Dj Sanchez. 7 Years at Propaganda and Not Only...

I set the meeting in one of Moscow's tea houses, knowing Sergei's fondness for tea-drinking. Unexpectedly, the guests turned out to be somewhat more numerous than anticipated. In the end Sergei Sanchez and Sergei Sapunov settled into a cosy little tea-room.
The first thing I asked about was the latest achievements of the joint project of dj Sanchez, dj Sapunov, dj Djungl and dj Bell - housemusic.ru.

- So what does Housemusic.ru get up to besides music?
- Rollerblading, lolling about in the hay, grilling shashlik... Right now we've got a project that's only just taking shape, inspired by the group "Krovostok", called "Lishniy Kipish". About four tracks are in the works at the moment.
- In the "Krovostok" style?
- Our stuff is more electronic. There may be more music, but the vocals are there too. Gangster rap - that's the direction it'll take.
- And who is in this project?
- Everyone who wants to be in it is in it.
- Any specific names?
- Mister Freedom, dj Pilot, dj Uzor, dj Brem writes the lyrics. Also dj Vobla has agreed to collaborate with us - we want to hear what she writes, I mean her verse. So... don't you want to collaborate with us?
- In what capacity?
- We'll find a use for you; the main thing is that you have the desire =)
- I'll think about it... You recently celebrated the 7th anniversary of Sanchez Thursdays at Propaganda. Tell me, what was the concept, and how did the DJ selection work?
- The concept has stayed the same for 7 years now. We've always championed the deep sound. In the early years there was a lot of deep house, and back then it was very popular; now, not so much. Deep house, deep techno, then we all lived through the wave of disco house. Naturally that was reflected somehow in Propaganda, especially in the fiery sets of dj Meshkov with tracks by Donna Summer and other popular disco numbers. As for the DJs, I know them all, because I'm friends with everyone. So, naturally, it's the housemusic.ru crew - they all take part - the garage sound system crew - dj Polina, dj Sukhov, dj Viper, dj Dukhov is also a regular at the parties. And the foreign DJs are entirely down to the art director of club Propaganda, Boris Romanov. He's the one who "handles the inviting of Western stars."
- Who do you think influenced whom more strongly? In the end, did you change Propaganda, or did Propaganda change you?

- Of course I changed Propaganda. When I came there the club wasn't even a year old yet, I think, and I was already 23. It was a good age. I walked into Propaganda and said: "Sanchez Thursdays will be held here!"
- Yes. You spoke the truth. For a whole seven years.
- I think for even longer.
- Are we waiting for the 10th anniversary?
- Nobody knows. The main thing is that my health holds out.
- I heard that one of your musical preferences is the musician Moby. Tell me, how did you feel about his coming to Moscow and playing as a DJ at Gaudi?
- It was all very simple: I came and said, "I'll be playing here, and Moby too" =). Honestly, I don't know where you got that information.
- If it isn't so, set me straight. I'm just interested in your opinion of his performance.
- I don't know. I left halfway through the concert, because I had to play at Gaudi. But, in my view, it was his classic performance.
- And at Gaudi?
- You could tell he was very nervous, and also, apparently, tired after the concert, so he started off a little edgily. He played music in the techno-acid style with elements of progressive, quite hard, but for 3-4 thousand people that was just the thing. I played before him quite hard, yet kept a fairly calm sound so that he could then blow everyone away. And they turned the sound up for him, so it would all be killer.

After lengthy preparations of water and crockery, our tea was brewed. Andrei Djungl called (he'd got lost looking for his friends), and Sergei Sanchez explained to him how to get there properly. Then we digressed for a while into a discussion of a film we'd seen the night before, called "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". Sanchez praised the film.

