real-dreams

Day 08 – Kia Shine

The break-out song by Drake, “Best I Ever Had” starts with a sample. That sample was taken from a song produced by Kia Shine. After legal battles, Drake’s first hit landed Kia shine 25% revenue in unpaid fees. Although I am not a fan of legal battles in music, it was only right that the person who made a record hot, or at least made the sample which became the “bed” for a hit single, should be rewarded or at least credited for it…

That is the story of Kia Shine. Back in 2007, “So Krispy” was a billboard hit record. The rapper on that one-hit wonder was Kia Shine. Since then he’s been more of a producer and has been behind the scenes making good money, getting his own like many people in the music industry. His talent is undeniable, and when I reached out to him for talk of a collaboration, he immediately loved the beat, concept and overall idea I had for a record called “Aight then”.

The song is about a typical club scene, where a woman lets loose to a heavy-bass club track. With no disrespect to the ladies out there, we all get those moments where it’s time to pop champagne, have a party and let go from the daily stress. A bit of fun never hurt nobody, and that’s the theme of this record. As a DJ, I wanted to create a record which I could comfortably incorporate into my set. That was the thought behind this track. The beat has no bass guitar: the 808 drums hit so hard that a natural baseline leads the song with a pitch-shift of the kick-drums. Added to that, I used a raindrop-sounding synthesizer for the lead melody. This is one of the fastest-made beats I’ve ever made in my career. I think I needed about 15-20 minutes to finish it. After 10 minutes it already sounded incredible, and I spent actually another 5-10 minutes thinking of what I could add to it, but it sounded complete to me THAT quickly!

The end-result is a heavy club, dirty track which reminds me a bit of the Ying Yang Twins’ “Whisper Song”. Khia Shine (who now goes by the alias of “Pharow Belafonte”) uses auto-tune effectively. And even though I am not a fan of that plug-in when it comes to vocals, I have to admit that it worked beautifully on this beat, giving it that extra edge that was needed to turn this club banger into a certified hit-record. “Mama bounce that, shake that –Aight then – Mama Move that twerk that –Aight then” the catchy hook just stays in the head like a never ending phrase, and the bouncy bass-driven beat keeps you nodding your head. The track is sure to be played in the club by many Dj’s, and I’m really looking forward to releasing the record on March 6th. #realdreams

Day 07 – Swissivory, Tariah, Nico

Today we’re shooting the video to the single called “Victims”. This is an honor for me, a very special song, for various reasons. First of all, it’s the only song where I’m actually rapping a verse on my entire project. I don’t consider myself a rapper, I like to host on the mic at my DJ-Gigs, that’s as far as it goes; although I do write a lot of texts, song-writing and poetry is one of my many passions.

“Victims” is a song for all victims of domestic violence, abuse and rape, both physical and emotional. The words in the song are positive, and addresses the victims directly. I have people close to me who have been affected by rape, child molestation, as well as physical and emotional abuse. So this is a theme that is important to me. It’s important that a victim speaks about their experience, and talks about what happened. Be it to a therapist, a friend, or a family member: as Tariah sings it on the hook, “talk about it, you’ve got nothing to lose”.

Many people have already addressed this type of subject matter in songs. What I’ve noticed is that they usually focus on the past or the current state in which the victims are. That’s why I tried to focus on the positive aspects of the topic: you feel down, but you need to move on. The only way to get over such a horrible fate of events is to open up your heart to someone, and to talk about it. The most powerful message I can give is through my music. That is why Nico and I focus our lyrics on being positive, being strong, and moving on. Obviously, it will affect someone for their entire life, especially if they’ve been subjected to abuse at a young age. You can never forget. But forgiveness is the most important step to getting over it. Talking about it is the first step that many victims of abuse never even get to. And that’s why a lot of victims feel guilty inside. Of course it is a heavy subject. But as a DJ I can not only make music about partying and having a good time. How can someone enjoy Life without dealing with the reality of their past?

