February 2015 - Welcome to www.swissivory.com

Real Dreams Episode 22 – @Tariahmusic

February 22, 2015 by admin

Day 18 – Tariah

It’s easy to find a rapper nowadays. Making music is accessible to more people than ever before. You can go on social media, music blogs and websites, the internet is over-saturated with them: Rappers “come and go” as people say. But when it comes to Singers, it’s quite a different story. There are many people who try to sing. But there are very few people who actually CAN sing, and even fewer people who can do it well, period. Being a singer is one of the most difficult vocations, because it takes a lot of natural born talent, combined with relentless hard-work and an dedication to your art. So when I began working with Tariah, I didn’t know what to expect, due to my limited experience in working with singers at the time. The character, the voice, the looks, and the “star-appeal”, the so called X-Factor. That was in 2012.I heard some demos and songs she had recorded in various studios before we met. Already then, I knew she had the potential to be a star:

I remember my then-engineer saying, that she would need a lot of development, and it would not make sense to work with her. However, I strongly disagreed with him, and as the ever-optimist, I decided to dedicate my time and effort towards building up Tariah as an artist. I felt she had the total package, and that all she needed was a platform to succeed. I had until then only worked with one singer before her. 99% of the people I worked with have been rappers, DJ’s or producers. Needless to say, it was exciting for me. Soon enough, we started working on music together, and later on, we became good friends, and finally began a serious relationship. A year later, for the 150 years anniversary of Swiss Re in Zürich, the company she works for, Tariah performed at the legendary “Dolder” Luxury Grand Hotel in front of more than 3’000 people, not bad for a first show! She also performed for the worldwide corporate management of SwissRE at Aura Club in Zurich, an exclusive event behind closed doors. The producer she worked with, Robin Haley, was then so impressed throught the entire project that he offered us to work with him on a full-length LP for her. This was approximately 18 months ago. Since then, our trio has been working relentlessly, week-in, week-out, on her album.

Fast forward to today, and Tariah already has enough material to put an album out, 2 music videos are done, the first one was made in L.A. with the dancers of America’s Best Dance Crew, the 2nd one was filmed in Italy last September, and the 3rd visual project, for the song “Victims”, which will be premiering soon, is definitely worth checking out! Of all her songs, “Victims” is on the Real Dreams Album. So you can pre-order the album here. #realdreams

Real Dreams Episode 21 – East 2 West Collaboration

February 21, 2015 by admin

Day 21 – Young Noble, NORE, Young Maylay

A video posted by SWISSIVORY (@swissivory) on Feb 22, 2015 at 10:30am PST

This cut was definitely not scheduled for the album but having worked with Young Noble, NORE, and Maylay on previous projects, I just so happened to come across them at the turn of the year. At that time my album deal with Ryan and the Distribution deal was already finalized as well as the CD Artwork.

Yet the song is so hot that I felt I needed to at least push it as a single and incorporate it into my project, because it also features none other than the lovely voice of Tariah on the hook, and makes for a super-catchy West Coast infused club banger.

Everyone brought their best on the track, NORE rapping and remembering spending time in Switzerland with me on their last European tour. I remember having to wait for him outside, because he was busy. Next thing I know he called me into the hotel room and asked me if I knew any good place for a Pizza so we went to get pizza on a cold night in St Gallen Switzerland. That was one of the funniest experiences! That’s also what music is about, besides the whole stress we deal with daily as artists, DJ’s and producers, there are these types of moments that may seem unimportant. Yet those are the moments that create memorable sessions, memorable events, or memorable tales to talk about for years to come.

Young Maylay is a member of Ice Cube’s Label, and has been known for tracks with Westside Connection as well as the theme song for the Grand Theft Auto St Andreas Video Game! So it’s great to have someone who represents L.A. California, next to a member of the Outlawz, Young Noble, who was the last rapper that Tupac Shakur signed before he lost his life. This alone makes my album historical, and is probably the closest I’ll ever get to 2pac. I’m really honored to have these amazing artists on the same song, it’s a hit, a classic! And on top of that, it has a meaningful story behind it and I am really excited to share my album with you!

I definitely want you to have this download, so by ordering the full album you get the song for free as a bonus track! *ONLY PRE-ORDERS* Pre-order the album here!

Real Dreams Episode 20 – Ryan Leslie

February 20, 2015 by admin

Real Dreams Episode 20 – Ryan Leslie

#realdreams wouldn’t be what it is today if it weren’t for a meeting that took place in November 2014. I met Ryan Leslie backstage at his concert in Zürich. Not only have I been a fan of his since the humble beginnings of Next Selection, I’ve also been truly inspired by him as a producer and artist.

