>> Kings of Tomorrow
bio: "The whole album is 100% sample free. This is original music showcasing new artists and new sounds - I think it'll surprise a lot of people." So speaks Sandy Rivera, the house music magician whose new album Trouble has got DJs and clubbers frothing at the mouth with anticipation.
And the reason for the open-mouthed expectation? The mighty record that was 'Finally' [Defected], produced under his Kings Of Tomorrow guise. Back in 2002, It hit the top of every dance chart around the world and made this DJ/producer a hot name almost overnight. "The success of Finally was kind of weird," he admits. "It was like the longest build up ever to a club anthem. People like Frankie Knuckles and Tony Humphries had been playing it for a year or so, often as the last record of the night, but it took a long time to really hit people.' And hit them it did. 'Finally' became one of the biggest-selling dance records of that year - a gold-plated house music anthem which picked up a clutch of gongs, including a Pacha Award for Best Ibiza Tune and a Muzik magazine award for Tune of the Year. In a genre where moment-defining tunes are few and far between, this New York born dance svengali could be forgiven for saying adios and retiring for the rest of his life. After all, how do you top musical perfection? Simple. You travel the world soaking up styles and influences and then lock yourself in a studio, emerging triumphantly with a DAT tape that could prove to be the next step in house music's evolution. This, his debut album, is truly an eye opener, showcasing a mix of styles that'll fuel your body, your booty and your brain. For starters, there's the heartbreakingly beautiful 'Rain', with its swooping violins and gospel-tinged vocals by LT Brown. "I'm trying to be a house producer who makes people stop and listen, as well as dance," he explains. Contrast this, though, with the pounding energy of 'London Fog', a dark, techy tune with the mother of all dropouts, inspired by a recent DJing gig at DC10, Ibiza's weekly festival of mayhem. Further proof that this is a pigeon-hole free album comes in the guise of a staggering version of 'Changes' that sees Sandy's signature house tune given an R&B rerub. In an era when dance music is split into rigid sub-genres and scenes, it's refreshing to hear an artist whose idea of an album is a mix of sounds and tempos, rather than an endless succession of 4/4 bangers.
This distinctive sound is the product of a decade-long dance legacy. His first foray into production kicked off in 1994 when, tired of hawking mixes to major labels and getting nowhere, Sandy decided to borrow some start-up cash from a neighbourhood friend and go it alone. And so in 1994 he launched BlackWiz records which, Sandy completists will be pleased to know, is due to be re-ignited very soon. Initially a hip-hop label, funded partly through a publishing deal with, bizarrely, Burt Bacharach, he soon swapped to house and set up another imprint called Deep Vision. This helped confirm his burgeoning reputation as a sonic innovator - a music producer/remixer with the Midas touch, equally happy delivering 3am dark, techy house as he is dishing out smooth, soulful groovers for dancefloors from Ministry to El Divino.
Record after record followed, many firing a bullet right to the heart of the club charts.These cuts include The Committee's, 'Scream and Shout', Soulvision's 'Don't Stop, Terry Callier's 'I Don't Wanna See Myself', the Voices 'Can You See the Light? LT Brown's 'Come Into My Room' and, crucially, as Kings of Tomorrow with 'Finally'. This was THE track of 2002 whose UK release on Defected records was the start of an inspirational relationship between Sandy Rivera and Britain's best-known house music label. Defected's enviable strike rate on release quality, combined with Sandy's studio wizardry and DJing skills led to a number of top-notch tunes, the most notable album being the mix CD 'Kings of Tomorrow Sessions Vol 13' [Ministry of Sound/Defected]. On the singles side of things, last year's much-lauded Defected release 'I Can't Stop' proved to be an instantly addictive vocal groover, receiving massive support from the likes of Tim Deluxe and Mutiny. In the words of Mixmag, 'It's a beast!'. He followed that earlier this year with an equally devastating dancefloor destroyer called 'Dreams' [Defected]. This Eastern-infused cut set the Miami Winter Music Conference alight with acetates being closely guarded by many tastemaker DJs including David Morales, Pete Tong, Junior Jack, Danny Tenaglia and Ben Watt. This success has seen his DJ bookings take off dramatically. From London to New York to Moscow to Malaysia, he's honed his sound at the best testing site possible, the dancefloor. "I could play a whole set, five hours, of just tech-house if it feels right but usually it's got peaks and troughs. I start off jazzy, funky but still, y know, heavy and then get more vocal-led - that gets the ladies on the dancefloor, which any DJ will tell you is crucial!" As a producer and musician [he plays keyboards], Sandy brings a more technical aspect to his mixing than some DJs. "Mixing in key is one of my things," he explains, "So the records don't clash - it takes DJing beyond simple beatmatching." "Saying that, house music is about the vibe. If people are going crazy - you can get away with wild mixes." Sandy sees this experimentation as an echo of his lively past, an often difficult time spent growing up in Spanish Harlem. As a New York-born Puerto Rican, he was treated to the wild mix of musical styles popular in this vibrant neighbourhood. "I was surrounded by good music. Early funk like Parliament and a lot of hip hop, I love DJ Premier's beats. In terms of house, it was all the old school labels from Chicago, like Trax and DJ International." The downside of this time was getting mixed up in crime which resulted in him being briefly jailed as a youth. At a tipping point in his life, Sandy was lucky to meet a mentor who helped encourage his musical talents. " When you grow up in that poverty you need someone to guide you, and I had that someone. I was put away as a teenager and it was tough. If I hadn't hooked up with this guy I'd probably still be in that life, selling drugs or whatever." "He helped me figure out what I wanted to do, and what I wanted to do was to make music. I used to sit in my room with a tape to tape machine and the radio, recording beats and then extending them in loops. Yeah, I guess that was my first production job!" Sitting in his sound studio, hunched over a console and happy as anything, it's a far cry from the mean streets of his youth. He's in a premier league DJing position, with a ground-breaking new album and a happy home at London's Defected records, just round the corner from his new flat in Soho. This corkscrew-haired house music magician is left shaking his head at the wonder of where it all went right. It's been a phenomenal few years and the new release is set to rubber-stamp his entry to the dance album hall of fame. Typically modest in self-appraisal, Sandy waves away suggestions of greatness, naming a host of current producers with an equally impressive output. "It's real simple. It's about knowing what's good and what's not. I can't guarantee all my records will be big hits, but I can always guarantee they will be quality music."
Sandy Rivera is a man of his word. Listen and believe.
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