For any DJ and bedroom producer, the ability to “hustle” is often the most underestimated, yet most important factor in determining whether they will fade out or successfully make their mark on the industry. Good hustle is the epitome of both the man and monumental career of international DJ, Roger Sanchez. From humble beginnings in New York City, diggin’ in dusty crates of old vinyl and spinning at house parties in Corona, Queens, to dominating huge dance floors and headlining festival main-stages in every corner of the globe, Roger is truly a self-made man and a house music legend.

The crafting of Roger Sanchez, the DJ, started in the late 80s, where as a young man he was enticed by the explosion of hip-hop that was taking over the city. Embracing the culture as a b-boy and graffiti artist, he would hit parties on the Bronx River and before long, his friends had him trying his hand on the wheels of steel. In a time and place where hip hop, house music, and “turntablism” all collided in a perfect storm of creativity, opportunity, and sick beats, Roger seized his moment and began to build his empire on vinyl and slip mats, starting with a few singles and expanding into a massive collection of over two thousand original productions and remixes.
Releasing music under a multitude of monikers, including the S-Man, Roger S., The Nu- Solution, Underground Solution, DV8, Ego Trip, El Mariachi, The Funkjunkeez, Tribal Infusion, Twilight, and Transatlantic Soul, just to name a few, Roger has been able to maintain the essence of his sound, his flavor, his “sabor”, if you will, while still using each alter ego as a tool to expand on various fresh and experimental sounds. Each one of his multiple music personas have allowed him the opportunity to defy the mainstream and travel out to the far reaches of the musical galaxy, collecting depth, wisdom, and perspective along the way and applying them to his future endeavors in innovative dance music sounds, allowing him to remain fluid and cutting edge across decades.

So many successful endeavors would have never been possible without a rock solid work ethic, something that Roger prides himself on. From the very beginning, he was a dedicated crate digger, searching for obscure samples and break beats in influential NYC record stores like Rock & Soul and Vinylmania. His infallible work ethic, paired with the strong foundation of art and culture that he gained from the Pratt Institute’s School of Architecture took control of the wheel as his passion for music expanded, driving him to start hustling mixtapes on the sidewalks of Broadway in order to finance his earliest gigs. With the encouragement of his father, an engineer, Roger abandoned his plans for a career in architecture and decided to devote all his efforts to his music.
Continue reading... www.facebook.com/pg/rogersanchezfanpage/about

The Stiggz hail from the Leicestershire / Derbyshire border and since forming in early 2008 have been confirmed as one of the leading bands to watch on the Midlands music scene. 

Since sending a demo to radio DJ Janice Long, who featured songs on her Radio 2 and Radio WM shows, the band have gone on to have nine tracks picked up by radio stations to date.

2010 was another big year for The Stiggz.  In January they supported Mercury Records, Tiffany Page at The Musician before going on to great success in OBS10 and three major festivals over the summer packing the marquee at Summer Sundae Weekender, Strawberry Fields and Glastonbudget, where they were interviewed by The Sun and Q magazine.
 
April saw the release of the debut album, Don’t Read The Small Print, which The Wave raved ‘puts artists like Kaiser Chiefs and Temper Trap to shame.’  Following radio play across Europe, the album sold in The UK, USA, Spain, France, Sweden, Germany, Norway and Finland.
 
Over the summer they spent 10 weeks on the UK Unsigned Chart, when Speaking of Improper Conduct went top 10.  A demo of the same track simultaneously topped twelve charts on DAB station Amazing Tunes in 2009.

The success gained the band national attention when they were approached by national music and fashion magazine Clash Music to take part in a photo shoot for Italian Brand Replay.  After playing two acoustic sets at Pilot for the brand, they featured in a double page spread in the November issue of Clash Music.  

The magazine shoot coincided with the release of a single Indie Disco, which the band agreed to give all profits from to BBC Children in Need.  As a result they received support from HMV who stocked the single in four midlands stores (Leicester, Derby and two in Birmingham).  The first official video for the single being played on BBC Big Screens around the Midlands in the lead up to release.


Hey, Gareth here, I'm a graphic designer who start designing for clubs, parties, and labels in the late 90s. Back then, mix CDs were the holy grail of both design and music. I loved them.

But I wasn't the only one, mix cds were the soundtracks of our nights, our days, our afterparties and lives, for everyone. Yet in today's internet age, the art form has been lost (or just changed) to 2-3 hour online mixes and streaming videos, which just don't create the same magic your CD collection did. Just 60 minutes of music and incredible artwork.

The Classic Mix CD Series celebrates these discs, their soundtrack, their box art and your memories. We hope you enjoy it.

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Also, we try to help you find and buy them again by sharing Discogs links on all featured CDs and or direct links to labels where possible.

* We fully support labels and artists. If any disc creates a copyrighting issue let me know and it will be immediately removed. 

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About Gareth:
Digital creative type, gamer, music lover and occasional DJ. Currently living between Dubai & Seoul after setting sail from Sunderland in 2010. As a young designer, club and music culture was the driving force for his work, producing artwork for local club nights and record labels in the North East of England. In particular, DJ mix cds and their packaging were always his 'holy grail of design', especially those from Renaissance, Global Underground and Good Looking Records. It's a pleasure to share these discs back with people and they still influence our tastes to this day. 

For any CD recommendations, bookings, mixes or feedback you can catch me as @asapgareth on Instagram. Or you can check our my design work at www.acid.works

This is me, still doing what i love ! Finding my niche in the music production side of things now, i'm settling down for a long and fruitful life by letting my words (music) be heard in all four corners of this planet and will carry on pushing towards my goals in life. As a DJ from the age of 22 i've done things i only that i  dreamed of. An original clubber loving the music and admiring the DJ with the up most respect in all of the top clubs as a youth lead me to wanting to give to people what the DJ,s gave to me,which was top quality music mixed with the skills of a god like figure. I soon found myself there! looking out into the crowd where i use to be dancing the night away with all my best mates and it felt so natural, i felt at home and this is where i was meant to be. I had a good run , was not in it for the money but for the love and was lucky enough to play at some of the biggest nights and top DJ's of that time, it was heaven. Backing away from that side now and spending most my spare time with the laptop infront of me creating my own unique sound , this is my passion now. So the new chapter in my life has started but one thing i know is that the music will always run through my veins , and the ultimated goals is to be back in the clubs playing my own thing and just keep giving what i have to offer for the people who love it all like i did , one life , one mission , this is onedavoid......

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