I had played already 4 or 5 times for the after-parties to his shows in Bern, Zurich, and Basel. But I’d never had a chance to meet him in person. The problem was that, being a DJ, you don’t always have the time to talk to the artist performing, because you oftentimes need to perform while they’re backstage and you are available while they perform, so for one reason or another, although I’d played for him while he was in the lounge drinking and partying on several occasions, I met him for more than 2 seconds last year for the first time.

I told him about my project and how he’d inspired me to keep working on my craft. I’d also been involved in his movement as a #renegade. He asked me about my music, I told him about Papoose and shooting my video in New York last summer. He said, “you’re Swissivory right?” I couldn’t believe he had heard about me before! Next thing I know, he asked his manager to get my contact, and to sign me up for his #DMM platform as an artist! I also became a platinum member of the Black Phoenix Beat Club, which is Ryan Leslie’s private beat club, a team of a dozen producers. Half of his upcoming album #MZRT is produced by the Black Phoenix Beat Club members. It’s simply a blessing and an amazing achievement for me as a Swiss-Based producer to be associated and signed to the man Ryan Leslie in person.

A Co-Sign of that magnitude is simply more than I could’ve ever expected or dreamt about. #RealDreams pre-order the album here

Real Dreams Episode 19 – International Hip-Hop: "That Good Good"

February 19, 2015 by admin

Day 20 – Dandee, Sean Don, Kemikel Ali

What do you do when 3 MC’s get together, one from Philly, one from New York, and the third half Japanese half Thai, with a Swiss-Ivorian producer on the beat? You get “That Good Good”, which is the name of the track we did together with the 3 culprits, Dandee from the Bangkok Invaders Crew, Sean Don from Fred Da Godson’s team, and Kemikel Ali from Philadelphia, who’s recently put out a single featuring the Roc-A-Fella legendary rapper Freeway.

Ever heard of the expression “Small World”? That’s exactly the story of this song. I know all these artists because this person is a friend or a brother or involved in that project with this person. It’s funny how these things come together. I never in my life imagined and prepared a beat for an Asian Rapper, and 2 American independent artists, for the same song. By chance, these were the 3 people in the studio at the time I made this record who I’d been involved with. Kemikel Ali from 58th Street Records laced the hook, Sean Don broke the verse down based on that verse, and Dandee represented BKK to the fullest. BX to Philadelphia to BKK. International hip-hop music at it’s finest, this is another dream that came true for me, although regionally strong, these artists get a chance to collaborate on a song which will give them international exposure, even global exposure.

The song “That Good Good” may come off as a typical twerking party song, but the quality and lyricism of the artists take the track to a whole new level, with whitty rhymes and great punchlines. The intro states it, with Dandee screaming “We bringing hip-hop back!” as I take out the drums of the already sparse beat with a heavy baseline and 808 drums and claps. I can really see this song being played in the middle of the set at a packed club with some huge speakers, and all the girls getting DOWN with this, while the fellas who stay posted on the wall can’t deny it, and at the very least need to bop their head to the knock of this track! You can get the album here. #realdreams

Real Dreams Episode 18 – Ice Runnerz, Grindin Ent.

February 18, 2015 by admin

Day 19 – Ice Runnerz, Grindin Ent.

A video posted by SWISSIVORY (@swissivory) on Jan 11, 2015 at 7:09am PST

One of the main reasons I work with the Ice Runnerz, is that they are into modern-day hip-hop and are also young and talented individuals from Switzerland. Needless to say, not many Swiss artists can rap in English. Even fewer can spit on trap beats in English out here. So when I met them, I knew exactly what to cook for their style, having heard their various IRMG mixtapes with Grindin Entertainment, which is a global movement, booking agency, and coalition, between Zurich and New York.

I’ve learnt in the music business that although you should network with everyone you possibly can, you shouldn’t work with just anybody. But if you do decide to work with someone, then do it with all your heart, focus and dedication. This applies to this collaboration with the Ice Runnerz for the song “No tomorrow”. The trap beat knocks hard and the content of the song is partying like there’s no tomorrow, getting wild and out of control in the club, bouncing to the music being played your favorite DJ.

I am really excited for the Ice Runnerz, a duo composed of Young Crack and Mello Charmillz. They are originally from Schaffhausen, a town north of Zurich. They’ve also made a name for themselves, working with American artists and DJ’s on various mixtapes, EP’s and Singles. Their grind and hustle is what really impressed me, and I think they have a very bright future in the game ahead of them. Also, I respect and understand their struggle and their hustle. They’ve literally sold thousands of mixtapes to people from the trunk of their car, something which is unheard of in Switzerland. But again, it shows that if you have a good plan and a dream to succeed, you can achieve anything and create your own history. As long as it comes from the heart and it feels right, then go for it and do everything to achieve it. That’s ultimately the message of my album, and the reason behind the “Real Dreams” title.

