Roger Sanchez interview

Roger Sanchez interview

28 January, 2009 | 4.47AM

• Written by: Beatportal
• Filed under: Music News: stealth recordings

There isn’t too much left to say about the house music institution that is Roger Sanchez.

This Grammy winning, DJ and producer has been in the upper echelons of the dance music world since his first forays into music production in the early ‘90s, and continues to be among the most popular draws every summer in Ibiza through his massive Release Yourself parties which recently announced its upheaval to the gargantuan Amnesia terrace.

With the release this week of ‘3D’, his triple disc mix for Renaissance, we grabbed Roger for a quick interview to talk trance, Ibiza price wars and his ongoing love of ‘the game’.

What was the thinking behind your decision to move your Release Yourself night to Amnesia?

After having been with Pacha for over seven years, we wanted to develop the Release Yourself events in Ibiza further and weren’t able to do so at Pacha. I’ve always been a fan of the Amnesia terrace and they were enthusiastic about working with us and bringing Release Yourself to a new level.

How do you think the blend with Armin Van Buuren in the main room will play out?

Armin and I get along great. We’d actually spoken about doing something together during last summer when we shared planes and I think that both of our crowds will be able to experience something different and exciting with us sharing the club.

Are you into his sound?

Although I’m not generally into trance, I do like some of tracks I’ve heard from Armin- they are very housey and tech as well - I was surprised at the similarity of some of our preferred tracks.

Do you think Ibiza is in danger of becoming the fallen giant of the club scene? It has become increasingly expensive for normal people to visit (which undoubtedly prices people out of the market), along with the club closures of the last couple of years.

There definitely have to be revisions on pricing on the island - it is very expensive to go out, especially if you aren’t wealthy, and there will be an inevitable fall off if something isn’t done.

How did you approach putting together your 3D mix album for Renaissance?

I wanted to represent not only what I’m currently playing on my dancefloor, but what I listen to on my ipod and a recap of some of my important productions and remixes; to that end I was very eclectic with the home CD, as I range from chill out to indie bands like Klaxons. With my studio CD, I tried to use tracks I hadn’t in my previous anthology mixes.

Was it tough to make decisions as to which tracks to include on the ‘studio’ disc from the 100s you’ve released?

It was, but I also tried to not repeat previous tracks I had used on other studio compilations

Do you usually take a ‘live’ approach to recording a mix CD or do you favour a studio- based approach?

I prefer a live approach and mix with CDs, although I did use a more studio-based approach for the home CD, as it isn’t a straight forward DJ mix.

You released your first record back in 1990; what inspires you to keep going after so many years?

I love what I do! Seeing a crowd truly enjoying themselves at my gigs continues to inspire me.

How do you see the house scene in general compared to say, ten years ago?

It’s broader now and more diverse and international. Ten years ago it was still very New York and London based.

How is everything going with regards to your Stealth imprint?

Very well! We have a very strong line up of releases for 2009 and I’m working on my new artists album as well as ‘Release Yourself Vol. 8’, so lots of great things to come!

Are we going to see many original productions from you this year?

Absolutely!

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