RS: Very cool. What's coming next from JVM?
Junior Vasquez: The next thing I'm doing is not for my label. I have a deal with Sony to put out about 20 of my top remixes.
RS: Wow, that's incredible.
Junior Vasquez: As far as the label, I have a few things going. I don't have any new artists right now, but the next album I'm going to do is a personal producer's album. In other words, I'm going to produce and write the tracks and have Jason, Vernessa, Barbara Tucker and others sing on the album. Its not going to be a mixed compilation, its going to be a real songs.
RS: A full production album from Junior Vasquez, I am very excited to hear that. Has there been any thought about makng the JVM catalogue available through beatport.com or other digital download services?
Junior Vasquez: I think Jerome is working on that right now, but I'm not sure about that part of it.
RS: Talking about technology, what effect do you think mp3 and digital downloading has had on your life?
Junior Vasquez: When I knew it was going to be happening, I just joined the bandwagon. There's a lot of my music that really hard to get, so I put some of it out there and let people have it. It's a losing battle, either you have to join it or you end up getting screwed over. I used to really keep stuff to myself but once I'd started the radio show that I knew everyone was getting everything, and I had to just kind of let that go personally.
RS: When you spin live, how much to you spin live vinyl versus CD?
Junior Vasquez: Seventy-five to twenty-five.
RS: Seventy-five being vinyl?
Junior Vasquez: Back in the day I would cut acetates for everything because I don't like playing CDs at all. I don't mix CDs very well and I'm a real vinyl person, but it's hard to find people that cut acetates anymore and they're very expensive. So I don't like to play CDs but I manage, I mean I just kind of have to do it.
RS: Sasha made some statements recently that the era of the turntable DJ is over and that live production is the way of the future. Being that when you're spinning live you're actually producing live stuff, you're not just playing to the people directly.
Junior Vasquez: Yes, that's very techy. I mean in a way your absolutely right about that technology-wise, I think it's going that way but I think I'm too far along with the game to change that. I particularly think it takes the soul out of everything, but that's the way it's going because of technology. I personally don't agree to that, so as long as I can keep pushing vinyl. I think that's just a new thing and it's going to progress into something. I know people who are just mixing with iPods and G4s, but I just don't get it. There's just no live feeling to that, you might just as well be a robot.
RS: Let's get away from the robots and go back to the real world. You've been historically connected to major female vocalists for several career projects, like Cher, Madonna, Billie Ray Martin and now Vivian Green and Kristine W. What about their voices inspire you?
Junior Vasquez: It's the soul in their voice. I mean I've worked with male vocalists too, but they have to have a certain quality. As far as the female, I think it's just the soul and the fact that the song is usually good. I've turned down songs that they've done that I didn't particularly like, but it's hard to go wrong with a Whitney Houston or someone like that.