Nico and I rap about it on the song. However, the most important person on this record is Tariah. Not only does she sing the chorus beautifully and soulfully, she starts off the song with a first note which simply gives me goose bumps every time I hear the song. Being a woman, she gives the message and meaning of the record its authenticity and makes the song relatable. Being a man, I’ve personally not experienced it myself. Having a woman’s voice on the song was important to me when I created this concept. And who better to have on a song than my artist and wonderful partner in life and music, Tariah. A big thank you to Nico for also writing an amazing verse and making the track into a full song.

If you’ve been a victim, but haven’t talked about it because you feel ashamed and guilty, I hope this song will help you take that first step towards start the healing process. If you don’t have anybody you can trust, you can talk about it to a therapist. You’re a beautiful person, and you have the right to live your life happily and be a Real Woman.

This is why I wanted to have a song like “Victims” on my record. Music helped me get through a lot of personal issues, like the passing of my mother, tough break-ups or past relationships. It’s a form of therapy, a way to find one’s self when you feel lost. Be a part of history. Pre-Order the album here. #realdreams

Day 06 – Reks Ft. Young Sixx

Having lived in the Boston area for many years, I always had a great admiration for local artists. Boston has a lot of dope lyricists, few made it on the national and international level, but almost all of them are respected on the underground scene. One of the most successful being Guru. R.I.P. I was blessed to have had a mixtape with him back in the day.

Reks is also one of the great Northeast rappers. A well-respected lyricist in the game, I never heard him on such a clubby beat before. So when I reached out to him and told him about my project, I was expecting him to get on a golden-age type of beat. I showed him – for the sake of choice – 3 “true hip-hop” beats and a clubby one. Surprisingly, he picked the one I threw in as a “joker”. A few days later, he showed the song to me, and it started like this: “Swag, my bad the beat called for it!”. You’ll understand when you hear it. The album is available to pre-order here. Couldn’t believe the bounce his flow added to the record. Reks on such a beat is something unheard of, and he definitely brought his A game on this. Young Sixx completes the record with his verse and a killer chorus: “Overseas, East to West, you’re now rocking with Swissivory, Young Sixx, and Reks!” this song is sure to grab listeners’ attention, because it’s unexpected, and also very catchy. The beat is a good mix between a club banger with that west coast vibe, yet enough head-nodding effect to listen to while driving in the car or just enjoying great music at home.

Once again, the Real Dreams concept has been kept intact on this record. L.A. Rapper on the chorus, Boston Rapper on the verse, Switzerland-based producer on the track. International hip-hop at it’s finest. Cross-country, cross boundary. Simply put, a dream come true. Can’t wait to share the album with you in a few weeks. Pre-order it here.

Day 03 – Cory Gunz (YMCMB), Jessy Shung Lee, LiveSosa

I make all kinds of records: street anthems, emotional ballads, club bangers or story-telling beats. I do not limit myself to a single style, because I personally enjoy many kinds of music. With the opportunities in the world today, there is no reason why someone should stick to one particular style. Why not explore different avenues and try new things? That’s the beauty of collaborating with other artists: the opportunity to discover new things and to learn from one another.

That was the case with this record, “The One And Only”. I reached out to Cory Gunz from YMCMB through my New York contacts (“A Milli” Ft. Lil Wayne was his biggest hit), and I wanted to have LiveSosa, an up and coming artist from Arkansas. And to make things interesting, unique and different, I reached out to my good friend Jessy Shung Lee, from Lausanne, Switzerland, and asked him if he’d like to be on a song with a Young Money Cash Money Records artist. Shungleezy is a French-speaking rapper. I wanted to give him an opportunity to be on a record with a big US-Artist, because his style fits the American Trap / Southern style, the only difference being that he raps in another language. And boy did these artists deliver!

Like with all the songs on the Real Dreams album, I wanted to make sure that talented independent artists I know would get the shine they deserve. That is also the beauty of collaborating and producing, the ability to mix different artists and styles to come up with something that’s never been done before. With the connections I’ve made DJ-ing around the world, I’ve been put in a unique position to make this dream come true.

