The S-Man explodes his way into 2016 with his magic touch on d:vision’s Scavo & Tucker’s ‘Live Your Life’ beauty
Interview by Dan Prince
Roger a huge welcome back to DMCWORLD, where on planet earth are you right now?
Hi Dan, I’m on my way to Miami to play the Groove Cruise.
The first piece of music you heard this morning after springing out of bed?
Drake- Started from the Bottom- that’s my wife’s alarm clock ring tone! Lol!
Hahaha! So a belated Happy New Year to you, let’s get the festivities out of the way first. How was your Christmas, did you receive any crap gifts, where were you playing on New Years Eve and what was the midnight tune?
Christmas was great- I spent it with the family and we don’t DO crap gifts! Lol! I was playing in Sharm El Sheik this NYE but I didn’t come on until 2am and I can’t remember what the opening DJ played at midnight…
Well young man, you have hit the ground running in 2016 with your BRILLIANT remix of Federico Savo & Barbara Tucker’s lovely ‘Live Your Life’ tune on d:vision. Please talk us through your awesome 2 S-Man mixes…
Thanks – I FEEL younger than I actually am! Lol! I had heard this track directly from Federico a few months ago, prior to the release, and told him I really liked it. They then reached out and asked me to remix it and it was special since I had also wanted to work on something with Barabara Tucker for ages and the opportunity hadn’t presented itself. I thought this was the perfect project to work on. I wanted to keep it soulful but jackin with a lot of energy. I used piano to give it a classic vibe but kept the beats dirty and the bass line jackin. This has rocked for me every time I’ve dropped it in my sets.
Every producer has their own formula when approaching a remix. Some get rid of everything except the vocals, some just like putting their ‘sound’ into the track…how do you approach a new rework?
To be honest every remix is different for me, I don’t have one method. I let the song lead me in the direction I want to take it to. In this case it was about making it soulful but current and really showcasing Barbara’s fantastic performance.
It was of course Black Monday this week, officially the most depressing day of the year. Were you down in the dumps moping about crying woe is me?!??
Not really – I’m very thankful for everything God has given me – I look at the challenges and tough moments as lessons and look at ways to constantly make things better.
It was a sad day for the world of music last week with the passing of the legendary David Bowie. Were you a fan of the great man and his music?
I was absolutely a fan – he was so ahead of his time with the way he contextualized his lyrics with the sounds and time signatures on his tracks. Black star is a work of art and Lazarus was genius in its heartbreaking portrayal of what was to come for him. And that’s just what he accomplished RECENTLY, not to mention his unbelievable catalogue of music.
Looking back, do you think 2015 was a good year for dance music?
It was both a good and bad year. The good was House and underground dance music’s resurgence and visibility and the way a new generation has embraced it and breathing life back into a lot of artists who have been sidelined for a while. The bad is in how the commercialization of electronic music has begun to weigh down and show cracks in the foundation of that world. It’s become a parody of itself and it’s both entertaining and cringeworthy to watch.
What was your favourite tune and gig of last year?
My favorite gig was Kurtzschluss with Mike Vale – it was an amazing crowd and energy! My favorite tune was the Claptone remix of Liquid Spirit by Gregory Porter
A new year and a DJ diary full of exciting dates stretching ahead of you. Where are some of the gigs you cannot wait for?
I’m looking forward to playing the Groove Cruise, South Africa, WMC in Miami and the next UK run coming up soon…
When was the last time you took a chance on a new territory or club/event and it paid off?
Every year I try out new places if possible- last year it was an after hours called Red Room in Colombia and it turned out to be lots of fun!
The 5 big tunes in your box this weekend…
1. Federico Scavo ft Barbara Tucker- Live Your Live – Sanchez remix
Huge vocals from Barbara and jackin beats from yours truly are a great combo for the dancefloor
2. Kenny Summit & Mousse Blanc – Born Again
Devastating use of a sample of Todd Terry’s “Can you Party” with a recognizable ragga vocal
3. S-Man ft Mr V- 6am- Dario D’Attis remix
Dario killed it on this remix – perfect late night jackin weapon!
4. Paul Harris ft Mr Hudson- Warm Your Hands – Tocadisco remix
An exclusive remix that takes this vocal into darker & grittier waters
5. Dimo BG- Walk Out
Pounding and hypnotizing vocal banger – perfect for peak time play!
An up and coming producer to watch out for this year?
Horatio is one to watch this year- does House & Techno with equal facility and dropping one banger after the other.
When was the last time you got your speedos out and had a holidat?
No speedos for me! I went on holiday with the family last August but they opted for London – maybe this summer will be in a sunnier place!
What are your plans for Ibiza this summer?
I already have dates at Glitterbox at Space but more is coming so check my website for more info…
What is coming out next from you studio ?
I just finished a collabo with Harry Romero for Defected Records, I have an S-Man track with Ultra Nate coming as well as a Roger Sanchez collab with Carnao Beats & Gifty – and LOADS more to come!
And finally. To the thousands of people reading this wishing to follow in the mighty Roger Sanchez’s footsteps…what is the best piece of advice you can offer to all of the aspiring producers out there…?
Always do this for the love of music and do the music you love – fads and fashions will come and go but those who are true to what they love will be around for a long time!
Federico Scavo & Barbara Tucker – Live Your Live (Roger Sanchez Remix) (d:vision) [Available January 25]
Listen here > https://soundcloud.com/data-transmission/federico-scavo-barbara-tucker-live-your-life-roger-sanchez-remix
https://soundcloud.com/dvisionrecords
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