Despite being a veteran of the house scene, 2011 has still been an exciting year for American DJ/producer Roger Sanchez. His Release Yourself night returned to Ibiza once more, but also made regular stop-offs in Turkey, at Ministry Of Sound in London, and at Cavo Paradiso in Mykonos, whilst the man behind it has been busy re-discovering an old musical form… “I think one of the things I've been re-inspired by recently is an underground, old school and techier vibe,” enthuses the Queens, NYC-born mainstay. “I brought back one of my classic monikers, The S Man, for that reason, so I could make some stuff with old, dark, New York basslines done in a techy way. It's like I've split my sound in two - now I have a main room sound and a dark back room sound. Because of that, I really enjoyed playing Space this summer. I could really run the gamut there and play everything in one set. “I've worked on a new multimedia show with extra flashing lights. I control the visuals on my iPad and play four decks at the same time: it's been pretty intense,” continues the man who also released a B52s-sampling hit, '2gether', along with Far East Project, in 2011. For a taste of the new techy vibe Sanchez has honed in on, there's a new single with Dutch house sensation Sidney Samson on the way. “And I'm finishing my next artist album, so I can't wait to get that done,” he says. KRISTAN J CARYL
