Haute Insider: DJ Roger Sanchez’s Guide to New York

Roger Sanchez has a favorite sushi spot in New York, and it’s hiding in the basement of an office building. Of course it is. The Grammy-winning house DJ and producer from Corona, Queens, has spent more than three decades knowing where the good stuff is kept (records, rooms, remixes), and his hometown is no exception. He also has new music to show for it: Spectrum Refracted, a six-track companion to Spectrum, the album that in June marked his first studio LP in twenty years, is out now on Stealth Records. And on November 21, he’s bringing it home to Listen in Brooklyn.

Photo Credit: Haris Nukem

Think of it as the director’s cut of his summer. These are the versions he road-tested all season long at his Flower Power residency at Pacha Ibiza and across Europe, the ones he calls his “secret weapons.” His explanation is suitably poetic: like light through a prism, he says, the remixes are “an alternative way to experience songs from my album Spectrum.” It opens with the one brand-new track, “Feel Free,” featuring Brooklyn producer, DJ and label owner EMan (Run Bklyn Trax Company, Liberate Recordings). Fellow Grammy-winning New York house legend David Morales takes on “Canto Al Amor” with Aaron Sevilla and Kristen Knight. Dani Masi reworks “Temptation” with Low Steppa and Ragdoll. Roger handles two himself, with Flower Power remixes of “How Do We Say Goodbye” with Karen Harding and “I Don’t Wanna Know” with Melanie C. (Yes, that Melanie C. Sporty Spice. Try to play it cool.)

The closer is my favorite detail. The final version of “I Don’t Wanna Know” comes from Serdar Guven and Ahmed Ahmedov, two producers who won a global remix competition run with Beatport, picked by Roger and Mel C themselves from hundreds of entries. Imagine your demo landing in front of a Spice Girl. Now imagine it winning.

None of this happened by accident. Long before the Grammy, Roger was a b-boy, a graffiti artist and a crate digger, financing his first gigs by selling mixtapes on the sidewalks of Broadway, then walking away from architecture studies at the Pratt Institute to do music full-time. It worked out. “Another Chance” went to No. 1 in the UK in 2001, and in 2003 he took home the Grammy for Best Remixed Recording for No Doubt’s “Hella Good,” with remixes for Michael Jackson, The Police, Diana Ross, Jamiroquai and Maroon 5 along the way. His catalogue runs past two thousand productions and remixes; his show, Release Yourself, reaches more than 20 million listeners in over thirty markets and won the first-ever Best Podcast Award at the IDMAs in 2007. An Ibiza fixture since 2000, he’s held residencies at Space, Cream, Glitterbox, Defected, Pacha and Amnesia, and he wrapped this summer by opening Pacha’s Grand Closing Weekend on October 10 alongside MK and LAEET.

So, where does a man like that eat when he comes home? Underground, for starters. Sakagura, the sake den below an office tower on East 43rd Street, “feels like you are in Tokyo,” he says, and anyone who has found the staircase knows he’s right. For Italian, it’s Emilio’s Ballato on East Houston, whose homemade pasta, by his account, rivals the best he’s had in Napoli (a bold claim, and he’s sticking to it). Steak means Old Homestead Steakhouse, open since 1868 and the oldest continuously operating steakhouse in the country. And for pizza? “We’re going to Brooklyn for this one,” he announces, to Sottocasa in Boerum Hill, which brought the Neapolitan recipe to New York. I’d follow him across the bridge for that.

The rest of his city is pure romance. Date night is a stroll through the New York Botanical Garden. Downtime is Soho House for the events and the lounges, Lincoln Center for the shows, and the Lake in Central Park, his all-around favorite spot in the city, for sitting and simply taking it in. He’s a devotee of Aire Ancient Baths, which he visits in London and Spain too, though he points out that the New York outpost has the distinction of appearing in John Wick. (Wink emoji his, not mine.) Museums mean the Guggenheim, with MoMA a close second; Christmas means Rockefeller Center, the tree, the skaters and a hot chocolate; and shopping means the avant-garde boutiques of SoHo, along Spring and Prince streets and West Broadway, where, he warns, “you have to hunt.” Visiting friends get sent to The St. Regis New York, a Haute Living favorite and, in his words, “luxurious and fantastic service.”

A kid from Queens who learned to dig for records ended up knowing exactly where his city keeps its treasures. Funny how that works.

Roger Sanchez’s New York

Photo Credit: Haris Nukem

Best Sushi: Sakagura. It’s hidden away in an office building. Brilliant food, and it feels like you are in Tokyo.

Best Italian: Emilio’s Ballato. The homemade pasta rivals the best pasta I’ve had in Napoli.

Best Steakhouse: Old Homestead Steakhouse. A classic spot, but one of the best steaks I’ve had in New York.

Best Pizza: Sottocasa. We’re going to Brooklyn for this one. Napoli has the best pizza in the world, and Sottocasa brought that recipe to New York.

Best Place for a Romantic Date: New York Botanical Garden. One of the most beautiful places in New York and wonderful for romantic strolls.

Best Members Club: Soho House. They always curate fantastic events, as well as having very inviting lounge spaces and restaurants.

Favorite Cultural Institution: Lincoln Center. The arts come alive at Lincoln Center with fantastic shows and productions, and it is a wonderful space.

All-Around Favorite Spot in the City: The Lake in Central Park. An oasis in the city, and one of my favorite places to sit and take in the beauty and calm of the lake.

Best Spa: Aire Ancient Baths. I love Aire’s thermal baths and go to them in London and Spain, but the New York one has the distinction of being in John Wick ;-)

Best Museum: The Guggenheim. I love the design of the building itself, and the exhibits are always fantastic. MoMA would be my close second choice.

Favorite Historic Place to See: Rockefeller Center at Christmastime. This is a must-see New York tradition, from the lighting of the tree to having a hot chocolate watching the ice skaters.

Favorite Shopping Venue: SoHo has amazing boutique shops where you can find avant-garde clothes, from Spring and Prince streets to West Broadway. You have to hunt.

If You Have Out-of-Town Guests, Which Hotel Would You Recommend?: The St. Regis New York. Luxurious and fantastic service.

Catch Roger Sanchez on Tour

Nov 15 – Casa Neos – Miami, FL

Nov 20 – Future – Toronto, Canada

Nov 21 – GRIDWRKS – Ottawa, Canada

Nov 27 – 45 East – Portland, OR

Nov 28 – Q Nightclub – Seattle, WA

Dec 4 – HOTA – Gold Coast, Australia

Dec 5 – Domain – Sydney, Australia

Dec 10 – Meow Nui – Wellington, New Zealand

Dec 11 – Studio – Auckland, New Zealand

Dec 12 – Sidney Myer Music Bowl – Melbourne, Australia

Dec 13 – Kings Park – Perth, Australia

Photo Credit: Haris Nukem

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