American club DJ, record producer and remixer, who began his career in music production in the 1980s. Vasquez worked with DJ and pop remixer/producer Shep Pettibone, and together they co-produced and edited numerous singles from artists like Madonna, Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, MC Hammer, Prince, Pet Shop Boys and others. 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 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”.
From 1989 to 1995, Vasquez was the DJ at the original Sound Factory, a club he co-founded with Richard Grant, which was located at 530 W. 27th St in the Chelsea district.
Junior Vasquez also was closely associated at this time with The House of Xtravaganza, a gay ballroom “house” which enjoyed a great prominence in New York City at this time. In the early 1990s, Vasquez released his single “X”, which sampled Danny Xtravaganza say the word “extravaganza!” (the voice sample was taken from Danny Xtravaganza’s 1990 single “Love the Life You Live”).
After the Sound Factory was closed in February 1995, Vasquez held residencies at the Tunnel (1995-1996), and at ArenA (held at the Palladium) (1996–1997) where his suspended booth was custom designed by designers Dolce & Gabbana. In 1997, he returned to the former site of the original Sound Factory, now called Twilo.
In addition to his work as a DJ and remixer, he has co-produced albums for John Mellencamp, For Real, Lisa Lisa, and Cyndi Lauper as well as individual LP tracks for Madonna, Cher, Wild Orchid, and Kristine W. Vasquez. His record label Junior Vasquez Music, is also known for introducing new artists.
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.
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