Emergency on the dancefloor! One of the nicest guys in the industry calls the Underground Police
Interview : Dan Prince
Junior my man, where on planet dance are you today??
“Well hello Dan!’ I’m currently in NYC, I have a gig at Cielo tonight then I’m off to LA in the morning for some FUN! Lol…”
Well you have done it again, you have The Buzz Chart crew jumping around thanks to another Sanchez release! This time around it’s your Kaz James collab ‘Underground Police’…talk us through the sound and history of the track…
“It’s a funny track because Kaz came to NYC and we wanted to collaborate on something for a while and I recall mentioning that I really didn’t want to make any big room type records, so we met in the middle and decided to make a tuff acidy type of record real simple. So Kaz was messing around with my Star Wars lightsaber turning it on and off and I just starting coming up with these lyrics saying “this is the underground police – stop what you’re doing, stop making love hearts with your hand, drop the glow sticks etc. lol. Well, we just started cracking up…played it to a few people and it stuck! Felix Da Housecat heard it and said he would redo my scratch vocals…and boom, Vick Knightly was born!”
As you mentioned, a big gig for you tonight returning to. The city of New York has certainly come on leaps and bounds in recent years, there are some brilliant clubs and festivals there now. It took some time though huh? Why so long?
“Well NYC has always had seminal clubs and venues no matter what the climate, there’s something for everyone and every scene. Today we have venues like Output, Verboten, Sankey’s, Pacha and now Space is opening up here in NYC I heard. I think it’s a proper invasion of the European brands now lol. But in actual fact NYC is as vibrant as ever and Cielo will always be a staple in this city.”
Before we go any further, gotta ask dude. Who won the ‘who can change a baby’s nappy quickest’ competition between you and Laidback Luke last month at dinner?
“HAHAHA!!! Well he beat me on the actually number of kids he’s got so he has had a lot of practice!! He won but not by much! I think I got disqualified when I turned the baby doll on it’s head! Eekk lol…”
The Ibiza season is just around the corner, long hot evenings enjoying fresh fish, a cheeky Hierbas and then entertaining the world’s craziest clubbers. You have a wonderful summer ahead of you with two residencies at Café Olé and Ibiza Rocks House at Pacha. Looking forward to it, Pacha is going to be mental…?
“Yes I can’t wait for this summer…I had a terrific time last year playing some dates alongside Felix da Housecat for his residency Clandestine at Space…and the Space people are so great they brought me back out to close at the end of last summer…so this year I’m excited to be going back to the magic island and have some fun with the Space crew for Cafe Olé. As for Ibiza Rocks House at Pacha, I’ve been friends with Andy & Dawn from Manumission for years and they’ve always have been supportive of my ventures and my creative energy. They actually were the first ones to bing out my band to the island before Ibiza rocks was even born. I love them and last year I played their after parties at Pikes with the whole Ibiza Rocks crew and they are like family to me. I’m at home when I’m with that lot, lots of love and lots of fun! I’m looking forward to playing some of their Monday nights at Pacha…”
Outside of the clubs of Ibiza, where are some of the places you like to hang…?
“Ohh I love just discovering different parts of the island and finding a cool cove or isolated plac, I try to spend as much time in the water or on a boat as much as possible..I always hang with my crew Christian and Alan from Mambo of course and I’ll be definitely play Mambo at some point this season…that’s family right there…”
What 1 song always reminds you of Ibiza?
“I mean there are so many…Kings of Tomorrow ‘Finally’ is one for sure and more recent I would have to say ‘Finder’ by Ninetoes is already an Ibiza classic.”
Miami WMC now seems but a distant memory. Some are saying it was the best yet, some saying there were simply too many parties on each day…over 75!! What are your thoughts on that issue and what were some of your ‘take home’ memories from that crazy week?
