The S Man
As New Technologies Afford Him Greater Performance Capabilities,
Roger Sanchez Returns With His Most Assured Album Yet

Published in the August 2006 issue of DJ Times Magazine
Volume 19 - Number 8
By Emily Tan

New York City — Lucky for Roger Sanchez, he grew up in a New York that was very different from today’s version.

Global-superstar DJs didn’t yet exist and the musical jet set of the day was filled with singers and guitar slingers. But raging talents and cutting-edge innovators like Larry Levan, Todd Terry and Louie Vega created the template for everything that would come later. They won over the locals, created lasting music, and opened the imaginations of admiring, young DJs like Sanchez.

Using these examples as inspiration, the Queens-based Sanchez sharpened his chops as a mobile DJ, made mix-tapes, played out when he could. When he created his breakout track “Luv Dancin’”—a massive 1990 floorshaker that borrowed from and updated Loose Joints’ classic “Is It All Over My Face?”—the timing couldn’t have been better. He was a part of the first generation of house DJ/producers for whom the world of possibilities would open broadly.

Today at 39, he’s become that globetrotting, hitmaking, award-winning DJ/artist that many jocks aspire to be. In addition to regular spots from Singapore’s Zouk to London’s Fabric, Sanchez maintains residencies at two of the world’s most influential clubs—Ibiza’s Pacha and New York’s Crobar. His bilingual syndicated radio show, “Release Yourself,” highlights the dial from L.A. to New York and beyond, attracting over 1.5 million listeners worldwide. On the artist front, he earned a global hit with 2001’s sublime pop-dance effort “Another Chance.” For his 2004 remix of No Doubt’s “Hella Good,” Sanchez won a Grammy Award.

So where does a Roger Sanchez go from there?

Specifically, to Ibiza to record his second artist album, Come With Me (Stealth/Ultra), and to Las Vegas to play with his new live band, The S-Men. Sanchez says that new technologies like Pioneer’s DJV-X1 DVD turntable have given him a new artistic spark for DJing with the band, complete with visual backdrops. (And, as revealed in the following interview, he has a few new DJ-gear ideas of his own.) As for the album, it’s a reflection of his growth as an artist and a songwriter. Contrasting collaborative tunes like the very Balaeric “I’m Yours” (with Spanish singer/guitarist Alejandro Sanz) and the club-ready anthem “Turn On the Music” (with soulful vocalist GTO) show Sanchez’s widening range. Of course, for DJs, there are plenty more club cuts, including the poptribal “Take a Chance” with Jacquita Perkins.

DJ Times recently caught up with the S Man who gave us an update on his DJ career and offered a glimpse into all DJs’ futures as well. It went like this:

DJ Times: In 2001, when you had a hit with “Another Chance,” it was a sample-oriented track using an old Toto song. What do you think about that approach now?
Sanchez: I think that as long as it's done with respect and done creatively, [it's OK]. What's interesting is that, on that song especially, I really loved the vocal hook, what it said, and the melody behind it. But instead of taking that melody, I took the vocal hook and I re-did a lot around it and played a lot of the instruments. I changed it up quite a bit. When you sample, you've got to do it creatively, otherwise it's just a loop and it doesn't say very much.

DJ Times: Is songwriting something you're trying to focus on more at this point in your career?
Sanchez: I'm writing a lot of songs with artists like Alanis Morissette and Alejandro Sanz-he's massive in Spain, and I wrote "I'm Yours" with him. His style is flamenco. I'm also writing with Shakira. Songwriting is something I've always done, but I think working on my own album has focused me a lot more on it. I've gotten on the roll of writing songs, and I really do enjoy it. I have so many different styles of music that I like. I don't have to only represent myself as a dance artist-I can write a song for somebody that's Latin or rock. There are different sides of me. I'm building up my catalog as well.

DJ Times: Whose vocals are on "Not Enough"?
Sanchez: Jacquita Perkins. She's an amazing vocalist who also did the vocals on "Again," "Don't Tell Me It's Over," and "Take A Chance." I wrote everything on this album. Sometimes I co-write songs with Freak, who's a great songwriting partner. When it's my stuff, I wanna be really hands-on.

DJ Times: What do you look for in a vocalist?
Sanchez: Obviously, the sound of their voice, the tone. The quality of their voice is one of the first things. Then if it's someone I'm gonna sign to my own production label, I'm looking for the whole package: style, their look, how they present themselves as an artist. Some singers are just singers, but some are artists and that's what I wanna sign. I don't give everyone a chance, but I allow the opportunity for anyone to take a shot at it. Nowadays, in my situation, it's more about the amount of time I have available. I'm writing a lot of songs myself.

DJ Times: Tell me about your studio setups and the recording of Come With Me.
Sanchez: I've got two home studios: one in Ibiza, and one in New York City with my own set-up and production. I do all the programming, use my own engineers, my own keyboard. My main pieces are a Mac G5 fully-rigged with Logic, which is my main programming and sequencing software, and Pro Tools. I have a high-definition system. I use a E-Mu SP-1200 drum sampler, an E-Mu E4X Turbo sampler, a Novation Supernova synthesizer, the Roland XV-5080 synthesizer/sampler, a Manley Labs Massive Passive tube equalizer, mic preamps and compressors, and a Tubetech EQ-1AM equalizer.