Juno Reactor

Biography

Best-known for injecting former porn star Traci Lords with some hi-NRG trance on her 1995 solo album, Ben Watkins and co. have pursued a fusion of Goa trance and techno on their own recordings as Juno Reactor. Watkins, who has produced Alison Moyet and worked with Youth (in both the Empty Quarter and Brilliant), formed his own band in the late '80s, the Flowerpot Men (not to be confused with the '60s band of the same name). Not long after, Watkins retreated to travel around the world with a portable DAT recorder, using the results to soundtrack a traveling art exhbition. After meeting up with Stefan Holweck, an old comrade from Brilliant, the duo formed Juno Reactor with Mike Maguire and occasional contributors Johan Bley and Jens Waldenback.

Juno Reactor hit big on the dancefloor with a 1993 single, "High Energy Protons," and signed to Mute Records. Later that year, the group released its debut album, Transmissions, and toured as the Orb's support slot for chillout-room duty; a deal with Orb's Inter Modo label resulted in 1994's Luciano. The hype increased a year later as Traci Lords recruited the group to produce her debut album, 1000 Fires. Signed to Wax Trax! a year later (but on Blue Room Released in Europe), Juno Reactor returned with their third album, Beyond the Infinite, in 1996. Bible of Dreams followed in 1997 and Shango in fall 2000. Watkins' side projects include Psychoslaphead and Electrotete. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide