna's Producer"Junior Vasquez IS one of the greatest DJs of all time. I'm proud to have known him for over 30 years and to have seen all of his success. He was a great help to me as well throughout my career."
Michael R. Weiss - President, Nervous Records"Junior Vasquez has been a shining beacon of the dance music community through the past 2 decades, and is uniquely qualified to represent the dance music community at the Grammy Awards. We are an industry constantly in need of dynamic personalities like Junior to represent us to the public. Many artists and producers have passed through our community and gone onto broader success, which is fine. But Junior has achieved massive success, yet at the same time has remained true to his dance music base. Through the many years of evolving musical trends and locations, Junior has been the one constant that has always been visible on the scene, and has always been supportive of the new producers and artists who are trying to establish themselves. And for him, the music always comes first. I would venture to say that everyone who is currently succeeding in the dance music industry today has at some point been the beneficiary of Junior's ability to hear great records, and his willingness to expose and break those records."
Superchumbo - DJ/Producer"Nobody turns it like Junior!"
Matt Piso - A&R, Sony/Columbia Records"Remixer Grammy nomination for the one & only DJ/producer, Junior Vasquez, is greatly deserved and, without a doubt, long overdue . . . not simply for his many talents as a remixer & producer but also for his overall accomplishments as a DJ & artist that have helped shape the sounds cape of club land & beyond via a career that has spanned just about two decades & influenced almost every artist, DJ, and producer in the club scene today. In fact, I'd say he deserves a Lifetime Achievement Award Grammy and would argue that from his booth @ Sound Factory, through his creative insight & his mastermind layering techniques, was born the production style that has become known as 'the mash-up' that has been heard worldwide on pop radio throughout the new millennium. All my best to Junior on all his accomplishments & dedication to his art . . . and with all my heart I pray for the Grammy committee to recognize him for all he's done as well this year!!"
Victor Lee - Tommy Boy/Silver Label“Junior Vasquez is the Mayor of Dance Music. Sir Elton John, Madonna, Cher, Christina Aguilera are a few of the many important artists of our time who have the privilege to visit the Mayor’s Studio. Junior’s remix productions, mainstream or underground, is truly a body of work."
Jordan Flaste - A&R, Artemis Records"Whether it's incorporating old school samples and making them fresh again or mixing up new songs in unique ways, Junior's remixes and production work has been pushing buttons on pushing the envelope for well over a decade. From church-infused gospel numbers, whaling diva vocals, dark & menacing underground tracks to happy hands-in-the-air pop remixes, Junior skillfully takes each song he remixes to a new, exciting and often unexpected places. Just when you expect him to stick with a sound that is working for him, he side steps all convention and comes out with something fresh. He passion for music and his desire to thrill and educate with his remixes is evident in every remix he works on."
Barbara Tucker - BSTAR Music Group, Inc."Much respect to the man who's been turning house music out forever ... I always say, if Junior ever decides to bring the masses and the cultures together like no one can, cause he can turn the classics out! Much respect to him and 10 points for still being in the game! One Love! You got my vote!"
Kevin Williams - Kevin Williams Music/Promotion/A&R"Junior's nomination is sorely overdue......"
For more info on Junior, check out www.juniorvasquezmusic.com
