Day 02 – Cali Swag District, Young Sixx
The second single off the Real Dreams project, “Money Dance”, Ft. Cali Swag District & Young Sixx, was an unbelievable experience. It leaves me with a bittersweet feeling because it also involved a human tragedy.
I had already been working on a collaboration song with Young Sixx from L.A. Meanwhile, during one of my DJ gigs, I met Cali Swag District when they performed out here in Zürich Switzerland, and we talked about doing a song together. Coincidentally, a few days later, Young Sixx had a show in Dubai with the entire Cali Swag District crew. During their soundcheck, they heard him play my beat, and the name “Swissivory” was mentioned. Shortly after, I received a text message from Young Sixx asking me if I would like to have Cali Swag District on the song! Small World, indeed. Well they say things do happen for a reason, and whatever the reason for this song may have been, my instinct told me that it was simply meant to be.
I was so excited to get the track mixed. I sent the files to the sound engineer for mixing and mastering, and couldn’t wait for the finished product (the un-mixed version already made people dance when I tested it at one of my DJ-gigs). I knew and felt that I had a potentially great club record. Unfortunately, I received the shocking news two weeks later: JayAre, one of the members of Cali Swag District, passed away to sickle cell anemia. His tragic death happened within 24 hours. He was brought into hospital and passed before the doctors could do anything to prevent it. I was so sad and destroyed. They had already lost member T-Bone a few years earlier, and went from 4 to 3 members. Now there were only 2 members left…
Not only was it a personal tragedy for us, it was also a musical tragedy for everyone involved: imagine having a great record, and the person on the 2nd verse of the song passes away before you can even put the song out. “What am I going to do?” I wondered… “Should I publish the song? Should I just keep it for myself?” Especially it being a party song, it didn’t feel right to put this song out. I decided to shoot a tribute video and release it for free. So I organized a video shoot with 50 of Switzerland’s best dancers and gathered them for a video shoot at club Härterei in Zürich:
That’s the beauty of music. It’s timeless. This song has a special place in my heart, because it’s not only a song with the kings of the “Dougie”, it’s also probably one of the last vocals ever recorded by JayAre. For that reason, I wanted to have a fitting tribute, my way of thanking the entire Cali Swag District Crew. I want to thank the management for allowing me to release the song.
I dedicate this record to anyone who ever pursued and lived their dreams but are no longer with us. R.I.P. Jay Are. #realdreams
When you preorder the #RealDreams album, you get this song for free. Please click here to support the album.