- Let's talk about your personal tastes. What cuisine do you prefer?
- I like Japanese, Italian and home cooking.
- Do you cook yourself?
- Of course. And everything, at that.
- And what comes out best? Fried eggs, probably?
- Best of all, like all men, I cook meat, but I can also make very tasty fried eggs. And better still - an omelette.
- What clothing brand do you prefer, and do you like wearing a jacket?
- I don't have a favourite brand. I like the kind of clothes called "comfortable". And I don't own a single jacket.
- And a tie?
- No tie either.

At this point we all realised that the tea had loosened our tongues somewhat.

- And you, Sergei (I turn to Sapunov), do you like wearing a jacket?
- I don't have a jacket either.
- And if you did have one?
- Then I'd probably like it.

Sergei was clearly a man of few words.

Sanchez: I've worn a jacket, I think, all of 2 times in my life. Once to a friend's wedding - I was a witness there. And the second time was at the GQ awards ceremony. I was given an award as dj of the year. They dressed me in a tailcoat, but I still came out in jeans, and instead of a bow tie I had the collar of a turtleneck sticking out. So my clothing style is invariably sporty.
- Tell me about your hobby. Do you collect stickers, for instance?
- No, I don't collect stickers. My hobby, how shall I put it, is both a hobby and my life - it's spending time with friends. Close company.
- And do you have at home all sorts of trinkets that you bring back from tours?
- No, nothing like that. That's nonsense for maniacs and schizophrenics. We're travellers, we need nothing, we just look ahead and that's it.
- And from the last city you were in, what did you bring back?
- The last time I was in Bulgaria, and from there I brought back 2 bottles of wine, 2 T-shirts and 2 packs of cigarettes - that's all a traveller needs.
- And from the city before that?
- From Croatia I brought back 3 bottles of wine, some cigarettes too, and lots of photographs.
- Is leisure your hobby?
- It's very hard to tell where leisure ends, where the hobby is, and where the work is. And what are these clichés anyway?
- It seems to me that everyone has some pursuit they simply enjoy doing, and it's not at all necessary to be paid for it.
- I have a hobby - cars. I love cars, I love doing all sorts of things with them - selling, buying and hanging out with them.
- All right. And women?

- What kind of women do I like? All kinds - homely ones and extreme ones, blondes and brunettes, and I also like androgynous women. Those are women you look at and can't tell what sex they are. Why, I even like Seryozha Sapunov very much. And you probably know that the fashion world is all gay - well, we're striving to make the music world gay too. But seriously, it's hard to define. When you fall in love, nothing matters any more. A person can be walking beside you all the time, and you only notice them when the time truly comes. And it seems to me that the longer the roads keep crossing, the longer they'll then take to part. And that's why I'm against premarital sex. Put that down word for word.
- I think a lot of people will be upset.
- Who's this "a lot of people"? Nobody remembers me any more, I'm so old.
- Tell me, please, what did you want to be as a child?
- I wanted to be a driver. And then I wanted to work in radio and be a DJ.
- Do you have a musical education?
- Four years of piano. Only I remember absolutely nothing of it now.
- And how did you become a DJ?

- I was a DJ the whole time. Both at school and at pioneer camp. Even at home I would simply put the speakers in the window and go off to hang out with friends in the courtyard of the kindergarten - that's where we gathered in summer. When the tape ran out, I'd run home, switch it over and dash back out. I even made all sorts of compilations. In short, I always felt like a DJ.
- What was the first record you ever put on, and how did it go?
- Mostly it was the records we had at home. I remember when we got a monophonic record player called the "Kontsertny" - it had just one speaker, which also served as the lid of the player; my brother and I constantly listened to the fairy tale "The Bremen Town Musicians" - I still know it by heart even now.
- Now say something nice to people, as if you were writing a keepsake wish. Write a "postcard to the world".
- To the world I would wish more love and more respect for every living creature, because we are all rightful members of the animal kingdom and everyone should have their own place. And of course to look inside oneself more and not to panic. And to all the visitors of your site, one of whom I am myself, I want to wish that they develop their musical tastes, not limit themselves to some fashionable trends, and seek out their own music, because everyone has it.
Kisses and hugs, yours Sanchez.