“Miami is always a great get away, no matter now you slice it. It’s a great way to catch up with old friends, hear some new music and kinda get some business done lol. I mean it’s Miami – what can beat Miami! Except Ibiza of course! Miami was a busy one for me this year, I would say the biggest memory for me this WMC was that I did shit load of business more than usual and probably more than any other year which was interesting…”
What is the current top 10 you are spinning…
“My currect top 10 I would say are…
1. Klaxtons – Love Frequency (Tom Rowlands remix) – Phantasy
2. Lupe Fuentes – So High – Brobot
3. Todd Terry – Real House – X
4. Murk – Dark Beat ( Danny Daze remix ) – Murk
5. Tenwalls – Walking With Elephants – BOSO
6. Kaz James & Junior Sanchez – Underground Police – ZeroThree
7. Rachel Row – L Square (KINK Remix)
8. Chocolate Puma – Afrika – Brobot
9. Johannes Heil & Len Faki – Kater Bachnabel Tom Ford Jr Edit
10. Chrvches – Tether ( Junior Sanchez remix ) Virgin/ Glassnote
What is coming out next from your beloved Brobot label…
“There’s a lot in store from Brobot. I have some new material from Todd Terry, Micheal Moog & Alexander Technique, Mitch De Klein and a collaboration with Chocolate Puma and myself. But out now is a stomper from one of the Brobot mainstays – Blaqwell ‘Liv It Up’ and our next release is from a new artist named Lupe Fuentes; she’s gonna be a power house, her tracks are tight and hypnotic and tuff! I love her stuff and she blew me away this year at our Brobot party we held at the SLS Hotel. She literally killed it! I was in bliss with the way she commands a dancefloor and the attention she gives music.”
When did you first hear about Lupe, quite a talent huh – she has quite a career ahead of her…?
“I heard about Lupe through my friend Evan Sienfield, he was in a very popular hardcore band that I grew up listening to called BioHazard and he hit me up and said dude, you have to hear Lupe. At first I was like yeah ok, I’ve heard this before etc etc. But when I really started to listen to her productions I was blown away by the passion and the realness that she has for this craft, man she’s one to watch out for sure.”
Not many people know this, but Junior Sanchez is really good at…?
“Cooking! I’m a total Food Network chef! I wannabe Ferran Adrià from the now defunct El Buli lol. Hahaha!!”
I interviewed Dave Angel today. A quote from him: “Well I believe true DJing is actually an art, but it’s a dying art, as everyone is pushing the sync button…it’s a real shame when you see a ‘DJ’ plug his laptop in and call this DJing. Music will always evolve but sometimes not in the best way.” Thoughts on that little comment?
“Well you know it’s inevitable how technology changes things, it grows at a fast exponential pace. There’s pros and cons to both, I can see both sides to the story. I do believe there’s an art being lost but it’s up to us to keep it alive and I think the kids will want to discover how to actually mix and not press a sync button. But with that said, there’s a lot of advantages to technology, I love the fact that I can carry my music with me without having to have record bags and potentially losing them like it has happened to me numerous times in the past, especially in the Ibiza season to many a DJ.”
How does Junior Sanchez chill out from the world of music, I know you love art and books…
“I spend as much time with my kids as humanly possible. Family is #1 to me…and of course catching great films, spending quality time with friends and having stimulating conversations with great minds is always a great way to pass the time and chill out.”
True or false : You once bought a 2 Unlimited record?
“True, I probably once did. But I can guarantee I don’t own it anymore lol…”
A quote from a certain big name DJ this week…“a DJ has to have a piss every time before he goes on the decks, and if somebody tells me that’s not nerves they are full of shit.” – so, do you still get nervous before DJing?
“Of course, always do. No matter how many times or how many people I have played for, I get nervous at first always without a doubt. But once the 1st or 2nd record is played I’m in my zone, the nerves are gone’ and replaced by the excitement and adrenaline.”
Aside from Ibiza, where are some of the big shows you are looking forward to this summer?
“I have a lot everywhere Dan; Asia, Europe, the United States for sure and I hope to get back to my beloved Oz soon as well.”
Throw a couple of names at us, some up and coming producers/DJs we should be keeping an eye on…
“Jimmy Edgar, Coyu, Blaqwell, Alexander Technique, Groovebox, Benny Rodrigues , Lupe Fuentes, Louisahhh, Brim, TWR72 and Pilo just to name a few.”
And finally, the world of music is just coming to terms with the loss of one of the greatest men we have ever had the pleasure of knowing. The loss of Frankie Knuckles hit many people hard, he was a good friend of yours…how can you sum up what the great man contributed to our wonderful world of music?
“Wow, what Frankie contributed to dance music/house music is immeasurable. He’s more than a legend, he is a founder father to what we call house music – it wouldn’t be today what it is, if it wasn’t for him. He was the most kindest, sincerest, loveliest person you’ll ever meet and his passion for music was so deep that I couldn’t help but to learn and listen to him every chance I got. May he always be remembered as a true KING!!!”
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