Miami Special – DJ Sneak

The Toronto don keeping it underground

We know that the WMC is more about profile and the party rather than business deals, is it the most important date on the dance calendar still?

“Well it is the start of the new year for DJs. I usually spend the winter months back home preparing tracks for the rest for the year, and living in Toronto allows me to stay inside all winter till I get to Miami, then it’s hustle time. I know a lot of people go to WMC to party and meet friends but for me it’s all about gigs and getting ready for the year to come. I go to Miami to do work and play all my gigs with the mission that each set will get me more gigs for the year.”

As thousands of next generation clubbers descend on the big events, do you feel the spirit of house music is being lost to a crowd looking for that instant anthem hit?

“The spirit of house music is never lost to the people that actually care and respect real HOUSE MUSIC. Too many crowds and the majority of the industry, the real meaning of this music has been lost years ago – nowadays it’s all about “frontin” and putting up a fake image to impress. The crowds don’t even know what they are looking for anymore and they are confused with abbreviations like EDM.”

Have you had to change your musical direction in the last year?

“I have always kept my path with house music as the light at the end of the tunnel, my direction has always been a respectfully music driven one, I live for real “House Music” not this crap music being pushed on people driven by the wrong reasons. I became a DJ years ago because I loved the music, that was my motivation, everything else that came was a result of working hard, staying on path and staying true to myself.”

Is Miami losing it’s trademark cool and sexy house music vibe?

“The only sexy house music in Miami is being played by the 5% of DJs that never properly get featured nor promoted like a rock star. There are some people that really love the music and the other 95% of people have no idea what this genre is all about. Most of the time what you will find played in Miami nightclubs is the most ridiculous commercial music you will ever hear. I remember when the WMC was mostly American record labels with their DJs and parties, now it’s a circus of clowns trying to make it in this game”

What are your thoughts on the Dennis Ferrer ‘Mansion’ Miami club story – he was basically kicked off the decks for not playing commercial enough… 

“Well there are two sides to this story and in my opinion they are both wrong. ‘Mansion’ is wrong for thinking that Dennis would actually play commercial music, or think that he is a “cheesy” DJ like the rest of the DJs that play there. Most of these clubs just want to hire DJs with Hype so they can pack their clubs, they don’t even know what they play, they just want a headliner name. On the other hand though, if you know a commercial nightclub like ‘Mansion’ Miami is booking you, you should not expect to go there and try to convince people that the music you play is the one they should be listening to. These people do not want to be educated on music, they are there for other reasons. It is very embarrassing to hear that a nightclub would disrespect and good DJ to put some clown on to play commercial bullshit but I guess it’s not that surprising.”

With clubs and charts being dominated by dance music worldwide, shouldn’t we be rejoicing it’s success rather than being bitter with crossover?

“I can appreciate that there’s some sort of shine on dance music in general but the people at the forefront are the very worst of candidates to represent something that originated in Chicago, Detroit and New York. I don’t understand the hype in the USA about something that was nurtured in these great cities then completely butchered by the rest of the world. Crossover sure, but be respectful, there are a lot of people who have devoted their lives to the craft and sound, and you can imagine that it would be insulting to see people in the spotlight shitting on something you respect. Most of these fools are completely fake, they have pre-recorded sets, they don’t produce their own music, they stand around with their arms in the air pretending to be doing something meaningful. I rejoice when the success is being given to someone who has worked for it, someone who cares and respects the music and who can actually do what they claim they can. The rest of them are a complete bunch of actors faking the funk to be famous, makes me sick to my stomach|”

The party you looking forward to the most?

“I have to admit that I’m looking forward to the smaller Underground parties; we always do our WMC in cool little bars that avoid the VIP Miami life. I’m looking forward to all the events that I will be playing at but especially the “Circo Loco” pool party, “Snatch” with Riva Starr, “Made for the Night” with Jesse Rose, “We the Brand” at Tree House and of course my “Sneak Beats” event at Ricochet.”

What are your Buzz tracks for WMC 2012?

“Actually a lot of the tracks I used on the Fabric mix cd #62 will still be on rotation but I’m fully armed with a whole arsenal of music to handle all the parties I will be slammin’ with House beats this WMC. I will also be playing a lot of my next Magnetic releases including a good 10 new Sneak tracks that I have “on ice” for this year’s events.”

Have you noticed a big dip in industry folk not attending these last couple of years?

“Not really, I actually think that more people are attending. The buzz is quite good for WMC. There are tonnes of new eyes on music and DJ culture and this has people curious to check it out. There are a few new conferences popping off around the world so people choose which is most affordable and best for them but Miami WMC is the one that has been going for more than 15 years so it still gets the best of the best ~ plus nice weather, chicks to look at, and great Cuban food. It’s a thing that if you have done it before and have had fun with your friends you always want to make it again just to connect with your people that you work with or love to party with, or both!”

What are your thoughts on the IMS in Ibiza? Will you be attending?

“IMS? What is that? Is it another conference? Really? I don’t know about no IMS but I do know that I’ll be in Ibiza this summer banging some serious House beats – Blue Marlin, Space, Ushuaia, Pacha, DC10 – that’s what I’ll be doing in Ibiza this summer!”

DJ Sneak will be hitting Miami hard in 2012 with 13 gigs – kicking off with the We The Brand party and ending with the Om Records daytime party. There’s a load of exciting stuff happening in between too, including the Magnetic and Sneak Beats parties, head-to-head sets with Dubfire, Riva Starr and DJ Dan, and an appearance at the Made 2 Play event. Check out the full list of appearances below…

Mon Mar 19: We The Brand @ TreeHouse, Miami
Wed Mar 21: Magnetic Recordings @ MIA, Miami
Wed Mar 21: Lust4Guesthouse @ Kill Your Idol, Miami
Thu Mar 22: DJ Mag @ Shelbourne Pool, Miami Beach
Thu Mar 22: [DJ Sneak Vs. Dubfire] Circoloco @ Surfcomber, Miami Beach [Day]
Thu Mar 22: Made To Play @ Villa 122, Miami
Thu Mar 22: Robsoul Recordings & The Factory @ 1020 Lounge [Clevelander], Miami Beach
Thu Mar 22: [b2b with Riva Starr] Snatch @ Mokai [Night]
Fri Mar 23: X-Mix Productions @ Shine, Miami Beach, USA [Early Night]
Fri Mar 23: Sneak Beats @ Ricochet, Miami
Sat Mar 24: Rooftop on Fire Party @ private Rooftop, Miami Beach [11AM-7PM]
Sat Mar 24: [DJ Sneak Vs. DJ Dan] House Guests @ Love/Hate Lounge, Miami Beach [Night]
Sat Mar 24: Om Party @ Venue TBC [Day]

www.djsneak.com