Our House interviews the Original House Gangster
OHM issue #12
May 2009
The art of the dance-mix disc is frequently underappreciated. Most of us think we can choose a bunch of good songs and put them in an enjoyable order, so why heap special praise on a DJ for doing essentially the same thing? But the ability to assemble the work of disparate artists into a compelling, energy-producing whole, and to do so in a way that expresses the personality of the compiler, is rare indeed – and Carlos Sosa, a Puerto Rican-born, Chicago-bred spinner supreme, has it in abundance.
DJ SNEAK - Special House Blend
CD REVIEW
Released on Moist Music June 10, 2008
House is alive and DJ Sneak lives there.
February 4, 2008
Chicago house music seems a world away from Portland -- or at least a few thousand miles. But DJ Sneak, one of the music's stalwarts since the early '90s, proved otherwise on Saturday night. Sneak spun a four-hour set at On Air, a new North Portland warehouse-style club where the primacy of the dance floor is obvious. Drawing from his early days to the present, Sneak's set stayed firmly in the house universe, a choice the crowd apparently approved of.
Chicago house legend DJ Sneak chatted to Skrufff recently about his participation in Soma’s upcoming working-in-the-music industry seminar Soma Skool and revealed he’ll be pulling no punches in his analysis of the industry. “I will be speaking the truth from my end, because a lot of things need to be said; I’ll be speaking as one of the respected leading house moguls out there,” said Sneak. “I’ll sharing some of my experiences and bad times and the realities of being a DJ.”
DJ Sneak's school of hard knocks
April 25, 2008
DJ SNEAK - Back in the Box
CD REVIEW
To be Released: February 23, 2009
After the staggering dig-in-the-crates that was Dave Clarke’s Back In The Box, the legendary DJ Sneak gets his hands dirty delivering his mix for the prestigious series from leading UK house label, NRK.
Having somewhat of a renaissance of late due to an infamous back-to-back session with Ricardo Villalobos, Sneak aka Carlos Sosa has a history of continually staying ahead of trends and making house and techno that really matters. This makes him the perfect Back In The Box candidate, where unearthed gems and anthems from days gone by are delivered with a fresh outlook.
DJ Sneak: Bringing Berlin home to Chicago
November 4th, 2008
In the early 80s, Carlos Sosa AKA DJ Sneak relocated from the island of Puerto Rico to the underground hub that is Chicago. He brought with him a strong Latin influence that he’d quickly fuse with what was already going on in the ‘windy city’, an approach that eventually placed DJ Sneak alongside luminaries like Derrick Carter and Mark Farina as one of the leading pioneers of the Chicago house sound. Imagine the fuss then, when news trickled back that Sneak had gone back-to-back behind the decks with minimal techno powerhouse Ricardo Villalobos at the Sunwaves Festival in Romania earlier this year. It was a ‘meeting of the minds’ from leaders of two completely different scenes, and it cause quite a stir.
DJ SNEAK - Barbecue tips with the Master
Interview
December 2008
A heart to heart interview with Sneak. Sneak opens up about his music, his career, the state of the industry and even touches on his favorite BBQ tips.
UP IN SMOKE Sneak’s traditional Chicago sound burns bright.
“I have this campaign going right now, with T-shirts and things that say i’m a house gangster,” DJ Sneak says over a shaky phone connection from Amsterdam, where he’s in the midst of a tour to promote a new release. “People go, ‘What’s a house gangster?’ A house gangster is someone who keeps it real, that’s what it is. And that’s what I am.” The veteran producer, age 38, might sound like an arrogant tough-guy, but he speaks the truth; when it comes to authentic, no-frills, thumping Chicago house music, Sneak has few peers. He’ll prove it on Valentine’s Day, when he spins at Sullivan Room for the Basic NYC and KGB crews.
Real cool time
DJ SNEAK lives the true-school house life
February 2009
A man like DJ Sneak needs no introduction to the House music fraternity, he’s a true Chicago legend and can rustle up one of the baddest BBQ’s in the business. Apart from flipping the meat with the spicy salsa and rocking dance floors the world over with his trademark Jackin’ sound, he’s partial to the odd manicure and pedicure at his health spa that he and his wife part own in San Francisco, but what else has Puerto Rico’s most famous House export been up to?
Round we go again, back to DJ Sneak’s housee
A BEATPORT exclusive Interview
July 2009
Just like its records, the dance music scene spins round, and round, and round. No matter what, it always comes back to where it started. On each rotation, the groove might be a little deeper and the beats might be a little more evolved, but it always comes back to house music. And you can bet that when it gets there, DJ Sneak’s big friendly I-told-you-so grin will be waiting.
