It isn’t every day that you find yourself with such a golden opportunity to get inside a musical mastermind’s head and learn from his past experiences and endeavours, but then again it isn’t everyday a star like Roger Sanchez is born. One such chance came Semone Maksimovic’s way recently, as she took on the task for ITM, to bring you all of the latest news and previews of his upcoming tour and took a trip down memory lane with the notorious S-man. As he found himself taking some time out between shopping and visits to the gym on a day off in Buenos Aires, preparing for the Heineken Thirst show.
Growing up in downtown New York during it’s most thriving era to date, as the excitement of the graffiti, break-dancing, hip hop, punk and dance scenes had just hit the big time and were heard loudly throughout the world. It’s any wonder everything that has followed in it’s wake for Sanchez has been taken with ease and his own distinct level of style. Whilst attending Manhattan’s famed School of Art & Design, it was hard for the youngster not to get caught up in the excitement that’d captured the hearts and lives of his peers, as they immersed themselves in brightening up the New York streets with bold and bright graffiti, the new art form taking the city by storm. From this came of course the hip hop and house scenes, which of course brought along the break-dancing movement, which often saw Sanchez appearing as an extra on Krush Groove. As the success of these scenes continued to rise, so did the beginnings of the punk movement with Bad Brains leading the pack.
“I’m very proud to have come up in that area at that time and have been influenced by the different musicians and people that were around at the time. My parents were very understanding from the beginning, they just let me go and do what I had to do, so I was pretty lucky in that way. I only had to sneak out once or twice” laughs Sanchez. “It’s great to be in the position that I’m in now, cause I can reflect a lot of what I’ve experienced and learned from those people over the years and put it down in my own way.”
Things have changed dramatically on the for the infamous scene since, as it felt the blows of shifting tastes, political changes and saw people turning away from clubs in record numbers. It seems Sanchez was blessed with the best time to find his feet. As the 18-year old, started to make and sell his mix tapes on Broadway to help promote parties and club shows. “In the beginning we did it the old school way, we just set up on Broadway with a boombox and a box of tapes. Then after a while we got a bit more legit and hooked up some consignments with local stores to sell them for us. I think over time things like that have become a little more difficult to do, but at the time the police never got wise to it, so we survived as long as we needed to” laughs a jovial Sanchez.
But after the city suffered the lowest point imaginable with 9/11, it seems the community have been busy getting together and re-building the city and it’s long-suffering scene ever since and it’s only now that it’s going through a re-birth, as New Yorkers are dropping their fear in exchange of a thirst for the live scene again. “Now it seems New Yorkers are starting to go out again and they’re really enjoying it, I think it’s now starting to get really good again” notes Sanchez.
This year has been a year for getting stuff done for Roger, as he’s been busily putting the final touches on and hooking up with the last of his guest cast for the next artist album, which is set to drop in early 06. And with his out-of-control touring schedule continuing on the side, it’s proved to be quite a manic experience. With the first single ‘Turn On The Music’ (featuring the vocals of GTO) just dropping now, it’s a clear sign that the new album will be another exciting expedition in the world of Sanchez magic. “I’ve been collaborating with some new artists, I just finished up a track with Kelis for the new album and a few other people, so it’s been a pretty full summer for me. But I’m happy it’s wrapped up now, cause it’s been coming along for around two years now between touring and other stuff. I’ve taken a bit of a break from remixing, just because I’ve been trying to concentrate on finishing up the album and getting the collaborations happening. Cause that’s the part that’s taken the longest, just trying to lock down people. A few of the artists I was planning to work with, just didn’t work out due to schedules and so on.”
After a year of jam packed schedules and everything that goes between, it’s high time Sanchez feels he returns to our shores for a few special appearances and what better place for him to end his massively stressful year than in our bright, sunny land for a few days off before the album gets set to drop? “I’m looking forward to returning and playing some cool new tunes. It’s a beautiful place and I always enjoy everyone’s hospitality when I come out that way, it just adds to the beauty of the country.”
As for what we can expect to dazzle the dance floors from his finely-crafted sets this time round, he’s quite happy to shed a little light on, but likes to keep a bit of the mystery, to make it extra special. “I’ll be dropping a lot of new tracks from the label, some up-front stuff, some electronic influenced funky stuff, lots of vocals, some fresh remixes of some classic house tracks (which are very exclusive) and lots of new stuff from my new album.”
Catch the unstoppable Roger Sanchez as he whips through Oz to bring in our New Year with style:
Sat Dec 31 – Pacha at Home, Sydney (BUY TICKETS)
Sun Jan 1 - Field Day, Sydney (SOLD OUT)
Sun Jan 1 - Summadayze, Melbourne (BUY TICKETS)
Sat Jan 7 - Summafieldayze, Gold Coast (BUY TICKETS)
Sun Jan 8 - Summadayze, Perth (BUY TICKETS)
Sanchez’s new single ‘Turn On The Music’ is out now, released locally through Central Station/MRA.
