Alongside names like Todd Terry and Kenny Dope, Roger Sanchez – both under his own name and his “S Man” alias – has been right at the heart of house music for decades. From the more soulful and song-based variety to deeper, techier sounds, and both through his exhaustive DJing schedule and his productions, he’s as relevant now as ever.
He’s known not just as a prolific hit-making producer, but also as one of the most technically proficient DJs in the world – he performs with four CDJs and uses them to full effect, weaving in loops, samples, and acapellas throughout his sets to create improvised remixes on the fly. No two Roger Sanchez performances are ever identical.
In this downloadable interview, our founder Phil Morse reminisces with Roger about the last few decades in dance music, and talks to him about how he DJs, how he stays relevant, why his Release Yourself radio show is so important to him, and so much more.
In this exclusive interview, you’ll learn:
- Why the best DJs know how to take risks, and why some get stuck in a cycle playing the same music
- What it means to be organised as a DJ
- How crate digging has changed in today’s digital DJ landscape
- How to use playlists efficiently, even when a list has over 300 tracks
- Why you need to structure your playlists to minimise screen gazing
- How to rate your tracks so you never miss out on dropping the hottest tunes in your collection
- Why helping out up and coming DJs ultimately lets you stay in the game for longer
- The difference between DJing a small, sweaty room and a massive mega-festival
- Roger’s best piece of advice he’d give to his younger self
We’re grateful to Roger for taking time out of his busy touring and producing schedule to have a chat with us. Whether you’re new to digital DJing or you’ve been grinding for years now – there’s something for you to pick up in this interview. Have a listen below.
The interview
• Roger is playing at the Southport Weekender in Finsbury Park on 10 June 2017, and We Are FSTVL on 27 May 2017, both in the UK.
What are your thoughts on this interview? What’s your favourite bit of advice from Roger? Any Roger Sanchez stories you’d like to share with us? Do so in the comments below.
Joey Santos
