Noel Sanger
With a massive discography spanning a decade and nearing 150 released productions appearing on 30 plus record labels in more than a dozen countries, Noel Sanger’s creative impact on the evolution of dance music has left no corner of the globe untouched. Although he has (somewhat inexplicably) remained relatively undiscovered by the image-obsessed media hype machine, his substantial contributions to club culture and the US rave scene have been acknowledged repeatedly by the industry’s elite, helping to earn him a reputation which has placed him among the world’s finest DJ’s, producers and remixers. His five nationally (US) released DJ mixes have all met with enthusiastic critical acclaim; the most recent of those, Summerbreeze 2, is widely regarded as one of the best mix comps of 2002/2003. He has remixed tracks from artists such as Delerium, DJ Hyper, BT, and Jan Johnston, and over the years his works have appeared on top labels like Perfecto, Nettwerk, Acetate Ltd., Musicnow, Release, Limbo, Additive and Sunkissed to just name a few. From Santo Domingo to Vancouver, Guadalajara to Ottawa, he has criss-crossed the continent time and again, bringing his unique style of forward-thinking dance music to some of the world’s best clubs, and to the world’s best crowds. Since 2001 he has toured with Holland’s DJ Tiesto several times, most recently accompanying the superstar DJ on the Sony Playstation 2 Dual Play Tour through 14 American cities. The world seems to have taken note- Noel’s first intercontinental touring began Summer 2003 in Japan, and spread to South America in the Fall. First trips to Europe and returns to east Asia and South America are on tap for Summer and Fall 2004.
His modest musical beginnings laid the groundwork for the steady consistency which has characterized his career. At age eight he wrote his first songs; at age 13 he picked up his first guitar; in high school he studied music theory, along with jazz and classical music. He played in various bands throughout these years until, in 1990, he was converted to the electronic religion of house and techno while working as a radio presenter at a Naples, FL dance music radio station. From there he began DJ’ing and producing, building a small but devoted following for underground music in the tourist town which he called home. By late 1994 he felt it was time to move on, and set up shop in nearby Miami. Immediately he began doing guest spots in South Florida’s best venues, and in less than two years had played at such notable spaces as The Edge, Groove Jet, Warsaw, Bash, Amnesia, as well as innumerable one-offs and raves. By day he worked for the well known house label E-sa records, playing a crucial role in launching their successful OX imprint. When, in mid-1996, studio demands became too heavy to continue with the label, he devoted himself to producing, DJ’ing, and songwriting full time.
In 1997 he teamed up with vocalist Nicole Henry, who had been featured on a number of his internationally licensed productions, to create a live PA which many feel helped raise the bar for live electronic music in the American rave scene. The electrifying performances, which featured Noel’s emotive guitar, live keyboards and percussion paired with Nicole’s soulful vocals, took them throughout the US for over two years and nearly one hundred shows. It culminated in a headline spot on the 20 city 1999 ESDJCO North American tour. Shortly thereafter, the Sanger live PA was shelved in order to focus more attention on his DJ’ing, which in turn led to a series of three mix comps in less than one year, which, taken together, sold nearly 100,000 copies. It was during this time that he was approached by Nettwerk Management (Sara McLachlan, Coldplay, Avril Lavigne, Sum 41, etc.) to be only the second DJ signed to their DJ management roster, after Tiesto.
Which brings us just about up to today. Noel’s music is getting more attention than ever, with some, like Bedrock’s Jonathan Lisle, calling him “ One of the top three in the world right now”. Even as his touring, production and remix commitments persist in intensity, he maintains a schedule like no other; He is also a dedicated father of two small boys, and an instructor at the acclaimed Full Sail Center for the Recording Arts in Orlando, FL. Currently he is in pre-production on an as-yet-unnamed live band/electronic rock-oriented project fronted by himself and frequent collaborator/wife Dauby. Their album should be finished in middle of 2004, and several labels are already expressing interest. After three years with the massive Nettwerk Management, Noel has departed amicably, landing at the newly established Gravity Artist Management, based in LA. “A smaller company can provide a higher degree of personal focus, of hands-on management” he says of the bold move. “I feel honored to have been with a company like Nettwerk, and I look forward to maintaining the personal and professional relationships these three years have fostered.”
With dance releases forthcoming on labels from Tokyo to London, two new full-length albums in production, and a new DJ mix comp due in 2004, Noel’s momentum appears unstoppable. And with both international DJ engagements and a new live band touring soon, he has only just begun to deliver on the promise of his career’s first decade. One can only imagine what he will do with his second.
