Release yourself

When Roger Sanchez is DJing — re-edits banging, a cappellas soaring, and especially when he’s producing — the S-Man seems to create emotion out of thin air and will open a world with a magical dark cabaret atmosphere. His magic has the power to suspend disbelief and has been an inspiration to artists throughout the ages. No wonder, then, that the multi-award-winning artist from Queens, New York has chosen cabaret noir as the 2009 theme with magical elements for this year’s Release Yourself.

It is a year of change, 2009, and with the Release Yourself club nights, the Ibiza base has moved to Amnesia where Sanchez currently looks forward to giving clubbers a really good time out there. He has been busy shaping “Release Yourself Volume 8” into something extraordinary that reflects his passion for partying and the music we love.

For almost a decade Roger’s Release Yourself concept has reinvented itself — and not only as an annual compilation, cherry-picked and mixed by the master himself to showcase what’s hot and what’s going to be hot in house. Release Yourself is also a radio show with over 1.5 million listeners, and a pioneering International Dance Music Awards (IDMA) winning podcast that can now boast over 85,000 downloads per show. Plus, as all party aficionados know, Release Yourself is a full-on cosmopolitan event that embodies Roger’s rich musical heritage, the output of his label Stealth Records and his adventurous Latin spirit. These parties are set apart by their sumptuous design and, of course, Roger’s signature marathon DJ sets.

Release Yourself club nights are renowned as some of the most epic and well produced on the party island of Ibiza. After blowing up at El Divino in 2001 the party relocated to Pacha, and from summer 2009 the show continued every Tuesday starting June 23 at Amnesia, IDMA winner as Best Global Club for the past three consecutive years. Here you will be able to enjoy the magic and splendor of Release Yourself out on the revamped terrace of Amnesia, as Armin van Buuren’s Armada night continues its charge inside. This year Release Yourself at Amnesia in Ibiza is the base for a series of parties in Miami, London and Amsterdam.

Roger kicked off 2009 with the release of “Roger Sanchez 3D,” a triple mix album for Renaissance. Then there was Miami WMC, where peers such as David Guetta and even top pop sensation Ricky Martin stopped by to witness Roger’s storming seven-hour Release Yourself set at Mansion.

Making Miami even more special was the sunny success of I Can’t Live Without Music by The Transatlatins (a.k.a. Roger Sanchez and Ibiza’s DJ Oliver) featuring songstress India, on Stealth. Described by journalist Lewis Dene as “massive in Miami,” with “summer longevity assured,” I Can’t Live Without Music went on to secure a No. 1 slot on the DMC Buzz Chart.

Release Yourself is taking its direction from 2009’s theme of magic, and cabaret with a dark twist — call it cabaret noir. As usual the artwork is stunning and this time around it’s based on a photo shoot that Roger completed with the amazingly talented Dutch photographer Erwin Olaf, whose previous clients includes Diesel, Elle magazine and The New York Times.

Next on Stealth, featuring I Can’t Live Without Music — alongside no less than eight exclusive new tracks — is the two-CD “Release Yourself Volume 8.” Part one is Roger’s pre-party collection. Here, making fine company for the likes of Faithless and Mike Monday, you have exclusive tracks from Tuccillo and Veerus & Maxie Devine. Roger then moves up a gear with the Party selection, where exclusives roll in from Terry Viether & Per QX, Chris Kaeser, Jesse Garcia, Tiko’s Groove, Da Hool and Zenker, and Martin Accorsi. Is it sexy and funky? Yes! Is it as emotive as it is electronic? Most definitely! Are these the biggest tracks on the dance floor for the S-Man, with fresh international names, hot new producers and cool remixes? Hell, yeah! Long live the magic of “El Mariachi,” and welcome to “Release Yourself Volume 8”!

If you are wondering when The S-Man will hit the Pinoy shores, all I can say is let us all look forward for more acts to come in; let us raise the bar higher and let them wish and look forward to playing in Manila. One thing they should all know: it won’t be called a dance event without the Filipino clubber’s vibe. Do the math: Manila equals good vibes.

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For comments and suggestion feel free to e-mail me at rickydaker@gmail.com. This is where your music education continues every Friday in “Beat Generation.”