With the release of his second album ‘Come With Me’, international DJ superstar and producer Roger Sanchez – aka the S-Man – took time out of his hectic schedule to share some of his insights on life, songwriting and his upcoming Australian tour. ITM caught up with him while he was in Italy recently.

CK: You said that your new album ‘Come With Me’ is very emotional, and tells a story of your life over the past couple of years. So it must have been a pretty interesting period for you?

RS: Absolutely…

CK: Would you care to elaborate a little bit about it for me?

RS: Yeah. I mean the thing is, whenever you write something personal you are going to have to get into different things that occur to you and different emotional problems. Like with the album, there’s songs that are very romantic, there are songs that are kinda funny and quirky. Even some break-up songs, ‘cos inevitably you go through ins and outs of relationships. There’s also a couple of party tunes – which is kinda the club aspect of it. What I wanted to portray with the album is most people know me for what I do in the clubs, but just kind of bring them a little more closer to, y’know, what life is like. I have a life just like everybody else – I go through my good days and my bad days – and it’s kind of a little bit there to see.

CK: What would you say was the best part of making ‘Come With Me’?

RS: I think the best part was the actual writing process of being able to push past one level of writing music to the next. I think the most difficult part was making it feel like an actual album… Like, do you want to listen to it? [It’s] not just a collection of singles… There’s not just a bunch of tracks that don’t relate to each other and I think that it (the album) kind of happened naturally. That was the most challenging part of it.

CK: You put down five tracks with your own vocals including an extra special one with Alejandro Sanz. Have you ever done vocals before on your own stuff?

RS: Well I’ve done spoken vocals here and there on some tracks… With this one I also did a lot of background vocals… And doing a couple of lead vocal tracks on the album was very very cool. But the one with Alejandro is really interesting. He’d never sung in English – he’s a big latin-flamenco star from Spain – and this was the first collaboration he’s done with any other outside producer and the first time he’s actually released a song in English… I kind of worked with him on the pronunciations and getting him to sing things correctly. It was very cool.

CK: Do you have a favourite track?

RS: It’s kind of hard to say. I mean, I really like ‘Lost’ because it such an emotional track, but again, it’s very very quirky and kind of like, a day in the life of, so I really like that one.

CK: I understand that you produced and programmed the entire album yourself. Is that why it took you two and a half years?

RS: Well really, the reality of why it takes me a while is because I am touring constantly… I have to fit in production work in between that. But taking time to write is important and I don’t rush myself. Plus I do a lot of tracks, a lot of things that didn’t make it on the album… I want to get it right.

CK: You’ve been described as someone who ‘constantly continues to evolve and push the boundaries of dance music and culture’. How do you think this album is changing the boundaries? Or is it just changing your own boundaries?

RS: For me, I don’t think this one is pushing dance music as it were… As it is I’m being a lot more personal by pushing myself more as a songwriter than anything. And just getting more involved in opening myself up. But I think that that’s part of the whole process as well – you push your own boundaries first and then you almost push other ones accidentally.

CK: Do you ever find it hard to get inspired or to stay creative?

RS: Sometimes you walk into a studio and you have no idea of what you are going to do… That happens to me just like everybody else. There are some days when it goes very, very well and some days when it’s a little rougher. I’m the kind of person that goes in and works until I get something going on and then that inspires me to keep going.

CK: From your days of selling your own mix-tapes on the streets of New York; now you’ve got your own record label, your regular club nights at Ibiza and Montreal, your radio show… Where do you see yourself and your music in the next few years? What’s your plan?

RS: Well I’m still definitely going continue to do a lot more songwriting. And I’d like to get a lot more involved with film score and things like that. So hopefully getting involved in film is something I’d like to do.

CK: I had a look at your Australian tour dates. You’ve got a pretty hectic schedule – playing four shows in different states across four days for two weekends straight.

RS: Yeah the tour is pretty intense.

CK: How do you find it when you are in transit? Do you have any secrets for those of us who travel a lot?

RS: I travel A LOT. It’s gotten a lot more complex lately with all of the travel restrictions and so forth. Being patient is a very important part of travelling ‘cos things will try your patience that’s for sure. Try to pack as light as you can. That’s probably the best advice I can give!

CK: What can Australian audiences expect from you this time around?

RS: Well definitely it’s going to be the evolution of my sound. Definitely a lot of funky, electronic vibes and a lot of energy… It’ll definitely be very much on a party scene. It’ll be sexy. We’re going to have a lot of fun. I love being Down Under. Especially this time of year when it’s cold everywhere else and it’s summer time in Australia.

CK: Yeah it’s pretty hot at the moment. I think it was about 30 degrees today.

RS: Brilliant.

CK: Any special surprises planned? Going to bring out any old break-dancing moves for a bit of a crowd-pleaser?

RS: If I would, it would have to be a surprise.

CK: Anything else you want to say to your Australian fans?

RS: I look forward to seeing you very, very soon.

‘Come With Me’ is out now through Central Station/MRA. Also released this month is Roger’s installment in the ‘Choice’ collection of mix CDs, out on Azuli/Stomp. Don’t miss Roger as he touches down over the coming weeks:

Jan 25 – Sydney, Home
Jan 26 – Adelaide, HQ Nightclub
Jan 27 – Brisbane, Family
Jan 28 – Perth, Capitol
Feb 1 – Cairns, Velvet Underground
Feb 2 – Canberra, Academy
Feb 3 – Melbourne, Famous
Feb 4 – Gold Coast, Bedroom