“I’m not too worried what freekin’ style DJs wanna play and producers wanna lay down” DJ Sneak opens. “I just want them to challenge themselves… force the game to keep changing. It’s not only the music-makers either, but the promoters, bookers, even the suits…. Everyone can make a difference.”
An integral part of the clubbing landscape for over 20 years now, Sneak has more than influenced his neon-lit surroundings. The dance scene has seen people come and go, such is its precarious cutting edge, but it is testament perhaps to Sneak’s unique musical vision that he’s still here now after an introduction to all things BPM in the early 1990s.
“I like to think I’m here now on my own terms as well” he points out. “There are a lot of cats who made it big in the 90s, even the 80s, and they’re only around today for tokenism, not because they’re offering anything new. They sold out along time ago, for the money and the glory. They lost their soul….”
Sneak’s not afraid to speak his mind but demonstrates admirable control in terms of refraining from dishing names. It’s a stance that compliments his approach in the studio and DJ booth – aggressive, but with poise and structure.
“There’s still too much formulaic music being made man” he argues. “A lot of producers make records quickly which isn’t necessarily an issue but they don’t put any original thought in; it’s worse with the DJs. Too many cats bring their laptops and keep to the same old formula; there’s no vibe. I played Stereosonic [Australian festival] with Villalobos [Ricardo] recently; he was flicking through crates of amazing vinyl and the local DJs were all wide-eyed in amazement!”
There’s no questioning that DJ Sneak is passionate about his beats; no questioning at all. Over the past three or four years he’s been slaving it in the background to co-ordinate a series of active international blogs and social media forums based around constructive feedback on the current health of the house music scene. His ‘sneaky’ digital work falls under the ‘I’m A House Gangster’ banner and aims to secure “pure” house music’s long-term survival.
“It’s going to ramp up in the coming months I promise you” he stresses. “The House Gangster movement stretches to club nights and particular DJs too. I’m in a position where I can help shape things; I can get people interested in our music, in the right places and ways, and from the right people. It’s a way of shaking things up, and keeping them out of the ordinary.”
Back in 2007, Sneak was close to disowning house; frustrated, as he was, by the music’s supposed lack of direction and its increased reliance on sterile mainstream formula. The re-rise of electro was also taking its toll. Queue a series of animated interviews and blog posts expressing his lack of sonic inspiration and perceived disenfranchisement from the industry. These were testing times.
“I wouldn’t say I ever wanted to quit music” Sneak confides, “but it was certainly time when I thought that house was in danger of losing its identity altogether and when I started reviewing my options. I had been bumped from playing main rooms to backrooms, because electro was taking over… the same sounds. I didn’t give in but adapted. I went back to the classic house records I was playing in the late 90s and started adding elements of electro and tech into my sets and new releases. I also started the Gangster campaign.”
It proved a canny decision; Sneak able to hold his seat at clubland’s top table through the strength of new ideas and an evolving personality, and not simply past reputation. The scene remains, in his eyes, turbulent but the green shoots of recovery have been allowed to spurt; most noticeably in Eastern Europe.
“I think Europe in general is happening; there’s some great shit going on there” he says. “Cats like Reboot, Villalobos and Luciano are doing really creative, inspiring things. They’ve all bought my records, and all have respect for me; not as a dinosaur man, but on the same level. There’s mutual respect; we all recognise that we’re trying to push the music forward.”
And that brings us on to the huge New Year’s Day party in London that Sneak will be playing for irrepressible Ibiza brand Circo Loco. Taking place at the same time as another Circo shindig in Balearic stronghold DC-10, the event promises Sneak alongside fellow house pioneer Kerri Chandler and Circo residents including Matthias Tanzmann and Davide Squillace.
“The Circo Loco guys always impress me; they know how to do something different” Sneak suggests. “I’ve always had a great night when I’ve played with them; it’s not a typical club environment, it’s forward-thinking. There are other good parties and nights out there, but we need to have more.”
Sneak, born Carlos Sosa just over 40 years ago in Puerto Rico, moved to Chicago during the early 1980s and, into his teens, was soon playing the local club and mobile DJ circuit. It was a busy circuit, prompting him to launch Defiant Records in 1992 and focus on production. A chance meeting with Cajmere and Green Velvet creator Curtis Jones led to pivotal releases on Jones’ two iconic labels, Relief and Casual, and so began a rapid rise to the top.
By the mid-90s Sneak was revolutionizing clubland with his unique disco-filter house sound; a sound that would lead to monster Teddy Pendergrass-sampling hit You Can’t Hide From Your Bud, and would create a favourable impression on output from the similarly influential likes of Daft Punk and Armand Van Helden.
In subsequent years, the remix, production and DJ work continued to flow steadily - and impressively -but not quite at the same level of intensity as before. Sneak made some necessary adjustments, recalibrated and, today, the buzz around him is as feverish as it has ever been.
“I’ve lived through scene after scene; watched dance music spiral in all sorts of ways. It’s all about adapting, sure, but for all that talk, you need to be able to maintain your core identity. My music today is aggressive, a little darker perhaps, but the Sneak vibe of old is still there and fans tell me as much. I’ll keep pushing myself out of my comfort zone, to make better and better music.”
Sneak has lived in Toronto, Canada for 13 years now, a highly individual, creative city that seems to suit his current outlook on life: “The minus-20 winters hurt, but apart from that I love Toronto. It’s got its musical autonomy which I like, and a wide acceptance of new ideas. I think wherever I’ve been has influenced what I do; Chicago house is part of my soul, as are my Puerto Rican roots. Toronto suits my career independence.”
The fight for real house music is, according to DJ Sneak, still very much on but it’s a fight he feels is being won. “We’ve gotta be careful with all this pop and reality TV shit coming through; it’s a freekin’ tornado that threatens to pull us all down. But, no, the underground is doing some good stuff and there’s a lot that I’m enjoying in music right now.”
Next year, Sneak will release a brand new artist album, a slew of remixes (“I want to keep spreading the love”) and several new tracks on the cult Magnetic label he founded back in 2001. “I can’t wait for 2011” he concludes. “I really want to slam it.”
There’s more than a sneaky feeling he will….
DJ Sneak plays Circo Loco’s New Year’s Day bash in London (venue to be announced) – 6pm to 6am; sign up at http://bit.ly/crWkOV for event updates.
