Roger Sanchez, The S-Man, chart topping producer and globally revered superstar DJ. The keystone of the “Release Yourself” concept, recognized and respected the world over for his compilation cds, club nights and a radio show across Europe and the US which reaches over 1.2 million listeners a week. The proud owner of ‘Stealth Records’, champion of hidden talent wherever he encounters it, and one of the most level headed players on the International dance scene. And, judging by his track record, the dynamo that has propelled the disco scene into the 21st century and beyond. Currently Roger Sanchez boasts a monthly residency at Spirit in New York, and a bi-monthly knees-up at Stereo in Montreal, where he plays marathon 14 hour sets on what he describes as simply the best sound system he has ever encountered. He has also recently remixed a track for the Cirque de Soleil, and turned his hand to a reworking of Bassement Jaxx’s ‘Rendez Vous’, which promises to feature on his eagerly awaited compilation ‘Release Yourself Volume 3’. The summer will also see him return for another season of Monday nights at Ibiza’s one and only Pacha, making this the 3rd year running that the sun-kissed connoisseurs of fine house music will be able to get it on to the sounds of Sanchez. Whichever way you look at it, that’s a massive amount of music to come from such a small slice of daily life. Time off, if and when the lifestyle permits, is otherwise dedicated to a love of all things Japanese, from Sushi and Karate to Manga animation. Roger Sanchez was born and raised in Queens, New York, where he found himself immersed in a vibrant and explosive youth culture which identified music and dance beyond all else. It wasn’t long before the young entrepreneur was selling mix-tapes like hot cakes, and making his mark as a breakdancer in his neighbourhood – a passion which culminated in a cameo appearance in the movie Breakdance. In ’89 he first touched base with ‘Strictly Rhythm’ and under their guiding light he released ‘Luv Dancin’, his first club smash (as ‘Underground Solution’) less than a year later. Five years of hard work in the studio left the world with little doubt that the ‘S-Man’ – as he was becoming widely known – was far and away the most valuable asset on the ‘Strictly Rhythm’ label. His first imprint ‘One Records’ had followed by ’92, and 1994 saw the launch of ‘Narcotic Records’, the home of his second club anthem ‘Another Star’. Narcotic was also the launching platform for ‘Back’, the results of some serious collaboration between Roger Sanchez, Junior Sanchez and DJ Sneak, under the guise ‘S-Men’, arguably the first dance music super-power. Throughout the nineties Roger’s creative input to the dance scene saw him far outreach many of his US counterparts, and his studio productions now came with the very highest recommendations. By ’98 he was in The Movies, contributing to the soundtrack of ‘Blade’, in which his tune ‘Wreck tha Discoteck’ set the tone in one of Tinsel-town’s only credible nightclub scenes to date. By March of the same year he had achieved an unprecedented 3 songs in the Billboard Top 25, all in the same week, and it was clear to everyone that Roger Sanchez had truly come of age. The experience gained from running the 2 previous labels led to Roger setting up ‘R*Senal Records’ in 1999, releasing some killer material from the likes of Junior Sanchez, The Scumfrog and Natural Born Lovers, but it would take a further 2 years for his own debut artist album ‘First Contact’ to grace the light of day. The single ‘Another Chance’ became a huge club hit, reaching the coveted number one spot in July 2001. Of the album, Roger reflects that he was always going to take as much time as he needed, to get to a finished product which sounded and felt absolutely right. When you take into account his breadth of experience as one of the planet’s foremost house DJs coupled with his appetite for musical experimentation, the album was always going to be a gem. After so much production work for mainstream artists such as Soul II Soul, Michael and Janet Jackson, Diana Ross and more, the proverbial writing had been on the wall for a long time. Despite Sanchez’s undeniable contributions to dance music, his appetite is far from satisfied when it comes to that sweet smell of success, and it is his ‘Release Yourself’ projects that are the driving force in his life right now. “‘Release Yourself’ expresses everything that I love about the music,” he says of the concept which now ranges from the much loved, blissed-out Monday nights in Ibiza’s super-club Pacha (now in its 3rd year), the radio show (currently being broadcast throughout the USA and Europe to over 1.2 million listeners a week), and of course, the compilations (2 to date with a 3rd scheduled for later in the year). The ‘Release Yourself’ club concept isn’t restricted just to Ibiza either, and the Sanchez team have produced some brilliant, underground parties in London, Manchester, Amsterdam, Paris, Barcelona and beyond over the years. In 2003 his reworking of No Doubt’s ‘Hella Good’ bagged Sanchez a well earned Grammy Award (Best Remix) – there had been nominations in years gone by, but to finally win a Grammy still came as a huge shock. To receive an award which traditionally encompasses the “main stream” side of the music industry for a dance track speaks volumes about exactly how far the man has pushed his genre, and has taken him from hotshot producer to an ambassador of dance music. Roger is currently working flat out on his ‘Stealth’ label. Not only is this the label that provides a home for his own ‘Release Yourself’ compilations, but this is also a launching platform for some of the upcoming talents encountered on his many travels. Of the music policy, he says that Stealth will remain very much in the realms of the underground, but with a broad appeal to dance music lovers, so expect to encounter anything from vocal, peak time cuts to darker tribal vibes. Volume Three of the ‘Release Yourself’ compilations is scheduled for release on June 21st, and it will be a benchmark of what is to be expected on the ‘Stealth’ label. The double CD which is comprised of a pre-party mix and a peak time mix features several exclusive tracks including a taster from the eagerly awaited follow up artist album, as well as contributions from Dean Coleman, Angel Moraes and A Tribe Called Es. And what of the future? “Well work has begun on the next artist album, which looks set to include a few very interesting partnerships. I have been locked in the studio doing the heavyweight vocal work that comes hand in hand with writing real songs. Lisa Pure and Jaquita have really been delivering the goods, and we just finished working on a track with Jamaroquai”, smiles Sanchez. “Right now I’m just writing, writing, writing…I really want to push the envelope this time, to make a much more complete album, some quirky bits, a few big tunes and a lot of vocal stuff. ” So much vocal stuff in fact, that you can expect to hear the man himself on occasion. The mind boggles!