Band Review :: Juno Reactor

Band Review :: Juno Reactor
Posted :: Aug 27, 2004 by kompakt

Band::Juno Reactor
Genre::electronic/world music
Best Albums::Shango, Odyssey 1992-2002, Beyond the Infinite, Bible of Dreams

A sound like blowing air goes through your speakers, then a female voice follows with conga drums beating in the background. Cymbals slowly make their way into the mix, which are followed by an electronic beat as this combination of sound reaches its zenith. That's precisely what happens on the song "God is God" by Juno Reactor on his album Bible of Dreams. This isn't the only occasion in which conga drums and world music make an appearance. In fact, that's what the base of most of Juno Reactor's music is made up of. Juno Reactor, also known as Ben Watkins, just might be the pioneer of a style of music that could be around for generations.

Juno Reactor's way of making music has changed over the years, as is shown on the album Odyssey 1992-2002, which shows noticeable progress starting from the song "High Energy Protons", taken from his very first album, Transmissions, and ending with the latest single created in 2002, called "Hotaka". In between are songs such as "God is God" from Bible of Dreams, "Rotorblade" from Beyond the Infinite, and "Masters of the Universe" from Shango. Even though all these songs are very different from one another, they all have one thing in common: they are unique in every single way. So unique in fact that trying to reproduce any of his material would be nearly impossible, because Juno Reactor has a few tricks up his sleeve for getting just the right sound. Because of his uniqueness of style and structure, Juno Reactor has done many other things besides work on albums. He has done musical scores for movies such as The Matrix Reloaded with Don Davis, and he also wrote the score for the movie, Beowulf.

Juno Reactor has been around since 1992, but it took Ben Watkins a long time to incarnate the idea. Before Juno Reactor, he spent a lot of time in other bands and honed his skill, and so when it came down to starting his own thing, he was ready. His album Transmissions was an instant success, and it also let the world know who he was and that he was, and still is, determined to succeed.

Juno Reactor incorporates some of the best sounds and beats possibly conceivable which makes him pleasurable to listen to just about anywhere, not to mention his numerous creative songs that could be (and should be) put into movies. Juno Reactor has created a legacy in his music, which is unlike any other. He has left his mark on the world, and it hasn't gone unnoticed. His music is celebrated across the globe, in many countries and nations. Juno Reactor truly is, the Godfather of his style of music.