DJ Sneak
Encyclopedia
DJ Sneak is a Puerto Rican
house music
DJ
and producer
raised in Chicago, Illinois. He is noted as being one of the second wave of Chicago house
producers, (alongside Derrick Carter
, Cajmere/Green Velvet
, Gemini, and Paul Johnson
) as well as a member of the vanguard of late-1990s United States
house producers.
, meringue
and Latin orchestras. In Chicago, Sneak found inspiration in underground house music, warehouse parties and "old school" mix tapes from the early pioneers, Farley Jackmaster Funk, Ralphi Rosario
, Steve Hurley and local radio station shows played on WBMX.
Sneak earned his nickname rocking graffiti
-tags and began working at retail stores as an airbrush
artist, which kept him out of trouble and allowed him to make important local industry contacts. Development as a DJ came while working regular mobile DJ jobs and local nightclub. Sneak focused on his music production and started his independent label - Defiant Records.
In 1992, using the fundamental studio pieces, Sneak began recording tracks with a new style. In 1994, while still working at local store Gramophone Records, Sneak met Cajmere (Green Velvet) owner of Cajual and Relief Records. Cajmere released three of Sneak's catalyst tracks, which helped to bring Sneak international recognition.
After years of development, DJ Sneak is a familiar name across the world's club circuit. A frequent visitor to Ibiza
, Sneak has participated in several events with Ministry of Sound
, Cream
, Manumission, and Miss Moneypenny's.
Lyrics by DJ Sneak are featured in the Daft Punk song, "Digital Love
", from their 2001 album, Discovery
. In 2001, Sneak launched a new record label Magnetic Recordings, where he has been releasing new music, with compilations to come, along with the introduction of new musical talent.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
house music
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
and producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
raised in Chicago, Illinois. He is noted as being one of the second wave of Chicago house
Chicago house
Chicago house is a style of house music, a genre of electronic dance music which emerged in Chicago in the mid-1980s. Stylistically, Chicago house has no widely accepted definition, but generally includes the first house music productions by Chicago-based artists throughout the 1980s, and any later...
producers, (alongside Derrick Carter
Derrick Carter
Derrick Carter is an American house producer and DJ from Chicago, Illinois. He is regarded as one of the best underground house key players currently active and is particularly popular in Europe.-Biography:...
, Cajmere/Green Velvet
Curtis Jones
Curtis Alan Jones is an American electronica and house music singer, songwriter and producer. His style of house music has been compared and inspired by the likes of Kraftwerk, Prince, Gary Numan, and Nitzer Ebb....
, Gemini, and Paul Johnson
Paul Johnson (producer)
Paul Johnson is an American house DJ and producer.He first began DJing in Chicago in 1985, and started working as a producer in 1990, doing tracks for Chicago house labels Dance Mania, Relief, Cajual, Nite Life, Undaground Therapy, Defected, DJax Up Beats, Peacefrog, and Moody...
) as well as a member of the vanguard of late-1990s United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
house producers.
Biography
In 1983, Sneak moved to the city of Chicago from Puerto Rico, where his early musical experiences and influences were rooted in salsaSalsa music
Salsa music is a genre of music, generally defined as a modern style of playing Cuban Son, Son Montuno, and Guaracha with touches from other genres of music...
, meringue
Meringue
Meringue is a type of dessert made from whipped egg whites and sugar, occasionally some recipes may call for adding an acid such as cream of tartar or a small amount of vinegar and a binding agent such as cornstarch found in icing sugar which may be added in addition to the corn starch which...
and Latin orchestras. In Chicago, Sneak found inspiration in underground house music, warehouse parties and "old school" mix tapes from the early pioneers, Farley Jackmaster Funk, Ralphi Rosario
Ralphi Rosario
Ralphi Rosario was a founding member of the influential Chicago DJ group, The Hot Mix 5. When this group formed in 1981 on radio station WBMX, Rosario, the youngest member of the group, was still in high school...
, Steve Hurley and local radio station shows played on WBMX.
Sneak earned his nickname rocking graffiti
Graffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
-tags and began working at retail stores as an airbrush
Airbrush
An airbrush is a small, air-operated tool that sprays various media including ink and dye, but most often paint by a process of nebulization. Spray guns developed from the airbrush and are still considered a type of airbrush.-History:...
artist, which kept him out of trouble and allowed him to make important local industry contacts. Development as a DJ came while working regular mobile DJ jobs and local nightclub. Sneak focused on his music production and started his independent label - Defiant Records.
In 1992, using the fundamental studio pieces, Sneak began recording tracks with a new style. In 1994, while still working at local store Gramophone Records, Sneak met Cajmere (Green Velvet) owner of Cajual and Relief Records. Cajmere released three of Sneak's catalyst tracks, which helped to bring Sneak international recognition.
After years of development, DJ Sneak is a familiar name across the world's club circuit. A frequent visitor to Ibiza
Ibiza
Ibiza or Eivissa is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea 79 km off the coast of the city of Valencia in Spain. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, an autonomous community of Spain. With Formentera, it is one of the two Pine Islands or Pityuses. Its largest cities are Ibiza...
, Sneak has participated in several events with Ministry of Sound
Ministry of Sound
Ministry of Sound London, commonly referred to as simply Ministry of Sound or MoS, is a nightclub based in London, United Kingdom and an associated record label. It was ranked fourth in the 2010 DJ Magazine top 100 clubs poll 2010. As well as the nightclub in London, there is another in Egypt and...
, Cream
Cream (nightclub)
Cream, based at the Nation nightclub in Liverpool, is one of the best-known night clubs in the UK. Cream began life as a weekly house music night at Nation, and ran in this format for 10 years, from October 1992 to June 2002...
, Manumission, and Miss Moneypenny's.
Lyrics by DJ Sneak are featured in the Daft Punk song, "Digital Love
Digital Love
"Digital Love" is a song by the French electronic music duo Daft Punk. It was released as the third single from the album Discovery. As part of the album, the song is featured in the film Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem....
", from their 2001 album, Discovery
Discovery (Daft Punk album)
Discovery is the second studio album by the French house duo Daft Punk, released in March 2001. It marks a shift in the sound from Chicago house, which they were previously known for, to disco, post-disco and synthpop-inspired house...
. In 2001, Sneak launched a new record label Magnetic Recordings, where he has been releasing new music, with compilations to come, along with the introduction of new musical talent.
Albums
- Kinky Trax Collection (1996)
- Blue Funk Files (1997)
- Buggin' Da Beats (1997)
- Sneak's Ju Ju Beats (2001)
- Housekeepin (2004)
- House of Om, Vol. 2 (2005)
- Thefunkrockdiscopartything (2006)
- Special House Blend (2008)
- The House Of House (2009)