Coming to Switzerland at the age of 23, I was an outsider from the start. I didn’t know anybody in Switzerland, I had no network or childhood friends who could help me get into the DJ-Scene / Music-Scene. Yet I’ve worked my way up the ranks, worked hard and given 200% every day since I decided that this was the dream I wanted to pursue. And although many people put obstacles in my way, and tried to stop me, I never gave up, and got back up again many times. I worked with many artists who failed to deliver or let me down after investing all my energy into them as artists. The problem is that the more people deceive you, the more difficult it becomes to stand back up and start again. I guess the main thing is that no road to success is pre-defined, and you will definitely put your hopes in the wrong people in the music business, you will get played, hurt, “used and abused” because everyone has a different priority and agenda in this industry. However, what I will say is this: no matter how hard it may seem, as long as you’re moving forward, enjoying the journey and learning from it, you’ve already achieved more than 80% of people out there. #realdreams

Real Dreams Episode 17 – C-Tru & Swissivory

February 17, 2015 by admin

C-Tru, Real Dreams, Swissivory, www.swissivorymusic.com

The way I met C-Tru was very unconventional. I used to have a large fanbase on Soundclick, a music platform mostly known for selling instrumental beats. People like Soulja Boy were also active on soundclick at a certain point in time.

In 2005, I organized a contest, where the fans could vote for whoever had the best freestyle over one of my beats. The first prize was a free beat and 100 dollars in cash. The winner by 60% was C-Tru. His rap battle skills impressed everyone.

After that we kept in touch and started making music together on a regular basis, him being in San Francisco while I was living on the East Coast in Boston. We both noticed that our styles were a perfect match. In 2006, C-Tru won a contest for a remix of “Lord Give Me A Sign”, and in 2007 he won a national Freestyle battle challenge sponsored by Energizer. Against 1200 competitors, C-Tru won the 1st prize and got to perform on stage with Chamillionaire, Crime Mobb, Lil Scrappy and more, in front of a crowd of 4’000 people. Still, that hit song evaded us, like so many other talented artists in the industry. A number of stars just have to align in the sky for your song to be on radio and to blow up as an artist. On top of that, we’ve had many ups and downs in our respective personal lives, between the move from the US to Europe from my side, to the family struggles and failed relationships for both of us. The struggle was not only financial but also emotional and psychological.

So when I started the “Real Dreams” project, one of the main goals was to put my artist C-Tru on as many tracks as possible, without the entire record becoming a “C-Tru & Swissivory” album. So we found the right balance overall, kept some tracks for his own EP, which can be downloaded here. And on other songs, he’s either on a chorus, a bridge, or a verse. So even though he’s the most present artist on my album, it doesn’t feel as though it’s over-done. I’m really lucky to have an artist like him in my portfolio, because his work ethic and dedication are second to none. And that’s what pays off these days. So many artists are talented, but not all have the discipline or the drive it requires to be successful. But C-Tru has shown his dedication, his ambition and his commitment to creating his own history. And it’s paid off in a major way.

C-Tru now lives in Hollywood, and is living his dreams: he’s a recording artist living from his passion. I respect him throwing away a well-paid day-job, for having the courage to leave his family in San Francisco behind him, to go to L.A. and risk everything in order to pursue his dreams. That’s the true meaning of #realdreams. And it’s already paid off. The record with Papoose has hit #3 on College Rap Radio Charts in the US, and #12 in Canada. The Youtube video surpassed 100’000 views (I know it doesn’t seem much against the Justin Biebers and PSY’s of this world, but we’re independent artists) in the first 2 months. As a result of this success, I got signed to Ryan Leslie’s label as a producer and as an artist. Our music videos are on MTV, VEVO, VH1, Fuse, Radio stations worldwide and the song has been remixed and played on mixtapes and in club sets / podcasts by DJ’s from all corners of the Globe. I get pictures, text messages, and e-mails / recordings from people around the world playing or hearing my song wherever they’re at, from Brooklyn New York to Bangkok, Thailand, to Abidjan, Ivory Coast. #realdreams

Real Dreams Episode 16 – Rasco & Flow'etic: From ZH to SF

February 16, 2015 by admin

Blog, Episode 16, Flow'etic, Hip Hop, Rasco, Real Dreams, Swissivory

Day 16 – Rasco, Flow’etic

Rasco of the Cali Agents is one of the pioneers of the Bay Area hip-hop scene. One day, I went to the studio, having listened to many boom-bap, old school tracks. Usually, I don’t go into the lab, already precisely knowing what I want to have by the end of a session. And when that (rarely) happens, I usually end up with a totally different result than what I had set out to do in the beginning. So as a basic rule of thumb, I never really go into the studio with a pre-conceived idea or goal that must be reached no matter what. However, like every rule, there are exceptions. This time was different.

