Roger Sanchez

by John Bush
Just one in the cast of crucial producers that made Strictly Rhythm the premiere American house label during the early 90s, Roger Sanchez grew into a prolific remixer, world-class mainstream DJ and top global-house name by the end of the decade. Though he concentrated more on mix albums than proper studio productions under his own name, Sanchez gained much respect with club kids as well as the dancefloor intelligentsia.
Born in New York to parents of Dominican heritage, Sanchez attended Manhattans School of Art & Design with several future hip-hop legends including Kurtis Mantronik. He was well into the graffiti and break-dancing scene during the early 80s and began DJing by the age of 13. After mixing for several years at New York hotspots like the Tunnel — even while he was studying architecture at the Pratt Institute — Sanchez finally left college in 1987 to give music a full-time shot. His club Ego Trip was soon booming (with Sanchez mix-tapes selling briskly on Broadway) and he never looked back. By 1989, Gladys Pizarro from Strictly Rhythm Records had touched base to see if Sanchez was interested in production; one year later, he had recorded his first single, Luv Dancin as Underground Solution.
The singles tough underground grooves charged the New York house scene, then just on the cusp of a turnover from the smooth garage sound to a rougher style influenced by European trance and techno. Despite stumbling into remixing by accident — after giving a bad review to a single, he was tapped to rework it — Sanchez became more than competent at the game, and beginning in 1991 he worked on tracks for Babyface, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Janet Jackson, Chic, M People, Basia, Incognito and Soul II Soul.
Later Sanchez productions — a 1994 Latin dub-house burner named Sumba Lumba (as Tribal Confusion), the following years hard-hitting Livin 4 the Underground EP (as Roger S) and that same years Release Yo Self (as Transatlantic Soul) — cemented his status as one of Strictly Rhythms greatest assets and one of the worlds leading mainstream producers. Though his own One Records collapsed in 1995, Sanchez formed another label named Narcotic and signed up with the British club Hard Times to release his first full-length. The mix LP Hard Times-The Album featured the S-Man (with just two decks, a mixer and a crate of records) proving his worth as a DJ in addition to his much-hyped studio work. He continued in the mix-LP vein, releasing volumes in two high-profile series (Mixmag Live!, United DJs of America) and the Freeze collection Roger S. Mega Mix. In 1997, Narcotic Records released Back (as S-Men), the fruits of the dance super-group formed by Sanchez, Junior Sanchez and DJ Sneak. One year later, Sanchez released S-Man Classics, a two-disc collection including his best remixes backed with his best own productions. A few mix albums followed during the next three years, but a full production album, First Contact, finally dropped in 2001.