Burning up the tables since he was 16, Junior Sanchez is a versatile DJ/producer who has collaborated with some of the biggest names in the music industry, from Katy Perry to New Order, Giorgio Moroder to Armand van Helden. We caught up with Sanchez (at 4am after a gig in Miami) ahead of his Shanghai show to discuss the DJ buzz, going mainstream and what one does with 50,000 records.
Do you still get the same buzz from DJing as you always did?
I do. I get quite a buzz when I’m playing more underground venues and the crowd is really vibing because of the music ?not just because they can sing along to the tunes, or because there’s CO2 and confetti in the air.
Do you tweak your sets depending on where you're playing?
Yeah. I mean, I try to stay true to how I want to play but I also have this folder on my SD card called I.C.E ?In Case of Emergencies.
What's in it?
Ahhh, shit, probably things I shouldn’t even say. You know maybe a Calvin Harris tune or something that everyone knows. Sometimes you’ve got to give a little and then take a little back. I give them something popular and then slap them with, say, Dave Clarke.
You've done some commercial productions with pop names like Katy Perry. How important is it for you to keep the balance between commercial and underground sets?
In music, I just like to work with people I dig and challenge myself. I look up to people like Trevor Horn, who goes from t.A.T.u to Frankie Goes to Hollywood to Seal. He’s got a vast variety of styles and I’ve always admired that.
You must have played at some amazing places, DJ wise. Do you have a favorite club?
Every place is special. I mean, if you can’t appreciate where you are at in the time and really take it in, then you’re in the wrong job. The early Ibiza moments ?from 1997 to 1999 ?for me are particularly special though. Manumission [one of the most legendary, hedonistic house cabarets in Ibiza] was fucking nuts. I’ve had so many great times even playing at Caf?Mambo. I would just go back-to-back with DJ Sneak for like six to seven hours.
Can you pinpoint one track or one moment that turned you on to house and electronic music?
Yeah, I would say Black Riot’s ‘A Day in a Life’ for sure. I must have been in third grade or something and I heard it on a compilation cassette. When I heard the record, I was completely blown away.
Do you have a pretty extensive record collection by now?
Yeah it’s pretty crazy ?I’ve never counted them but I’m up to maybe around 50,000. I recently gave away 30 crates of records to this 17-year-old kid who wants to start DJing. His parents are freaking out. And that hasn’t even really made a dent in my collection. It’s insane.
// Catch Junior Sanchez as part of the Heineken Green Room series on July 19 at Bar Rouge. RMB100, 10pm. See listing here.
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