Mr Wet Bones down on his farm…
A brand new artist album coming out called ‘The Blackwiz Farm’. It’s an unusual name, why did you decide to call it that?
“There are a lot of different kinds of crops and animals in farms. I am just building some thing or planting a seed in some musical form, it’s about seeing how things grow once you put them out there which is kind of what you do when you make tracks and throw them out to the public – if they’re good, they’ll grow. Someone also heard the tracks in my studio and just mentioned farm somehow and it all just clicked.
This is your first artist album in five years, has it taken you that long to put it together or have you just been really busy since Trouble?
“Really busy for sure and it’s easy to forget to finish projects, I’m creative so I have a million ideas running around my head and I want to get them all out, you know? Although I have done a lot of work in that time and I have plenty to put out now so over the next couple of months you’ll be seeing a lot more of Sandy Rivera musically in one way or another.”
It’s a very different sound to what a lot of people might be expecting from you. What was your inspiration behind it?
“Most people don’t really know half the records I made. This is not a different sound for me, but I am more of a better producer at doing it. In the past I might have put one or two in a year and kept doing my vocal stuff. I felt it was time for people to get to know what I can do. I put too many singles out and they’re different from each other. The Blackwiz Farm is all catering to a sound on one album where people can enjoy a journey. All of my singles could not make this point because they all have so many different sound. This album is more of me focusing on one sound.”
Off the album, which one is your favourite track and why?
“‘Cosmo Bar’ is the one for me. I made that mix three years ago and never changed it since. I have played it out so many times with great reaction. In Bulgaria on the seaside one morning around 8am, there were still 3,000 people on the beach and I had to play it twice. In fact, I never wanted to put that tune out as just a single. I always thought it should be part of an album and so I waited for the album to happen. It’s now the second single to be released, after ‘REDIAL’ which was the first one.”
Your tour schedule is pretty busy at the moment. What sound are you throwing out there and what can people expect from you when they come to see you play?
“It depends on where I am and the crowd. I can play 4 to 5 hours of just techy stuff or mix it all up with some Classics, Deep House and all that middle ground. At my residency in Estonia at Prive, it starts with a good House groove and builds into Techno and the crowd love it.”
You’ve been producing for a pretty long time now – do you think you’ll ever get bored of making music? What drives you to keep producing?
“I don’t think I could ever get bored, I would be an idiot to complain about making music. The business end of it all can be annoying at times, but never actually making it. I actually enjoy making new tunes; I absolutely love it. I even enjoy finding new singers and trying songs with them. The whole creative process makes me buzz.”
As well as the more progressive techno sound that you’re now pushing out, you are of course famous for some of the greatest vocal tracks of all time. Any plans to bring some more vocal tunes into the mix soon?
“Yeah, in a big way. I have an all-vocal House album almost done and a chill out album also. I use Rae, who I did ‘Persuasion’ and “Can’t Stop’ with. The band is called KOTRAE and it is along the lines of Massive Attack and Zero 7. This should all help people understand how much I enjoy producing new music.”
What else are you working on at the moment?
“I’m putting out a ‘Dirty Sax Remix’ on the album, I just made a video for it also . KOTRAE, which is a live act, the first track is going to be out before the summer, so we hope you like it! Also the vocal album that I mentioned above. This all keeps me very busy in the studio.”
Is there any one artist that you would kill to work with in the studio, and why?
“Sia for sure, just love her vibe. Her voice is so smooth and unique, I love the tracks that the guys from Zero 7 did with her.”
“You recently moved from London to Poland. How’s the new location working out for you and have you learnt how to say anything in Polish yet?”
“Hello or good morning (Dzien dobry). I live near a few national parks. There is one two minutes away from me and a nice long walk is a healthy thing to do, after an after party. So, not bad.”
What’s your favourite film and why?
“District 9 at the moment. I love those fucking Prawns.”
Speaking of films, would you ever be tempted to move into doing scores for feature films? Is there any director whose work you just look at and think, I’d love to work with what you’re creating?
“Quentin Tarentino would be the man. I can be the bar man from the Bronx who can get you anything, they would call Mr Wet Bones.”
You started off making Hip Hop back in the early days. What do you think of the genre now? Do you have any respect for guys like P Diddy who seem to have pushed it deep into commercial territory?
“I have a lot of respect for them all. They took independent to whole new level. The sound might have changed a lot, but there’s something for everyone.”
We know you’re a big fan of the Zero 7 sound, what is it about their music that appeals to you?
“There are not many albums where I can listen to the entire thing and want to play it back again. They do that for me. The sound, the vibe; they’re my inspiration on my chill out album.”
Finally, when is The Blackwiz Farm coming out and where can we get our hands on it?
“It’s out everywhere from May after an exclusive run on Beatport, including on CD for those of you that like to hold your music in your hands.”
