Real Dreams Episode 27 – US-Tour: Los Angeles, CA
Just landed in LA for some shows and studio work with my brother C-Tru. Made a quick stop to catch the sunset. Thank you for your support, get the album here!
Real Dreams Episode 26 – "Drinks On Me" Ft. N.O.R.E
What’s Up guys,
Sorry for the delay, I’ve been on the road recently and haven’t posted anything new as of late. I toured the US, with stops in Chicago, LA, San Diego and Denver. I also recently played in Austria and tonight I will be in France for the Youssoupha concert in Annecy. I’ll also be back on a US tour soon and a few surprises await this summer. But I’ve also been in the lab working on my latest single with N.O.R.E, Tariah, Young Noble of the Outlawz, and Young Maylay (The “voice of Grand Theft Auto St. Andreas”). I’m really excited to share this song with you.
“Drinks On Me” is a special record to me because as a DJ myself, I love to play songs that pay tribute to the hard work that comes with DJing. A lot of people think of the DJ lifestyle as a “hobby” and a “cool” thing to do, and that applies to some stars-turned-djs of Today. However, for the real and true music fans, the DJ’s who spend hours practicing and sleepless nights doing what they love, this is a tribute to them. So next time you hear this song in the club, make sure you bring a bottle or a drink to the DJ because he’s making everybody else have a great time. This song is a true hip-hop club banger, and what makes it even more unique to me is that N.O.R.E goes in on the topic of my Hometown city, Zurich, Switzerland, even going as far as quoting “Longstreet” which is a famous party street in Zurich. As a token of my appreciation, here is the free download to the song. Feel free to comment and share it with a DJ that you know!
Real Dreams Episode 25 – TOP 10 Charts!!!!
A bittersweet day for me. Today is my Mother’s birthday, unfortunately she is no longer here to witness what the #RealDreams team achieved. We are officially in the Swiss CHARTS! After a week where albums like “Fast And Furious Soundtrack”, Kendrik Lamar’s “To Pimp A Butterfly” or “Ludaversal” and “D.U.C.” by Booba came out, it was an amazing feeling to have my record sitting in stores next to the great hip-hop legends of today. We reached #8 on the iTunes Hip-Hop charts and I also received some love from fans at Media Markt who purchased the CD in the Record Stores around Switzerland. #RealDreams the album in stores available everyhere but you can get it here I feel very proud of this achievement, and would like to thank all the fans who’ve supported this record. A big shoutout to all the artists who were involved and the people behind the scenes who helped make it happen, my sponsors, Ryan Leslie, Nation Music and those who I don’t have to name but know they were a part of this great success. “Team Work makes the Dream Work” #RealDreams the album in stores now!
Real Dreams Episode 24 – Real Dreams CD Release Party @Härterei
Had an amazing CD Release event at the Hall Of Fame re-opening party at Härterei! Special Guest C-TRU was in the building straight from California. We rocked the stage and ran out of CD’s and merchandising! I was overwhealmed with the success of the event and the many compliments and pictures people wanted to take with us. Much love to everybody involved in this project, you can get the album here! Check out the video recap below:
Real Dreams Episode 23 – VIP CD-Release party @2nd Skin Oerlikon
This week has been amazing for me! I released my new album “REAL DREAMS” on iTunes, Amazon, and all major retail stores! You can order a copy here
Here are some impressions:
Real Dreams Episode 22 – @Tariahmusic
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
Day 21 – Young Noble, NORE, Young Maylay
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
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"
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.
Day 19 – Ice Runnerz, Grindin Ent.
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