New York City – In dance music, as in life, opposites attract. Some of the most electric sparks of brilliance result from the simple, yet unlikely collision of two disparate entities. In the case of Londoners Layo Paskin and Matthew “Bushwacka!” Benjamin, it’s a remarkable pairing fused by the idealistic spirit of Acid House which, as DJs and producers, has them presently poised to be the tech-house underground’s breakout act and their second full-length, Night Works, stands as one of 2002’s more anticipated electronic albums.
As a boy, the wide-eyed Benjamin was playing percussion in the London School Symphony Orchestra, but in 1988, hooked on hip hop, he packed it in for Acid House’s cutting edge, joining up with seminal U.K. rave crew, the Rat Pack. Only a year later, he was one of their top DJs. Graduating from a studio-engineering course, he found work making loads of tea and honing his production skills at a studio called The Watershed, owned by Mr. C, the erstwhile U.K. pop star (with The Shamen) and seminal Acid House figure otherwise known as Richard West. It was here where the “Bushwacka!” – now widely regarded as one of the finest production engineers and in-demand remixers on the scene – met another one of Mr. C’s protégés, Layo Paskin.

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New York City – Twenty years into his career, Roger Sanchez can easily be viewed as the personification of a DJ who has made it. Beginning as a clubber and mobile DJ, the Queens, N.Y. native has achieved many goals – DJ, remixer, producer, label chief for the Narcotic and R-Senal imprints – and in the past year he’s even conquered the artist arena. His 2001 single, “Another Chance,” topped the U.K. pop charts and the subsequent album, First Contact (Sony Int’l), offers a tasty serving of Sanchez’s many musical interests, from house to electro and pop.
We caught up with the globetrotting Sanchez to get his take on his production techniques, dancefloor strategy and new DJ technologies.

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