Saturday the 25th of August sees the second instalment of Milton Keynes'
freshest new club event Virus and this time they come back with one of
their occasional "Ultra Virus" parties where the stakes are raised and
the big guns are brought in. And my word, what a big gun they've managed
to secure! Despite a huge international DJ schedule and the fact that
many major UK promoters haven't been able to secure him this side of
2008, Ultra-Virus is headlined by none other than Antipodean legend
Steve Hill! The Masif label boss is dropping in on a whistlestop tour of
the UK, as part of the global "Hard Dance Anthems" album tour,
supported by some of the most exciting up & coming names in the Hard
Dance scene.

But it's not just Steve that's hitting these fair shores
from Australia - one of Breed Management's latest signings is Sanchez
from Aussie super-production duo Above, who are signed to Masif. I took
a few minutes out to catch up with a man who is sure to be a name to
watch!

Sanchez - as we speak, you're actually in Oz on the Masif tour, playing
in Sydney tomorrow night and Canberra the night afterwards - how's it
going out there dude?
Its a bit of whirlwind at the moment, I'm currently in Dubai waiting for
my connecting flight to Sydney. I can't wait to get there to bang out
some tunes on my home turf. Our set time is 3am - 4am so the place will
be rocking by the time we step up to the decks.

You recently came over to the UK - how have you found it compares to
back home? Asides from the manky weather that is...........
The main thing I've noticed about the sound is that its more hard house
than trance where as back home hard house is rarely played anymore.
Hardstyle is huge, it has a really big following, its what we stomp to.

Your very first UK gig was at the first Virus and actually resulted in
you putting in such a storming set that Breed Management signed you up
on the night - how did it all come about?
Actually it was quite funny, I wasn't even on the bill that night. One
of the acts didn't show so I approached the promoter I went and got my
records and tore the roof off. I had itchy fingers so I had a scratch!

Breed Management are obviously already very well respected in the UK
scene, representing some real legends such as Digital Kid, Lee Pasch and
many more - how does it feel to have been spotted so soon after your
arrival, and how have Mike, Kay and the rest of the Breed Team looked
after you so far? I bet there must have been every "shrimp on the
barbie" joke known to man!
Hahahaha yeh the jokes fly thick and fast. Its all in good fun though.
The guys at Breed - Mike, Kay and all the DJs and crew - are the best. Everyone has greeted me with open arms and the attitude within Breed is awesome. We have a great time and we
are all nutters so I fit right into the group.

Musically, you've got quite a unique sound that's a real breath of fresh
air on the UK scene - a sort of mix of Hard Trance, Hardstyle and Hard
House. Do you have any major influences behind your sound?
Well I guess I've always tried to maintain a uniqueness when it comes to
my sound and style. Big influences recently have been of course steve
hill, the man is a genius in both production and performance . Pee wee
ferris, yoshi, nik fish have all been major influences too. Going off on
a tangent q-bert, I'm a big fan of his, the way he manipulates
turntables is something else.

As a producer, you've hammered it as one half of Above, with numerous
tracks out on Masif and other leading Hard Dance labels - give us a
rundown of what we can expect to hear released in the next few months.
We have 2 tracks on Masif they are Higher and The One. We have a remix
of an old rave track called Stella, we are waiting on conformation from
one of europes biggest trance labels for signing.

I do have to say that my partner in Above - Cooper - is an absolute legend. I can't
wait to get to Oz and work on some new tunes.

You're already getting stuck into some collaborations over here in the
UK - what's been achieved so far?
Not as much as would have liked, time is something I don't seem to have
much of lately. I have been working on some new material with Ajay.
Coming up ill be working with Rich and Joe from the Audiohedz, we have
some great ideas to lay down so keep an eye out for that!

You're well known for being someone who loves to party, so you certainly
fit in well with the rest of the Breed Management DJs and crew, who sure
know how to rock the dancefloor and then get stuck into the party
afterwards - any major highlights since you've become part of that crazy
family?
Any night is good night with the Breed crew as Lusty, Kay, Ajay and P4n1x are real
nutters, its great.

I just want to say thanks to everyone at breed for their hospitality and
making me feel so welcome.

Finally - it had to happen. A few quick fire questions to test out the
truth about the Aussie mindset!

Cricket or Rugby? cricket

Fosters or XXXX? Pass on both the word goats piss comes to mind

Shrimp on the barbie or kangaroo steak? Shrimp (we call em prawns)

Sanchez appears at Ultra-Virus, 25/08/07 at Slate, Lloyds Court, Milton
Keynes. For tickets and information, check out the event page!