Having vibed to the golden-age hip-hop records of my youth, I felt that one of the reasons I fell in love with Hip-Hop music was the realness of the artists, the sincerity of the lyrics, the story-telling, picture-painting delivery from true Emcees of the game. These were people with a real passion for music, where the music business mattered, but in that order: first the music, then the business. Unfortunately, as every popular music genre, Hip-Hop ended up becoming a victim of her own success. Once the raw, authentic and appeal of this culture reached the “mainstream”, that’s when things started to change.

Recently, however, a lot has been done to revive the new generation of Hip-Hop and keep the “roots” and the essence of the culture alive. Political events such as Ferguson, Terrorism & the Economy definitely made artists more socially conscious and provided Emcees with topics and fresh content to talk about, which affected almost every socially active artist. People like Kendrick Lamar or J. Cole have sold many albums recently, without putting any commercial songs out. That being said, my thought process on this record was to make a record which I could give to the Hip-Hop community, not to be politically or socially correct or anything. I had already produced a few club tracks, and trap beats, but I really was looking for some authentic hip-hop sound, which was how I experienced it as a fan growing up, but also as a DJ and Emcee performing live on stage.

With Flow’Etic, Merlin Alexander, the One Hustle Crew, we opened up shows for Redman, Method Man, CNN, M.O.P, Freestyle of the Arsonists, and many more great emcees. That’s also why I reached out to none other than Rasco himself. Not only did he love the beat, he was also really responsive. Although he was on the road at the time, he still found studio time in his busy schedule to write, record and finish the track back in record time. As soon as I heard it, all I could think of was that we needed a great boom-bap rapper from Switzerland to complement this and make it another classic international collaborative hip-hop record.

So I initially reached out to Merlin Alexander and Flow’Etic, who as a duo go under the name of Flow Manners. I really wanted to make them both shine on my project, because we’d been on the road for many years all across Switzerland. Unfortunately, at the time, Merlin was not available for recording, and only Flow’Etic had time in his schedule to jump on the project. It was just one of those unfortunate timing situations. Despite that, the end-result was what I more than I had hoped for: when I presented my CD to record label A&R’s, this was one of the favorite cuts off the album. You can pre-order the full album here #realdreams

Real Dreams Episode 15 – "Spa City" by Rcynic

February 15, 2015 by admin

Real Dreams

Day 15 – Rcynic

In 2005 I linked up via Soundclick with an artist by the name of Sir Roob from Texas. Back then he was a young hungry rapper from the South who had a really great voice and flow, but somehow, when I left the US, my beats hustle diminished greatly due to me not living in America anymore, and also dealing with a very personal matter. My mother had a car accident in May of 2006, which left her paralyzed from the neck down. Thanks to Music, I kept a level head. But the focus and drive I had back in Boston just wasn’t the same, firstly because of the very limited contacts I had locally, and second because of all the time I spent taking care of family matters. In 2009, my mother passed away, as a result of her daily struggle to survive. Meanwhile, Sir Roob had his issues of his own, prompting him to take a hiatus from making music for a few years. However, in 2012, by a change of heart, he returned to the game with a vengeance, working anew on new projects, this time under the name of Rcynic.

Although I’d left the country and lost contact with him, I still remembered our collaborative efforts. So one day, I decided to write him an e-mail to touch base and see what he had been up to since we had last spoke. I then learnt the shocking news of him losing his mother a week prior. As these things tend to happen, especially in the case of Real Dreams, I just happened to have been working on a dark and melancholic ballad. Without knowing about what had happened a week before, I was working on what would be the most personal cut off the “Real Dreams” Record: I sent him the beat, and man did he pour all his emotions on the instrumental I sent out. “Spa City” is a song dedicated to Duana Starr, Beatrice Meyer, and all the mothers who’ve sacrificed their lives and cannot be with us today.

Be on the lookout for more music by Swissivory & Rcynic!

