Who: Roger Sanchez
Where: Tommy Africa’s
When: Saturday, Nov. 5
Tickets: $22 in advance; $225 at the door
A busy man, globally-revered Roger Sanchez still interrupted a recording session in his home studio in New Jersey to talk about his upcoming show, Saturday, Nov. 5 at Tommy Africa’s as part of the DJ Sessions 05/06 series.
"It is definitely going to be sexy," said Sanchez of the Whistler show. "I bring a sexiness to whatever I play and definitely a lot of energy and electronic elements."
While fans might expect him to be busy with the eagerly awaited release of his second artist album, Sanchez was instead dialing up a new Latin artist on the soundboard.
In addition to being a chart-topping producer, Grammy-award-winning artist and Stealth Records founder, the S-man is also a champion of hidden talent, his ambitions spinning beyond his own career.
"I worked on my first break for myself," Sanchez said. "It was never really easy. I learned a lot from it. It’s more difficult to get on now than it was in my day. If I am in a position to help people, I definitely will."
GTO, along with other rising stars Sanchez sees as not getting the exposure they deserve, will bring their talents to the table on his new album, along with the inclusion of a live band, a first for Sanchez’s artist albums.
"It’s sort of a continuation story from the first one," Sanchez said. "I am moving what I do to the next level."
One of the originators of the house scene, the DJ, whose first break was a cameo appearance on the movie Breakdance in the mid-80s, revolutionized the dance music scene, with a web radio broadcast that logs 1.2 million listeners weekly.
He is most infamous for his 14-hour marathon DJ sets in the U.K, New York, Montreal and Ibiza. Along with a 2003 Grammy Award for Best Remix of No Doubt’s Hella Good, Sanchez remixed tracks for Cirque de Soleil along with mainstream superstars Michael Jackson, The Police and Elton John. He contributed to the soundtrack for Blade and achieved an unprecedented three songs on the Billboard Top 25 in 1998, all within the same week.
"Doing different things provides different outlets for my creativity," he said. "It is important for me to keep trying different things. It allows me to push what I do forward and challenge myself to come up with new ideas."
Producing, spinning, recording and mentoring, with film score ambitions and a clothing line slated for next year, Sanchez finds calm in the storm as a lover of everything Japanese. From Sushi and Manga animation to training in the martial arts, Sanchez tunes into the culture of harmony and discipline daily.
"I love their discipline," he said of the Japanese culture. "Their policy is simple living. The kind of esthetic approach to life that everything has a place. That is something I got from martial arts – a veracity that I take in my life."
A rapidly changing DJ scene keeps Sanchez living in the moment. The days of only turntables and vinyl have expanded to embrace MP3 downloads, computers and CD players.
"DJs are becoming the surrogate rock stars of the new millennium," he said. "You’ve got to keep up with cutting-edge technology."
Whether keyboard or turntable, Sanchez’s constant is the passion and soul he brings to his shows.
"There is always an element of soul and emotion," said the American who keeps his feet firmly planted in his Latin roots, splitting his time between New York and Spain. "My goal is to touch people’s souls. There is always a Latin edge in what I play and program."
Sanchez shows always sell out. Pick up advanced tickets for $22 at HotBox Internet Café, or $25 at the door. Doors 9:30 p.m. Sanchez’s set starts at 10 p.m.
