Customer Reviews

Earth Music

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

For many people outside of New York City who are not familiar with Junior's DJing on Sunday mornings at the clubs, this disc will be a tempting write off as a commercial sell out (techno and trance-loving Europeans will move in this direction especially). However, for all the vocal house- loving fans in New York and Chicago, this CD is an admirable showcase Junior's re-mixing talents: The songs underscore how la Vasquez can morph and stretch out popular hits to their limits while still keeping them within a framework held together by a melodic vocal or musical hook.

If you enjoyed Junior's "Vol. 1" or "Nervous Breakdown" this disc is for you. If you're looking for the dark, hard, tribal element that is very much a trademark of his early morning sets, you will have to wait until a future release.

Junior plays with tempo, with mood and with atmosphere on Earth Music. He moves from uplifting (Keep Control), to energetic (Dirty Dancing), to exotic (Guide Me God), to celebratory (Alive) to old school and gospel (House Music, My Imagination and Movin' On). "Fire" - the focal single on the disc - is a mix who's sound will trigger Palladium memories for any Arena veterans. It also captures the very unique re-mixing style thats sets Junior outside the DJ box often dominated by formula thinking. The finale, "Absolutely Not," is Junior's tip of the hat to fun and light dance music. He seems to be saying that a re-mix doesn't always have to be so self-absorbed and complex; people will jump from the dancefloor peripheries in order to shake their booty to something upbeat like this anytime. And if you're an avid NY clubber, you know that this is the case, especially around 12 or 1 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.

Only two weak points emerge in my opinion: the "outstanding remix" of "Believer" doesn't hold a candle to the initial remixes played at Twilo. This song, unfortunately, sounds like a cheesy hark back to the 80s when casio keyboards and super simplistic chord changes dominated the airwaves of dancemusic... It gave me the shivers. Also, "Systems of Silence" is a lackluster effort that misses recreating the tremendous magic that Junior peppered over Billy Ray Martin's mega hit in the mid 1990s; it certainly doesn't happen here and that's too bad.

In any case, 2 misses and 10 solid, imaginative remixes is a treat in today's world of assembly line compilations. Junior, we must keep in mind, is drawing on decades - not years - of influence and experience. He is the Yoda of US DJs and we should be thankful for that: His discs always anchor us to the musical roots of club music at a time when more and more of the world is moving towards trancey keys and techno pounding often devoid of any sort of "feel" at all.

This album is excellent if you are a house fan. It doesn't hesitate to offer great vocals, a variety of intricate beats, and masterful mixing. The selection of tracks is top notch.

You may also want to get this album in conjunction with Earth Music 2, which, in my opinion, is as great if not better as Earth 1.

Most of the reviews I've read of this CD were absolutely correct: Those who enjoy vocal house will giggle with joy and delight when they hear this CD; those who enjoy tribal and hard house will search for the nearest open window. At any rate, I feel this is a groundbreaking piece of work - not for the music that was put on it, but the way in which it was all woven together. Sure we've all heard the songs like "My Imagination" and "Fire," but have we really heard them delivered with that kind of artistry? The intro to Fire with the tribal beat Junior is known for gave me chills when I heard it. The CD was worth purchasing for that track alone... thankfully, there are many high points like this on this CD. I've heard Junior live before, and this work is pleasantly reminiscient of his performances. My advice to you as a potential buyer: Buy it and don't loan it out to anyone -- you'll never get it back!

Unlike millions of people, I have had the luxury of experiencing Junior Vasquez's interpretations of some of the most beautiful, inspiring, and uplifting music of our day. I believe this selection offers us a representative glimpse of what makes his interpretations so unique. Compared to ordinary editions of these same songs, you will find here extensive and meticulously creative renderings that move you both physically and emotionally. Junior works the music; in terms of sound, there is just so much going on in each particular selection. The very fact that this is a LIVE contemporary recording speaks to its significance for music connoisseurs. It is music situated in the "NOW" in terms of what the discerning dancer's ear expects.

The Earth Music CDs do everything Juniors "Live" Cds didn't a few years back. Rather than give us 2 discs dominated by filler, this is one single disk with peak hour junior, vocal tracks and dub tracks. Sound quality is so much better (the live series as plagued by vinyl records with pops and scratches), and you get a bunch of exclusive junior mixes, many in long form. Track times are:

1. intro (:54)
2. Keep control (7:37)
3. Believer (6:39)
4. Dirty dancing (4:17)
5. guide me god (3:57)
6. Systems of silence (7:40)
7. Alive (4:58)
8. house music (4:40)
9. My imagination (4:56)
10. movin (5:35)
11. movin on (8:14)
12. fire (8:00)
13. Absolutely not (5:54)
14. outro (:22)

I think this is a great CD, and the more I listen to the more I like it. Now, from what I have heard, most of Junior's old fans, people who have followed him from Sound Factory and Arena, don't seem to like it as much. Since I was still in high school at those times, I do not have the same position.

I think the CD does a great job at replicating an afternoon at Earth, at least as good as a job as you can do on a CD. The songs are all pretty current, and almost all of them are unreleased mixes.

In my opinion the CD has several different sections, the first three songs being big songs to get you started, lots of build ups and big explosions. Keep Control, Believer, and Dirty Dancing. I love Junior's mix of Keep Control, and the build up in Believer is amazing, it is one of my all-time favorite songs to hear in a club

The next section is the deeper, dark songs, Guide Me God, Systems of Silence, and Alive. Junior's mix of Systems of Silence is the highlight of the CD for me. Sexy, dark beats and Billie Ray Martin's amazing vocals just turn me out. I do have to admit the mix of Alive is not my favorite, but really works here. It's dark, and personally I like other mixes much better, but a big anthem would not work in this place on the album, and the more I listen to it the more I like it (it does feel a little like a K hole, but in a good way).

Next, Junior turns it back on with House Music, My Imagination, Movin, and Movin' On. More underground than the big songs that the album starts out with, but fun, groovy mixes. I love how he turns it back up after Alive, one of the reasons why that I like the mix of Alive so much is how he comes out of it and into House Music.

Finally Fire and Absolutely Not are not the big, peak hour anthem versions that we usually hear. Jazzier, funky versions, the kind of song I love to hear late in the day at Earth. I really like the Absolutely Not, a nice alternative to the Channel Club (although the Dub to Club version from Hex's Opus CD is my hands down favorite)

All in all I really liked this CD. I would suggest it to any dance music fan, especially if you like vocal songs. I've been listening to it almost constantly since I got it last Friday, and it really makes me want to make a return visit to Earth sometime soon.

I'V BEEN A FAN OF JUNIOR FOR A LONG TIME.I'VE BEEN A LITTLE DISSAPOINTED WITH SOME OF HIS PAST STUFF RECENTLY, BUT THIS ALBUM HAS BROUGHT BACK MY CONFIDENCE IN HIM. HE IS TRULY A REMARKABLE DJ-CAN'T WAIT FOR HIS FOLLOW-UP.

if i ended up at a club that was playing this sort of music, i would leave and demand my money back... total garbage...