Real Dreams Episode 14 – Swissivory Ft. Lenny Harold

February 14, 2015 by admin

Real Dreams, Swissivory, www.swissivorymusic.com

Day 14 – Lenny Harold, Blackstreet (Valentine’s Day)

“I like the way you work it, no Diggity!” Everyone knows the legendary Blackstreet song that still rocks dancefloors worldwide to this day after more than 2 decades, from the older generation to the new one, Teddy Riley’s legendary RnB Band changed a bit, with new members joining the team after the departure of 2 of the founding members, to form Blackstreet 2, or BS2 for short. One of the new members is Lenny Harold. Needless to say, his talent is simply out of this world. And him being a part of BS2 is simply a confirmation of that statement. To me, Lenny is definitely one of the most underrated modern-day RnB singers in the music industry (or not). I guess his humble and reserved character, are the most deceiving I’ve ever seen in an artist. Once he starts singing, it’s like he’s another person.

There are simply no words to describe this song. Over the simplest of instrumentals, a basic chord progression, some 808 drums and a few bells and whistles, Lenny Harold simply always seems to find the right note that will give everyone in the room goose bumps. And not just the ones on the back of the neck. I’m talking about goose bumps from the back of your toenails up to the ones above your eyebrows and back!

The song is about a couple going through a difficult phase in their relationship, wondering what happened to their love, and where things may have gone wrong. The song is fitting for Valentine’s day, and will definitely be one for the ladies. I’m really excited about the video project we have for this single. It was also one of the favorite songs when I spoke to record label executives, definitely one of my favorite cuts on #realdreams.

Real Dreams Episode 13 – No Malice of THE CLIPSE

February 13, 2015 by admin

Real Dreams, Swissivory, www.swissivorymusic.com

Day 13 – No Malice

The very first song of my very first album is basically the most important song of my career. It introduces me as a producer to the world, and it also sets the stage for my entire project, Real Dreams, which I’ve been working on for almost 2 years now. The dream has now become a reality. For this track, I reached out to none other than the legendary rapper No Malice, one half of the Clipse, the legendary Virginia-Based due of super-producer Pharrell Williams. “Skateboard P” is my favorite producer. His energy, talent, vision and persona have inspired me to become a producer. Next to greats like Dr. Dre, Timbaland, Ryan Leslie, he is hands down one of the few artists I can honestly say I would be nervous to be around. And I’ve been around quite a few stars. But Pharrell is basically a big reason why there is “Swissivory” as a producer.

So it was only a fitting tribute for me to have No Malice on my album, as the intro to my Real Dreams project. After 14 years in the game as a DJ and 24 years as a pianist, I needed to make sure I bring my A game to this playing field. The risk of the entire project was that no matter how hot my beats come out, there’s always a big chance of the artist not delivering the vocals the way they should. So it’s a true blessing not only to have these multi-platinum recording artists on my record, but to have them bring their best work in terms of quality is a testimony to the caliber of artists involved on this project.

With No Malice, after discussing the album concept, he asked me for a really specific type of beat, giving it a 90’s vibe on the drums, yet an epic / dramatic feeling. That’s why the song starts with epic strings, and a heavy baseline. Once the dirty drums kick in, I was blessed to have JC Collins of the Finest, a singer-songwriter who’s worked with artists such as Rick Ross, … lay his vocals for a singing intro to fit with the melodic vibe of the strings. Once the verse starts, the incredibly recognizable voice and flow of No Malice takes the listener by storm and the Real Dreams journey starts. It’s hard to imagine that the lyrics are all super-clean, just by the tone and color of his voice, the amount of grit and fury in his vocals literally rip the beat apart, another classic 16 bar verse by the veteran rapper.

I used to listen and spin records, acapellas and instrumentals by such artists. Now I’ve actually produced a record with them, they say my name and rap on my beats. That’s a dream come true, and I’m still trying to get used to it. Some people asked me why I didn’t do this before, and I think the reason is simply that it wasn’t the right time yet, until now. Now is the right time for #realdreams.

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Monthly Archives: February 2015

Real Dreams Episode 22 – @Tariahmusic

Real Dreams Episode 21 – East 2 West Collaboration

Real Dreams Episode 20 – Ryan Leslie

Real Dreams Episode 19 – International Hip-Hop: "That Good Good"

Real Dreams Episode 18 – Ice Runnerz, Grindin Ent.

Real Dreams Episode 17 – C-Tru & Swissivory

Real Dreams Episode 16 – Rasco & Flow'etic: From ZH to SF

Real Dreams Episode 15 – "Spa City" by Rcynic

Real Dreams Episode 14 – Swissivory Ft. Lenny Harold

Real Dreams Episode 13 – No Malice of THE CLIPSE