Sunday afternoon are reserved for walking puppies, picking tomatoes, pruning rose bushes, and hugs and tugs with my gal. The last place I want to be is in a club. But this Sunday might be different, as Junior Vasquez, the top DJ of his generation and easily one of the top 5 of any era, is celebrating his birthday. Club Love will be the playground of choice for an event that starts at 11am and goes on through the evening. He has headlined Sound Factory, Twilo, Tunnel, Limelight, Palladium, Roxy, Exit, Discotheque, Bassline, Cielo, Pacha, and joints all over the world. His residencies at Sound Factory, Twilo, and Tunnel drew thousands upon thousands. Although there were often promoters attached, the product was sound, attitude, and power from a legend. He was always impossible to predict. When I would walk down the block from my joint to be part of it back in the day, I would always stop and shake hands with everyone at the door. I would ask, “How is he tonight?” The door staff would excite me or warn me. He was a moody dude. He took crowds on journeys, emotional trips of escapism, sexuality, and pride. There was anger, frustration, and dominance in all his sets. He could be very, very rude. He was undeniable. Junior Vasquez was our icon, our leader, our conscience, our deity.
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