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