Sandy Rivera interview: The Blackwiz Farm

Sandy Rivera interview: The Blackwiz Farm

29 April, 2010 | 5.24AM

• Written by: Christen Reutens
• Filed under: Music News: blackwiz records, sandy rivera

He might have given us one of house music’s most memorable singalong moments, but that hasn’t stopped Kings Of Tomorrow’s Sandy Rivera from exploring darker and more hypnotic house and techno instrumentals in recent years.

The American-born, Poland-based producer has just dropped his first artist album in five years, and there isn’t a single ‘Finally’ moment in sight.

Fans of Rivera’s vocal house classics may be surprised by the change in direction, however the Blackwiz Records boss insists his darker side has always been there, as we found out whilst chatting to him to about his new album, ‘The Blackwiz Farm’.

‘The Blackwiz Farm’ is an unusual name. Why did you decide to call your album that?

There are a lot of different kinds of crops and animals in farms. I am just building something or planting a seed in some kind of musical form, and it’s about seeing how things grow once you put them out there, which is kind of what you do when you make tracks and throw them out to the public. If they’re good, they’ll grow. Someone also heard the tracks in my studio and mentioned a farm theme, and somehow it all just clicked.

This is your first artist album in five years. Why has it taken you so long to put it together?

I’ve been really busy and it’s easy to forget to finish projects. I’m creative so I have a million ideas running around my head and I want to get them all out, you know? Although I have done a lot of work in that time and I have plenty to put out now so over the next couple of months you’ll be seeing a lot more of Sandy Rivera musically in one way or another.

The album has quite a different sound to what a lot of people might expect from you. What was your inspiration behind it?

Most people don’t really know half the records I’ve made. This is not a different sound for me, but I am more of a better producer at doing it

Most people don’t really know half the records I’ve made. This is not a different sound for me, but I am more of a better producer at doing it.

In the past I might have put one or two tracks like this out in a year, and kept doing my vocal stuff, but I felt it was time for people to get to know what I can do.

I put too many singles out and they’re all different from each other. ‘The Blackwiz Farm’ caters to one sound which means people can enjoy it as a journey. All of my previous singles could never achieve that, because they all have such different sounds. This album focuses more on one sound.

Which track would you say defines ‘The Blackwiz Farm’? 

‘Cosmo Bar’ is my favourite cut off the album. I made that mix three years ago and haven’t changed it since. I have played it out so many times with great reaction.

In Bulgaria on the seaside one morning around 8am, there were still 3,000 people on the beach and I had to play it twice. In fact, I never wanted to put that tune out as just a single. I always thought it should be part of an album and so I waited for the album to happen. It’ll be the second single from the album, after ‘Redial’.

‘Redial’ is straight up tech house, and the whole album is on a similar slant. Do you have any plans to do any more vocal or soulful house tracks?

Yeah, in a big way. I have an all-vocal house album almost done, and a chill out album done as well. For that, I worked with the vocalist Rae, who did ‘Persuasion’ and ‘Can’t Stop’ for me, and our band is called Kotrae. It is along the lines of Massive Attack or Zero 7, and should help people understand how much I enjoy producing new music.

What is it about the Zero 7 sound that appeals to you?

There are not many albums where I can listen to the entire thing and want to play it back again. They do that for me. The sound, the vibe; they’re my inspiration for my chill out album.

Which vocalists would you like to work with in the studio?

Sia for sure. I just love her vibe. Her voice is so smooth and unique, I love the tracks that Zero 7 did with her.

You’ve been producing for a pretty long time now – do you think you’ll ever get bored of making music? What drives you to keep producing?

I don’t think I could ever get bored, I would be an idiot to complain about making music. The business end of it all can be annoying at times, but never actually the music making process.

I enjoy making new tunes; I absolutely love it. I even enjoy finding new singers and trying songs with them. The whole creative process gives me a buzz.

What else are you working on at the moment? 

I put a remix of ‘Dirty Sax’ on the album, and I’ve just made a video for it as well.

The first Kotrae track is due out before the start of summer, which we’re really excited about. Also the vocal album that I mentioned earlier. This all keeps me very busy in the studio.

How busy are you at the moment with touring? Considering you like to mix it up so much in the studio, what sort of sounds do you play when you DJ? 

It depends on where I am and the crowd. I can play four to five hours of just techy stuff or mix it all up with some classics, deep house and all that middle ground. At my residency in Estonia at Prive, it starts with a good house groove and builds into techno and the crowd loves it.

Not many people will know this, but you started off making hip hop back in the early days. What do you think of the genre now?

I have a lot of respect for them all. They took independent to a whole new level. The sound might have changed a lot, but there’s something for everyone still.

You recently moved from London to Poland. How’s the new location working out for you?

I live near a few national parks. There is one two minutes away from me and a nice long walk is a healthy thing to do, after an after party. So, it’s not bad at all.

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