Reinvention. If Madonna is the unequivocal queen of this word in musical circles, then there may not be much argument that the king of the term is the one and only Junior Vasquez. The legendary NYC-based DJ/remixer/producer has stood atop the nightclubbing and dance music worlds for more than two decades and has adeptly avoided irrelevancy or obsolescence thanks to his undeniable DJing talent and innate ability to anticipate what's coming down the dance music pike. The result of Vasquez's latest "reinvention" is Generation Next, his first continuous mix compilation in three years, out now on Tommy Boy Silver Label.

The 14-track collection of contemporary hard house beats is delivered superbly, pulling in listeners from the first beat to the last. The dark, sexy mix presents an uncompromising dose of high-energy grooves, including two new Vasquez original tracks (the progressive "I Love Music" and gospel-infused big-room blaster "Insecurities"), that harken back to legendary nightclubbing exploits when Vasquez spun at venues such as Arena, Sound Factory, and Twilo. Yet, Generation Next is very current and frankly rather futuristic with the inclusion of fierce new productions by some of today's hottest DJ/remixers, like Twisted Dee, DeMarko!, and Bimbo Jones.

"House music has changed a lot since my days spinning at Sound Factory and Twilo and I pride myself on always having been able to stay one step ahead of the curve," asserts Vasquez. "I see what gets the crowds going at my monthly Freedom party at Club Cielo in New York and on the dance floors at the mega-clubs I've been playing around the world lately and I wanted to harness that energy in Generation Next."

And that's exactly what Vasquez has done: captured his recent big room sound and delivered it to your living-room (and iPod) with all the drama and intensity you'd get from him in a live set. As proven by Generation Next, this veteran is nowhere near the end of the line with his career and is sure to influence many more generations to come.

Editor's Note: Junior Vasquez will be in Chicago for in-store appearance @ Borderline Music (3333 N. Broadway) on Saturday, May 30 @ 3pm. He'll take to the DJ booth later that night @ Circuit Night Club (3647 N. Halsted St.) for the monthly NITRO Party.