Roger Sanchez, born in Queens, New York was raised by his parents of Dominican nationality, with both his NYC upbringing and Dominican roots influencing his musical style and career trajectory. In 1980, the early roots of hip hop exploded to the mainstream in New York. It took over the city’s biggest radio stations and was popularized on WBLS by Mr Magic and Marley Marl. The hip hop sound flowed into Bronx’s club scene, where Roger Sanchez attended parties as a break-dancer and graffiti artist. It wasn’t until the end of the eighties and after encouragement from his father, that Roger Sanchez began to DJ.
As the nineties rolled in, house music in New York began bubbling on the underground via outlets like the seminal house imprint, Strictly Rhythm. Following a slew of classic underground releases from producers like Aly-Us, Todd Terry & Masters at Work, Strictly Rhythm was pioneering a raw and addictive form of house music and was quick to distinguish itself. The label released a first record from Roger Sanchez, the classic track ‘Luv Dancin’ under his ‘Underground Solution’ moniker. The record would be his first and last release as Underground Solution, but the first of many with Strictly.
House music was becoming a natural and unstoppable underground movement in New York by the mid-nineties. Barbara Tucker launched an industry showcase night at the legendary Sound Factor Bar, with the same name as the S-Man’s first alias ‘The Underground Solution’. Lil Louie V, Kenny Dope, Roger S, Todd Terry and MK, were just a few of the club nights’ regular names. By the mid-nineties the Strictly Rhythm sound, and house music feeling was luring DJs and producers from the UK and Europe into the underground clubs of New York.
Strictly Rhythm was revolutionizing the house music sound and Roger Sanchez was one of the label’s greatest assets. In 1995 Strictly Rhythm released two Roger S EPs, ‘Let Yo Body Jerk/ Get Hi EP’ and ‘Strictly 4 The Underground’. On both releases was the track ‘Get Hi’, one released as a ‘Hi 2 Da Bone’ cut, the other as a Studio 54 mix. Both edits feature a preaching soulful female vocal and disco infused house sound so representative of Roger S releases. In tune with Strictly Rhythm’s standard approach to releases, one year later the label re-released the original ‘Get Hi’ edit as a limited edition single-sided vinyl.
Roger Sanchez’s exemplary catalogue of Strictly releases in the nineties lay groundwork for his future success. Roger Sanchez won a Grammy award for ‘Hella Good’ and experienced monumental commercial success 2001 when ‘Another Chance’ reached #1 in UK charts. But while these may have been his biggest commercial successes , the saxophone-funk overlay and groovy beat of ‘Get Hi’ were arguably more influential. It is a classic house record not only because it maintains relevancy today, but more importantly because the record’s dignified vocal breaks genuinely embody the free and hedonistic spirit of the underground house culture that flourished in New York at that time.
Words: Adrienne Bookbinder
'Get Hi' features on For The Love of House Vol.8, out 14 June (digital) on Defected Records
For The Love Of House hosts The Loft for Glitterbox at Ministry of Sound Saturday 25 July - click for full line-up and tickets
Glitterbox is at Space Ibiza every Friday from 12 June - 25 September, with Roger Sanchez appearing 17 July - full line-up details and tickets