There are so many great aspects of this song. Firstly, Cory Gunz is one of the best lyricists in the game, and a member of the world’s most successful hip-hop labels in the world, YMCMB. I had asked him to record a verse, but he loved the beat so much, he recorded a chorus to it too! Jessy Shung Lee then added his part to the hook, playfully adding to the words rapped by Cory. All the artists involved ended up blending their parts perfectly together. Cory and Jessy complement one another on the chorus, Gunz and LiveSosa both went for more than 16 bars on their verses…

As a result, this is the longest track on the entire record, going well over 6 minutes. “The One and Only” is a special record to me, because it’s in my two main languages, namely French and English, it has a piano-led melody, which is my main instrument, and represents the concept of my album, Real Dreams. A truly universal collaboration track which shows that no matter how far apart, how different or how famous artists are, when the music does what it’s supposed to, you can just feel it. I think this is around the time when I started thinking about the Real Dreams concept, which started to take shape. I’m really looking forward to the official release on March 6th.

You can pre-order the full album here Check out the snippets below or directly in my web-store.

https://soundcloud.com/swissivory/real-dreams-album-snippets

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.

Day 01 – “Real Dreams”: The beginning of a journey

(Every day until the release of my project on March 6th, I will be bringing you the story behind the music, by which this incredible album came to be. You can pre-order the album here and also visit my music store to get a few gifts, including a free download of my single with Cali Swag District, “Money Dance”. #realdreams)

Real Dreams. How did the name come along? I don’t know exactly, to be honest. But it started with me wanting to make a simple dream come true: producing for established artists. I began playing the piano in 1991, I’ve been a DJ since 2001. And I’ve always been involved in music projects, be it mixtapes, remixes or actively supporting local talent here in Switzerland since 2006. Real Dreams is the culmination of my music career, the ups and downs I’ve been through both personally and professionally. Real Dreams is about beating the odds, fighting for what you believe in and working at reaching your goals, no matter how long or tough the journey might be, and overcoming all obstacles in order to reach full potential.

It all began 2 years ago, in January 2013, when my new year’s resolution was to produce a song with an artist that I admired. So I started doing my homework by gathering all necessary tools and equipment to get my “groove” back on, since I’d taken a break from beat-making to focus on building up my DJ career. Soon enough, I connected with Papoose, who had already recorded a drop for my 2012 mixtape which was hosted by Fatman Scoop. It took Papoose only 48 hours to write to the song, record his part. That was in November 2013. Not only did I achieve my goal for that year, but I also began to realize the potential of me reaching out to all the people I had worked with in the past, and that’s when the “Real Dreams” project started to take shape.

In the summer of 2014, I went to back to New York City as part of my US Tour with my artist Tariah, and linked up with Papoose and long-time friends and collaborators C-Tru from L.A. and Spits Nelson from New Jersey, one of the first Emcees I used to record with in the closet back in Boston in 2004. Little did we know, 10 years later, that we’d have our own video premiering on MTV, VH1. By November 2014, we had reached #3 on the college radio charts with the record “How We Roll” next to records by M.O.P, Ras Kass, DJ Premier, etc… The video came out crazy and got worldwide attention. Since then Dj’s from around the World have been sending me drop requests, screen-shots of their seratos and supporting the record. Pun intended: this was a dream come true.

After the success of “How We Roll”, I got signed to Ryan Leslie’s label, and my album is now available for pre-order via www.swissivorymusic.com. The physical copy will be available on March 6th but you can already get it here, as well as a free download of my single “Money Dance” Ft. Cali Swag District. I hope to inspire many people like myself, who have a talent but may or may have not given it a try, to follow their dreams. It’s not about music. It’s about real life. If you can dream about it, you can make it a reality. Tell a friend to pre-order the album here. Thank you for your support. May the journey begin #realdreams