Junior Vasquez

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Junior Vasquez bigraphy, stories - American DJ

Junior Vasquez : biography

24 August 1949 –

Junior Vasquez, (born Donald Paul Mattern, August 24, 1949, Lancaster, Pennsylvania), is an American club DJ and remixer/producer.IMO Records. , IMO Records’ Retrieved on 29 February 2011.

Madonna controversy

Vasquez had a public falling out with Madonna in 1996, after the release of an unauthorized single titled "If Madonna Calls". The original version that Vasquez plays at nightclubs contains what is widely believed to be an actual phone message from Madonna left on Vasquez’s answering machine. from New York Magazine 10 September 2001

The song lyrics are as follows:

(voice recording ostensibly left by Madonna on Vasquez’s answering machine at his home in New York):

"Hello Junior, This is Madonna. Are you there? (short pause) Call me in Miami."

This is followed by the voice of a male that says:

"If Madonna calls, I’m not here"

This is followed by hard tribal rhythms, with the samples of the message still playing in the loop of the track, and the male singer repeating the words shown above along with "Hola Señorita Cosa" ("Hello Ms. Thing"). Towards the end of the song, the words change and the male voice concludes by saying:

"If Madonna calls…actually if she calls just disconnect her. That’s right if she calls, tell her I’m not here."

The song reportedly was produced after Madonna failed to show up for a surprise performance at one of Vasquez’s parties held at New York City club "Tunnel" at the last second. Although never confirmed, Madonna did not approve of Vasquez’s actions, from www.clubplanet.com, date: 3 November 2006 ending their professional relationship on bad terms. from www.atlantaboy.com Chances for reconciliation are impossible according to Madonna’s longtime publicist Liz Rosenberg, who in a June 2003 news story in New York Magazine said “I can assure you that Madonna will never work with Junior again." from New York Magazine 23 June 2003

Career

Mattern moved to New York as a young adult in 1971 with ambitions of becoming a fashion designer, even briefly attending Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) and working as a hairdresser for a while. However, Mattern soon became fascinated with NYC nightlife especially with the work of DJ Larry Levan at The Paradise Garage. After adopting the pseudonym "Junior Vasquez", he commenced his career in music production in the 1980s. Vasquez began to work with DJ and pop remixer/producer Shep Pettibone, and together they co-produced and edited numerous singles from such artists as Madonna, Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, MC Hammer, Prince, Pet Shop Boys and others. It wasn’t long before Vasquez landed a brief residency at Club Bassline, where he began to make a name for himself as a live DJ.

Many of Junior Vasquez’s earliest underground hits were released under the name "Ellis D," including the seminal gay house track, "Work This Pussy." Vasquez also released the tracks "Just Like a Queen," "My Lolleata," "It’s Scratched," and "Took my Love Away" under the name "Ellis D." The style of the tracks release under the pseudonym "Ellis D" are largely credited today with having influenced the sound of house music generally, and particularly the sound of most all subsequent "gay" house singles.

From 1989 to 1995, Vasquez gained national prominence, along with music industry influence — through his residency at the original Sound Factory, a club he co-founded with Richard Grant, which was located at 530 West 27th Street in Manhattan’s Chelsea district. Vasquez quickly built a following of loyal fans who became known as "Juniorites". Devoted to Vasquez’s musical style, personality, and the spectacle of his weekly Sunday morning after-hours parties, his fans made Vasquez one of New York City’s most popular DJs. Soon afterward, major record labels began soliciting Vasquez to produce club-friendly remixes for their top singers utilizing his personal beat-driven house style. Due to a rise in demand from these labels, many singers and musicians such as C+C Music Factory, David Morales, Björk, Marilyn Manson, and Madonna were known to frequent his Sunday morning events. Working with many popular artists allowed Vasquez to create his own repertoire of exclusive "Private Collection" of authorized remixes (along with several unofficial remixes) which were not released to the market and thus made his live sets even more distinctive to his following due to the fact that they could only be heard at Vasquez’s Sound Factory events.