Hi Carlos, been a while, hope all is good. So a new album coming out – ‘The House of House’ which is out exclusively on Beatport, brilliant album, but we’ll come to that later. So born in Puerto Rico, you then relocated to Chicago, that must have been a blessing in disguise for your career even if you didn’t know it then. What music did you grow up listening to, was your house filled with sounds in every room?
“Hi Dan. I grew up listening to ‘Fania All Stars’ and all the best of 70’s Salsa and Merengue that came out during that decade. My mom would always be playing music, so yeah, it was awesome having that as an influence.”
What was it like as a kid relocating from a paradise island to a city where the winters can be cold – really cold, the streets can be rough and for some, outsiders not welcome?
“I missed Puerto Rico but I was happy to get the opportunity to live in a big city where dreams could come true – and in my personal case that’s exactly what happened. When we first landed in Chicago it was in the middle of December so naturally I found the cold very shocking and it wasn’t easy to get used to the long winters, but after a few years it didn’t bother me that much. Plus winter is a good time to act like a bear and hibernate, but I’m like a bear making beat and that’s what I do all winter long.”
So eventually you got into the house sound (praise the lord!), what in the early days got you switched onto the house sound, your friends, beats on the radio, or just what everyone was getting into in the Windy City whilst over in Detroit for instance, it was all about the Progressive Techno sound with May, Atkins, Pullen and co.?
“I got into House music as soon as I landed. Because I didn’t speak any English, it was harder for me to find things to keep me busy. I tried TV but back in the 80’s in Chicago there was only “ONE” Spanish channel and it ended at 10:30pm and during the day all they would play was old soaps and news. So I tuned into the radio and thank GOD there was WBMX. As soon as I heard it I was hooked and I was happy to have found something that caught my attention, otherwise I would have grown bored. WBMX and their mix shows was what did for me. I’m a product of that station and the great Chicago DJs of that time playing House music all day on rotation and then the mix shows every night and weekend after 10 pm.”
Who were the early House DJ pioneers for you in Chicago?
“Ralphie ‘The Razz’ Rosario, Farley Jackmaster Funk, Steve Silk Hurley and Adonis were some of the first guys to get me into House. I lived through their mixes and they inspired me to be forward thinking when it came to this music we call House.”
With aspirations to become a DJ, surely the fact that Chicago was saturated with incredible DJs already making mega bucks and spinning around the world, how did you react to that, is that why you decided to head straight to the studio?
“Not at all. I started as a huge fan of the skill of DJing, I played for fun at many types of parties, later I did some mobile DJing doing weddings and other events until I landed a job in retail selling records and tapes, this is where I started learning about the business and how to get my foot in. Real work, Real time, Real Talk.”
A chance meeting with the wonderful Cajmere (Mr Green Velvet) whilst you were working at a record store – tell us what happened next…
“Well I was actually working at a record store called The Hip House when I first met Cajmere, it was later that we actually hooked up at Gramaphone Records and he invited me to come by the office and bring my DAT tapes so we could put out some tracks. I was already doing work and getting my feet wet with my own label at that time called Defiant Records. I kept working and meeting people in the business and soon after that I got calls at my mom’s house from people like Gladys Pizarro, by then I knew something good was happening.”
I count DJ Lottie as one of my best friends in the world, she worships the ground you spin on. Your seminal records ‘You Can’t Hide From Your Bud’ on Derrick Carter’s Classic Recordings became an instant classic and everyone and his dog recognized that record as the blueprint for filtered house – Sneak’s filtered house! Thoughts on that?
“I thought WOW I like this! I make music to play out and for other DJs to enjoy and I love every second of it. I’m still doing it now. That dedication and love for House music has been the foundation to all of my funky House beats.”
Tell us about your sets…
“Hmmm, I will play the best of House from the past, present and future. I will figure out what I will play when I’m the room and I catch the vibe and if there isn’t one then, I will create one, – that’s my logic. I don’t plan my sets.”
Greatest House song ever made?
“Marshall Jefferson’s ‘House Music Anthem’ – ‘Gotta have House music all night long!!!!! That’s the chorus!”
What is the best festival you have ever played at?
“I’ve played many and know I have many more to play, but a recent festival that I’ve been truly enjoying is ‘The Sunwaves’ in Mamaia, Romania.”
Tell the DMC crew around the world where the name Sneak came from…
“Easy, TV GUIDE – a little magazine about what’s playing on TV. I saw the words ‘SNEAK PREVIEW’ and the word SNEAK stuck out like DIRK DIGGLER in the movie “Boogie Nights”. I looked up the meaning of the word ’cause I still wasn’t speaking English at the time and that was it … Sneak it is, for life.”
