Jan 13, 2006  |  By: RYAN LEE  | COMMENTS     

DJ JUNIOR VASQUEZ’S LATEST CD, “White Party 7,” makes you want to shadow box to visions of your ex-boyfriend or girlfriend, then takes you on an extended, inspiring journey toward self discovery.

The feel-good tracks and vocals continue Vasquez’s efforts to make his music less dark and tribal, something he attributes to his yearlong sobriety from crystal meth.

“I tried to make it edgy, uplifting, anthemic and spiritual,” the gay DJ says. “For many years I was criticized by a lot of club goers for playing music that sounded like pots and pans, but I’m over that sound.

“I’ve noticed that kind of minimal tribal beats that I pioneered on my own dance floor have caught on in commercial clubs,” he continues. “Some of the best producer/DJs will now play a night of entirely tribal beats — frankly that bores me.

“I love great vocals with instrumentation that’s tough-as-nails to underpin the song,” Vasquez adds.

The “White Party 7” CD, Vasquez’s first commercial release in several years, hit record stores Tuesday and marks the first time the legendary DJ-producer from New York has teamed up with record label Centaur Entertainment.

VASQUEZ STARTS THE SET OFF in fighting mode. You might want to listen to the first half-dozen or so tracks while doing some house cleaning as opposed to driving. They contain serious scorned-diva attitude, and you may want to be able to flail your arms around to get your point across.

Junior ignites the party with a banging remix of one of the fiercest break-up anthems of 2005, “Stupid Like U,” produced by Fanatic and featuring the glorious vocals of gay dancehall goddess Deborah Cox. That dismissal of cheating lovers is one of two previously unreleased Vasquez mixes debuting on the CD, with the other being Destiny’s Child’s 2005 World Children’s Day anthem “Stand Up for Love.”

Katherine Ellis keeps the jaded lover theme going with her vocals on Tom Stephan’s “Here I Come,” which is remixed by Rooster and Sammy Peralta and features Ellis calling for “R-E-V-E-N-G-E.”

The Rooster and Sammy Peralta remix isn’t the only non-Vasquez production on the CD. He also welcomes aboard Israeli DJ Offer Nissim for his mix of Amuka’s “I Want More.”

“Relentless” by the Tim Rex Experiment, featuring Veronica, is also on the list of guest spots on the album.

THE SECOND HALF OF “WHITE Party 7” is chock-full of exalting anthems, starting with the Tracy Young remix of Superchumbo’s unity hit, “U Know I Love It.”

Tina Cox belts out the Junito Perez Project’s “Free Yourself,” followed the Robbie Riveria remix of Matteo Esse and Sant’s “Funk.” The funky vocals of Corrina Joseph and build-up on the song launches the CD to the next level of grooves.

Gospel great Cissy Houston (Whitney’s mom) provides powerful lead vocals on top of The Sweet Inspirations’ background harmony on Dynamix and Haarmeyer’s mix of “Shake Yourself Loose.” This track, along with Vernessa Mitchell’s “Love Will Find A Way,” are among the previously unreleased songs on the CD that Vasquez didn’t produce.

“Love Will Find A Way” is remixed by newcomer Matt Piso, whom Vasquez calls one of his favorite up-and-coming DJ/producers. Another of Vasquez’s favorite newbies is Tim Letteer, who remixes Simone Denny’s “Cliché.”

“White Party 7” certainly has its fair share of cliché segments, but overall it’s a refreshing compilation loaded with blood-pumping beats.