Roger the clubbin’ boy

We’d all like to think that this jetsetting disc jockey lark is a breeze. You fly first-class into whatever town you’re playing in, get put up in the best hotel, get fed, watered and generally pampered and then head off to play your club gig and pick up a huge pay packet for your troubles. Right? Well, not always...

Roger Sanchez, the bona fide house legend and universally respected DJ, is in a town for a sold out soiree in HQ. Eschewing the traditional tactic of descending on Dublin and getting suitably wasted, Sanchez is holed up in Totally Wired Studios in the Factory for an all-night production session. So, why the hell isn’t the big man out partying?

“It’s my sick work ethic,” laughs Roger in his slick New York drawl. “I’ve got a project I really need to finish. I’m doing this track for a movie called Southwest Nine, which is being made by the people who did Human Traffic. So I’m doing my rendition of ‘The Guns Of Brixton’ by The Clash. It’s probably going to be me versus The Clash or something. I’ve kinda housed it up and made it funky, vibey and modern, so rather than hanging out or getting some sleep which I desperately need, I’m here. What can I tell you? This is part of the life.”

Workaholic that he is, Sanchez doesn’t go for those wimpy hour-and-a-half guest-spots that most visiting UK DJs plump for. His HQ arrangement the next night is billed on the pre-publicity as a three and a half hour set (which actually turns out to be a four hour plus special!).

“That’s short!” laughs Sanchez. “This summer I’ve been doing my residency at El Divino (glitzy Ibiza nightspot) and I’ve been playing eight hour sets which I prefer to do. It’s funny because I came from the day when most DJs played from the beginning to the end. You played all night. It’s become a little bit of a lost artform for a lot of DJs. Maybe it is an American thing because UK DJs seem to be used to playing very short sets. I happen to feel that for me it allows me to stretch out, express and create an overall kind of event from the beginning to the end. From when the guys are sweeping up the place and picking up the glasses to when the lights go up.

“To keep me fresh, I drink a lot of water. I like to put incense in the booth and kind of make myself at home and chill out and vibe out and really get into a mental state of what I really want to do. Incense tends to make me feel a little bit more at peace. Nagchampa (sweet myrhh-like fragrance) is very good for putting you in a meditative state where you just chill and relax.”

In addition to his night long marathons, Sanchez has just joined the elite of dance producers who have broken out from the 12” norm and completed their own first full length album.

“I think for me what happened was that rather than initially saying ‘Oh, I want to do an album’, it got to the point that after years of just doing one off singles and remixes, I started producing a couple of my own tracks and I just felt I had a bit of a story to tell with my life,” Roger explains. “I wanted to do something very personal that gave people a little bit of background about where I’m from and where my mind is at, plus some of my own experiences so people could relate to it and vibe with it. I’ve been working on it for three years and it was in a different form a year and a half ago. I just thinned it out, focused it and concentrated it more. I’m very happy with the outcome.

“The studio and the DJ booth both hold different attractions for me. The DJ booth is very much one world. When I’m playing out it’s just an instant reaction compared to what I do in the studio which has a limitless afterlife. There are some things that you build and then there are some things you just enjoy. This (gestures around the studio) is something you build. The club set is something you enjoy for the moment.”

Roger Sanchez has to go back to work. It’s nearly midnight and I’m off for a pint, but Sanchez, forever the professional, has got production deadlines to adhere to. Who said this dance superstar stuff was a piece of piss?

First Contact is out now on Defected.