Carlos Sanchez is no flash in the pan. As one third of the House Society Crew, he’s behind one of the longest-running house nights in Vegas—Soundbar at Tabú. The party is going on its seventh year, and with guest DJs like Marques Wyatt, Miguel Migs, and Mark Farina, it’s no wonder Soundbar keeps locals and industry heads happy. The deep house DJ also credits his passion for jazz-, funk- and soul-infused tunes to his native New Orleans and Latin roots.
Carlos sits with CP and weighs in on the deep house movement, his plans for the Winter Music Conference and giving up pro soccer stardom for a life behind the decks.
Clubplanet: What is it that draws you to deep house?
Carlos Sanchez: I like it because you have to dig a little further to truly “get it.” Deep house isn’t a trend, it’s something that’s consistent and has been around a long time. Once it hits you, it sits deep within you.
CP: What’s the weirdest song request you’ve ever gotten?
Carlos Sanchez: “Can you play house music?” No, I take it back. It was, “Can you play something other than hip hop?”
CP: Gotta love tourists. Who's your biggest inspiration?
Carlos Sanchez: What a lot of people wouldn’t know is that my first influence was DJ Dan. A lot of his earlier mixtapes were straight-up house. It’s hard to imagine DJ Dan playing funky soulful house especially since his current sound is so hard and in your face.
CP: You wear many hats: DJ, promoter, and now producer. How do you balance it all?
Carlos Sanchez: It’s tough in Vegas because this town is non-stop. But it’s easy to balance when you love all three things. Without a doubt, I spend more time DJing and producing than I do promoting.
CP: Have you made the switch to Serato?
Carlos Sanchez: Yes, about two years ago. I couldn’t really get into using CDJs—it was too uncomfortable after using vinyl for so long. Not to mention the fact that I play from the hip and hate having to program my set ahead of time. Serato allows me to do that.
CP: Tell me about the House Society Crew—how did you guys start Soundbar?
Carlos Sanchez: We’re coming up on our seventh anniversary for Soundbar this April. When I moved to Vegas in 1999, I met Brian and Keith and we realized we loved the same music and that there weren’t any deep house parties out here. What started off as a weekly event is now a monthly at Tabú.
CP: I’ve seen you’ve worked bigwigs like Miguel Migs, Mark Farina and many others on the deep house circuit--it seems like a tight network.
Carlos Sanchez: After a few years of doing this, we’ve become friends with everyone. Especially going down to Miami—it’s a central meeting ground that helps to build those relationships.
CP: What would you be if you weren’t a DJ?
Carlos Sanchez: A professional soccer player. I actually played for a really long time.
CP: That’s a good fall back. What do you guys have planned for WMC?
Carlos Sanchez: We’re doing an opening party on the first day—we have a lot of Soundbar guests coming out to do it. We’ll also be promoting and doing the usual party hopping.
Catch DJ Carlos Sanchez at Soundbar at Tabu in the MGM Grand, or
at WMC from 4pm-midnight at FTV Studio at Sky Rooftop, Tuesday, March 25th
For more info, check out www.DJCarlosSanchez.com