You have remixed some mighty artists…Justin Timberlake, A-Trak & Laidback Luke, Everything But The Girl and The Avalanches to name but a few. Do you ever feel that when you are sitting in front of your mixing desk and re-working a track for someone, that maybe you are giving something to them that maybe would have really worked on something future-wise for yourself?
“There has been a few things I just could not mess with, I will almost always try to work it out, but sometimes I simply cannot make something good out of shitty parts of that track that people want me to remix. Yes, sometimes I put the best stuff aside for myself ’cause I know it’s good business, but I will always deliver something solid and very beat friendly.”
What is your favourite city around the world to play at?
“Right now it’s Bucharest in Romania, big thanks to them for their love of Sneak music and the great vibe, they love me and I love them.”
What is the best record you have been sent this week?
“Hahaha! You mean the best digital track I got sent thru email!? I have a few things in the box. Come to Lovebox and check it out my man.”
Who is the craziest promoter you have played for?
“They are all lunatics, all of them are proper mad and I don’t know how they pull things off. Ok, I do have a good candidate, my boy Brett Ballou from B3 in Los Angeles”.
What country has the maddest clubbers?
“The UK has some of the craziest looking crowds.”
Who do you think is the best DJ in the world and what new DJ should we be looking out for that you have had the pleasure of hearing?
“The best DJ in the world is anyone who does it because they are passionate about it. In terms of DJs to check out, I like DJ Raresh from Romania, he’s young, smart and enjoys what he does.”
What makes a REALLY GREAT DJ?
“A great DJ is somebody who loves what they’re doing and is not afraid to show it or share that feeling. A great DJ pleases the crowd, motivates and inspires his or her crowd.”
Your release schedule is unbelievable over the years, personal tracks, compilations, remixes on so many including the likes of Om, Ministry and your own Magnetic recordings label. What one piece of vinyl are you most proudest of?
“I would say the first record I did on my own label Defiant Records, it was called ‘Work It’ and it was released back in 1991. Back then, some fools told me that I would never be a successful producer or DJ. I bet on Sneak, rolled the dice and came up on top baby!”
Who is your best friend in the world?
“My wife, I have many friends in the world but she’s the very best, even when we disagree we still work it out every time. There is no one I can say that has my back like she does and I for her. My other best buddy is my Chihuahua ‘Bam Bam’, he’s always in the studio when I make beats. “
So your new album, ‘The House of House’, (amazing by the way) the follow up to your ‘Housekeepin” album, which included top charting tracks such as ‘Fix My Sink’ and ‘The Funky Rhythm’ – this time around we have 20 original tracks…talk us through the album, big tracks, which tracks mean the most to you and what are going to be the big sellers…
“I can say that this is some of the best work I’ve done and it was all produced in my own studio. I work on my own and with the complete freedom to do as I please. I’ve been working on so much stuff over the past three years and have been waiting for the right time to have it heard. Things have been a little more difficult then usual because most people, myself included, have been pushed around by these ‘No Talent – All Fame DJ Producers’. I’m not one to be pushed around so I decided to get into the studio and get to work even harder to come up with something true, to produce some fun, back to the roots of House music. I had a blast making this album. As for the big tracks on the album, I just hope that the music and what people will decide for themselves after listening to it will hopefully influence more producers new and older to get back into their studios and challenge themselves to create better music.”
What one artist in the world that you haven’t worked with yet, would you most like to work with in the studio?
“I’m cool with trying to work with anybody that really has that same spark and love I have for music. I’m open to try anything, that’s my logic on that. Most people get intimidated by me though, I don’t know why… hahahah!”
Your musical taste is second to none, a DJ set may include House, Latin, Tech, Funk or Underground beats. But what would be on your stereo if we went back to yours for a ‘Back To Mine’ party…what albums would you put on if a) we wanted to party and b) we wanted to chill?
“If you came to my house you would hear classic Rock all day long, that’s what we play on the radio. If I were to pop in a CD it would probably be John Mayer’s ‘Continium’ album or some Mark Farina mixes or the Thee Mike B ‘Steady Dippin’ mix. I like all kinds of stuff and I’m always checking out stuff online. I’m waiting for this amazing singersong writers album from Leuven, Belgium. Her name is Selah Sue, remember her name cause she’s gonna be huge soon.”
Who outside of your family has been the biggest inspiration in your life?
“Seriously at this point I’d have to say myself, I have to inspire myself all the time to keep creating and inspiring others, this is really how I feel. Even when music went cheesey and dull I maintained my rhythm by being who I am.”
And finally, what’s next from DJ Sneak?
“More House music awareness and hopefully many more years of awesome sets with great vibes and great fans. Who knows, maybe I’ll try something different someday but for now I’m AT WORK and this train is not stopping for no fools with sad stories or the ‘I want to be famous tomorrow’ bullshit. No more free rides for these fools, people need to work to get what many people like myself have spent years laying the foundation for. You want to be successful, get to work!”
“Thanks Dan.”
