EDM Cave’s exclusive interview with the Grammy award-winning artist SICKOTOY!
Growing up in Europe, SICKOTOY was always consumed by a musical wanderlust that drove him to spend a lot of time travelling, getting a deep understanding of diverse cultures and musical styles. From his experiences, he’s developed a truly unique sound, bringing a distinctive flavour of Arabic club sounds with heavy bass lines and piercing beats with which he has already accomplished several chart toppers. SICKOTOY has become one of the most raved about music producers of the moment.
Boasting a Latin Grammy award under his belt, collaborations with prolific names including Pitbull, ALOK and Ilkay Sencan and over 100 million streams across his prodcutions, we managed to sit down with the talented artist to chat about his creative process when it comes to producing, studio essentials and his brand new single ‘Bad Girls’.
Thank you for taking the time to chat to us today!
How and when did you originally get into producing music?
My journey into music production began back in 2008 when I ventured into creating predominantly pop and urban tracks. Prior to that, I was a guitarist and had the opportunity to play for the band Morandi. We embarked on extensive tours throughout Europe, with a particular focus on the Eastern part of the continent.
Have you always been creating dance music? And what is it about dance music that attracts you to it?
I’ve also produced pop, urban and even rock music before. I think electronic music attracts me the most because it resonates with my inner energy and also I feel like one’s applying the best techniques in production when it comes to creating dance music. I feel like there is a vast territory to be explored.
Do you ever produce different genres of music outside of electronic music? If not, are there any in particular that you’ve been curious to try?
As mentioned earlier, I’ve had the opportunity to delve into various music genres while producing for different artists within the industry. However, one thing on my bucket list is to further explore the realms of music for movie soundtracks, and perhaps even classical or orchestral compositions. I have a deep passion for every facet of music and I thrive on taking on new challenges as they are instrumental in enhancing and refining my work.
When producing, what are your top 3 studio essentials? This can be anything from specific gear to having essential studio snacks.
For sure a guitar, a coffee and a laptop.
You’ve just released the huge collaboration ‘Bad Girls’ along with INNA, Antonia and Eva Timush. Can you tell us a bit about the creative process and the inspiration behind the track?
This happened during a session in Dubai arranged by Global Records, the same label that represents the Sickotoy project and serves as my publisher. I had the privilege of working alongside Wayne Hector and Roland Spreckley, who are renowned figures in the songwriting industry. Essentially, we were three men in that session, crafting a song titled “Bad Girls” 🙂
Do you find your creative process differs much when producing collaboratively as opposed to solo?
A little bit. When I’m working solo I tend to be more subjective and critical with myself and when I work collaboratively any positive feedback makes me listen twice and probably have a different viewpoint on the track.
What do you look for when choosing the vocals for a track? Are the vocals the final piece of the track or do you build productions around the vocals?
I typically work on both aspects simultaneously. To me, a song doesn’t truly come together without an exceptional melody. I gravitate towards distinctive voices with a unique timbre and personality, prioritizing character over vocal technique perfection.
You’ve had an incredibly fruitful career, working with some huge names such as ALOK and Ilkay Sencan and even winning a Grammy-award! What have been your top 3 personal career highlights so far?
It’s tough to narrow down just three career highlights because I genuinely enjoy what I do and there have been numerous moments that bring me joy. However, if I had to highlight some particularly special moments in my career, they would include the first time hearing one of my productions on the radio, the incredible honor of receiving a Grammy award, and the unforgettable milestone of Sickotoy’s first number one spot on radio airplay.
Where do you see yourself 5 years from now? And what are your goals/aims for the future?
Hopefully playing my music at the biggest festivals in the world!
And finally, what can we expect from you in the forthcoming months? Do you have any exciting projects coming up in the remainder of 2023?
I plan to drop a couple more tracks, most likely with a focus on heavy bass and a vibrant, uplifting energy!
Follow SICKOTOY
Instagram | Spotify | YouTube | TikTok | Facebook
