The Smen have reunited and it sounds so good. We spoke to the trio, who are all legends in their own right – Roger Sanchez, DJ Sneak, and Junior Sanchez – about their formation in the 1990s, the genre-busting breadth of knowledge that their combined talents bring to the table, and the latest beats on their roster.

Watch the deck masters get nostalgic while discussing their music styles and tools, including how they use the touch screen of the DJM-TOUR1 to give each other cues. They incorporate the mixer as part of a hefty set-up that includes the CDJ-2000NXS2, DJM-900NXS2, and DJS-1000. "With the DJS-1000, I'm able to load my own sounds, write my own beats and tracks… [or] use it as a trigger for drops", explains DJ Sneak. "I'm not just putting in samples and tapping it – I'm actually writing whole tracks on it."

Find out more in the video interview above and catch The Smen performing some of these original beats on the DJsounds Show below.

Music credits

• The Smen – ‘Who We Are (Jacked Mix)’ [Defected]
  Buy and stream.
• Emanuele Inglese – 'Escape (S-Man's Warehouse Mix)'
  Download and stream.