“I’m getting ready for the next season at Ibiza and working on the upcoming album,” chimes the upbeat and agreeable Sanchez. “I’ve also been working on a lot of collaborations with Sebastien Drums, DJ R3hab and a few others – music that I would call real hands-in-the-air-tunes. Right now I’ve just arrived in New York and have plenty to do of course!”
Indeed, almost 20 years ago when Sanchez took to the headphones and turntables, electronic music was a mere shadow of its former self. “I never really knew what would come of it,” explains Sanchez. “I was basically into dance culture – it was great back then; sure we had to be careful and not lose sight of what we wanted to do and to achieve, but we survived. Of course it can get diluted and watered down, though realistically, it has evolved and matured.”
And rightly so, music in the new decade continues to reveal and surprise – who would have thought that dubstep could find its way into a house performance? “That’s what’s cool about music. There are no rules; no-one is sitting there telling people how things have to be. Things like dub and all these things are all merging into the electronic scene. It’s almost like the music scene just keeps feeding on itself. You have Avicii and Afrojack blowing up, and there is a lot of big-room electronic music doing great things. Even techno has gotten to a point where it’s still underground but artists are playing it across every genre. This brings out all of this amazing new talent and such – it’s really great to see.”
No less, Sanchez is sold on the technological revolution in music given it has broadened its popular appeal and made it more accessible to many more people. And while arguably, it has created a movement characterised by commercial mediocrity, it could be argued this applies everywhere – not just in EDM. “Sure, it has made it harder to find the good stuff,” laughs Sanchez. “But the fact that the delivery of music has made it what it is, the fact that it has become a global phenomenon is a great thing. The downside in the ability to monetise it by selling units, so you have to adjust and roll with that – but it also can create global success on levels that has not been seen before.”
Which isn’t altogether a bad thing for those bedroom DJs working on the next big thing. But for Sanchez, it has been a long and intricate career characterised by adversity and triumph – although one, which has seen him achieve what he wanted. “I’ve always embraced music. And I’m proud and humbled by how things have worked out for me. I certainly think back to how lucky I’ve been that Europe embraced dance music 20 years ago; it really allowed the scene to develop all over the world. Everything has its time, I really believe that; it was never guaranteed to explode in America. The fact that it became such a major force here is great – it has been one big learning curve!”
Stealth Records has and remains one of the great labels in the house movement; an imprint focused on the dance spectrum and one that hasn’t swayed from its roots. “We’re still pushing the flavour. The guys that we are developing and working with, they’re aligned with what we stand for. We’ve moved the label now and redesigned everything from the website to the cover art.”
And guys like Michael Calfan, Prok & Fitch and Muzzaik are the future. Sanchez acknowledges that he won’t be around forever especially given he has a family which needs some attention. “It’s the most important thing for me right now outside of music. I’m also trying to get involved with film; I’m working with the executive producer from the HBO series Game of Thrones and am still focused on developing the artists and growing the model.”
Finally, the legend shares a few words about his forthcoming return to our shores. “I love Australian crowds; they’re always up for it and know how to have a great time. I’ve got a lot of new productions and exclusives and I’m looking forward to sharing them with you.”
I mean he’s the recipient of a Grammy Award. Does that tell you enough?
BY RK
Roger Sanchez [USA] plays Pretty Please on Saturday April 21.
