Sandy Rivera -KOT

Sandy Rivera 'Kings of Tomorrow' - BIO

Whichever way you look at it, you know who Sandy Rivera is. Whether it's the words to 'Finally', the album you have by Kings of Tomorrow, the stunning production that infiltrates ALL the way through 'FREAK' or the untold mixes that have penetrated the dance charts over the past 15 years; you KNOW who Sandy Rivera is.

Rewind a decade and a half - take it back to the days where dance music was underground, music was made purely from love and the future king of tomorrow was launching a label called Blackwiz. Take it back to a time when something amazing happened a New Yorker with a Puerto Rican heritage started making records. Following a short run making hip-hop tracks and learning the piano to gain a higher level of musical understanding, Sandy dropped his first LP in 1997. Labeled 'The Calling' and featuring the man himself on vocals, it set dance floors on fire and brought with it confirmation that something very special had arrived.

Sandy's second album 'It's In The Lifestyle' came out under the Kings of Tomorrow guise and featured soon-to-be classic, 'dance music at its best' offerings including the iconic 'Finally' and the brilliant bassline infused 'Young Hearts'. The Julie McKnight vocal mixed with the outstanding production and an array of mixes catapulted 'Finally' way into the year 2000 and beyond winning a mix of awards including Muzik's prestigious Tune of the Year.

Sandy rightly became firmly positioned as a legend in the music scene and every genre of sound that surrounded it. With a set list that knows no boundaries – tech, minimal, chill-out, soulful house and progressive – never before has an appointment with the dance-floor been such a journey.

2005 witnessed Sandy's 3rd album 'Trouble', still under the Kings of Tomorrow alias. Each track an affirmation of Sandy's musical range, cleverly crossing over genres whilst mixing house, soul, R&B and chill-out. Along with the new side of Rivera came the indication that the next set of releases – be them under KOT, Awesome Foursome, Sanjay, Mysterious People or The Committee – would have a universal sound appeal, push the edges of innovation and transcend the genre of pure house.

Since the release of 'Trouble', Sandy has released various compilations – including Ministry Of Sound Sessions & Kings Of Tomorrow Defected ITH and has a magnitude of production credits on tracks and mixes including Craig David, Moby, Fedde Le Grand and Everything But The Girl. His DJing legacy has seen Sandy become a resident of the globe, affirming the fact that great music crosses continents and evolves whilst still being recognized under one name. The slightest hint of SR or KOT on a line-up causes clubbers to flock and the music industry to sit-up and take note.

So let's bring it back to now. Bring it back to today where music is universal and the word Sandy Rivera means more than just a collection of records - means more than just 'house'. It means a legendary sound split across different genres, breaking boundaries and making people listen. Lets talk about history, the DJ, the producer, the innovator of music. Ladies and Gentlemen, the King of Tomorrow, the master of yesterday, it's Sandy Rivera.

Danny Tenaglia's Final Word on KOT

In the October Pacha Ibiza Magazine interview with Danny Tenaglia he is talking about music of this generation:

"There has been a lack of great vocals for a couple of years. Fifteen years ago, I was reading an interview with Frank Zappa in Rolling Stone Magazine and I will never forget what he said, which was that all of the greatest songs have already been written...
...Nothing has come close to KOT's 'Finally'.
That was the last great record written in house music."

Sandy Rivera & Virus J "Put Your Hands Up"

The first collaboration between the legendary Sandy Rivera and Lithuania's Virus J is a banging, tech-house stomper of the highest order. Growling, bass-heavy synths and sharp, clattering drums combine with warped, pitch-shifting vocals for an electrifying dancefloor experience, and continues Azuli re-launch in explosive fashion. Sandy Rivera & Virus J "Put Your Hands Up"

Sandy Rivera "Dirty Sax" - Video Tops MTV UK

Persuasion and Escape have already caused a commotion on dance floors around the world. Now Sandy Rivera returns with Dirty Sax, a sickeningly slick house track that will have you reaching for the volume button the minute it drops. Sandy is known globally for producing classic tracks with a deep line of groove that grab your ass and slam it firmly on the dance floor. In Dirty Sax, he’s done it again. A gorgeous, driving, delicious horn-led cut, Dirty Sax does what it says on the tin, oozing out from the speakers and positively wrapping itself around you. From the beautifully orchestrated Original and Classic mixes to the hot and heavy Sandy’s Dirty Dub with its truly killer break down, this is production at its absolute finest. The third from the latest batch of Blackwiz releases, Dirty Sax yet again places Sandy Rivera right at the thundering heart of house.

Sandy Rivera new album The Blackwiz Farm

The first review for Sandy's new album The Blackwiz Farm drops in from our friends at www.4clubbers.net (review by Guy Hornsby):

Sandy Rivera is a perennial of house music. To many, he's the purveyor of warm, instrument-led house music in its most classic form. But he's far from the one-trick pony, and his output's varied greatly in his years at the mixing desk. One of his many monikers is Blackwiz, and it's certainly caused both consternation (from the traditional Rivera fanbase) and delight in the past. 2010 sees the five-year gap since his last long-player bridged, and it's Blackwiz that gets the spotlight.

Opening track Aurei 2010 may sound like a middle ground between Rivera's classics and this alter-ego with its Finally-evoking keys, and it's a lighter moment among the eight tracks, but it's more of a gentle intro, before the real character is revealed in its successor Reguide. Heavy percs and a metallic bassline are ovelayed by retro stabs, with wonderfully opened out pads, but this is a tauter, more punchy angle than we're used to from Rivera, and it's a welcome departure, even if it's at the risk of shedding some of his core support.

Seclusion and Lost Trail see him fully migrate to bleepy, electronic house, complete with rasping synths and squelching bass, while REDIAL borders on Deadmau5 and Toolroomesque muscular electro-house. If you can bypass the gnashing of teeth from Kings Of Tomorrow devotees, it certainly sounds like Rivera's having a lot of fun free from its shackles. Organized Noize 3 2010 is techy, looping, main-room stuff, and while vocals permeate Cosmo Bar, Undiscovered is all swathes of synth and clicks and snares. Worth a listen for non Sandy Rivera fans certainly, and even those startled faithful may be rewarded with more listens. It certainly sounds like the artist is enjoying a new lease of life.