The first song I fell in love with
I grew up in New York City, so the emergence of hip-hop really connected with me when I was a kid. Rapper’s Delight by the Sugarhill Gang started me down the road where I am today.
The first single I bought
Let No Man Put Asunder by First Choice, on 12-inch vinyl from Rock and Soul in New York City, with money I’d saved from working part-time at the grocery store.
The song I do at karaoke
Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey reminds me of the melting pot of growing up in the 80s. It’s such a singalong, and gets everybody’s hands in the air.
The song I inexplicably know every lyric to
Now That We’ve Found Love by Third World was one of my favourite tracks to play in my DJ sets back in the day. It’s a great clubby, disco-reggae track, and without realising it I started recording the lyrics in my head.
The best song to play at a party
One More Time by Daft Punk is simple and effective. As soon as the “one more time” hook hits, everybody explodes.
The song I can no longer listen to
I love this band, but I can’t listen to Celebration by Kool & the Gang one more time. I just can’t.
The song I secretly like but tell everybody I hate
My daughter loved Happy by Pharrell Williams because it’s in Despicable Me 2, so it got glued to my head. Pharrell is an amazing writer. It’s such a cleverly written song: exceedingly sticky and annoying but, because of that, I love it.
The song that changed my life
I Won’t Hold You Back by Toto, which I sampled for Another Chance. I heard that Steve Lukather from Toto was performing around the time Another Chance had gone to No 1 in the UK, and said: “Here’s a record that some DJ turned into a No 1 and made us a lot of money. I can’t stand it, but here’s the original version.” He got 90% of the publishing rights, so he can’t have been that mad!
The song that gets me up in the morning
Go Your Own Way by Fleetwood Mac is such a motivational, get-me-up-in-the-morning song, even though it’s supposed to be a breakup song.
The best song to have sex to
I have actually tried my own music without realising. It just came up in a playlist. One of the darker tribal ones like My Roots would work best.
The song that makes me cry
Pearls by Sade is so emotionally evocative and poignant, yet creates such a visual of what the person is going through. It makes me cry because it’s such a sad story, but at the same time there’s hope.
The song I’d like played at my funeral
As, by Stevie Wonder, for the line: “I’ll be loving you always / Until the ocean covers every mountain high.”
Roger Sanchez plays Newcastle upon Tyne, Christmas Eve; Liverpool, 27 December; and Dubai, New Year’s Eve and 3 January.
