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Junior Sanchez

New York house legend Junior Sanchez is instantly recognizable by his chunky, beat-heavy sound that draws from new wave as well as disco and funk. The producer, remixer, DJ, and record executive began releasing music in the mid-'90s, while he was a teenager, and quickly began collaborating with major dance music figures such as Armand van Helden and Harry "Choo Choo" Romero. He's achieved mainstream recognition for his remixes of stars like Madonna, Shakira, and Katy Perry, but has largely stuck to the underground with his own releases. Decades into his career, Sanchez made his full-length debut with Under the Influence, a 2017 set paying tribute to his inspirations, and he's continued issuing singles on respected labels like Crosstown Rebels, Defected, and Planet E (2023's "Art O Fact"). Born Eugenio Sanchez, Jr. in 1977 and brought up in the Ironbound suburb of Newark, New Jersey -- a close-knit, working-class community -- he caught the music bug at a young age. Influenced by the early works of Todd Terry, Carl Craig, Masters at Work, Murk, and David Morales, he started DJing at the age of 11, using his siblings' discarded records and two old stereo systems. By 15 he was playing in some of New York's hottest nightspots. Honing his craft on the job, he was soon one of the most sought-after DJs on the scene. Shortly thereafter, he began producing his own music, forging his own signature funky, filter-happy sound, which took inspiration as much from '80s new wave, post-punk, and synth pop as from the classic influences of house -- disco, funk, soul, and R&B. Releasing his first solo EP, Da Bionic Trax, on Strictly Rhythm in 1996, Sanchez created a steady stream of floor-filling records. With a strong and focused work ethic, he also recorded under the pseudonyms Da Northface Killa and IMIURU ("I Am I, You Are You"), and was a part of many collaborative projects with other big house names like Armand van Helden, Harry "Choo Choo" Romero, DJ Sneak, and Roger Sanchez. In addition, he worked as an A&R man for Rufftrack Records; ran the labels Cube, Brobot, and Kultur; and did remixes for major pop and rock names such as Madonna, Jamiroquai, Gorillaz, Shakira, and Placebo. Sanchez was a longtime critic of the commercialization and exploitation of dance music culture, and a vocal proponent of creative freedom. He finally released his debut album, Under the Influence, in 2017, paying tribute to the house music giants who had influenced him in his youth. In 2018, Sanchez released singles and EPs on labels like Relief ("Funky Spaceship," with Gene Farris) and Defected (Built EP), as well as collaborations with Saul Williams (The Change EP) and Todd Terry ("Figure of Jazz"). 2019 brought club hits like "Keep on Reachin" and "Without Your Love," as well as Blueprint EP. Other EPs like Da Kultur (with Demuir) and Inspire (with Ant LaRock) appeared in 2020. Divergent (with another Todd Terry collaboration) and Nobody Bring U Down were among Sanchez's 2021 releases. "Be With U 2.0," revisiting an earlier collaboration with Dajae, appeared in 2022. "Hit It" (featuring NEZ) appeared on Defected in 2023, and Carl Craig's Planet E issued "Art O Fact."
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