Kings of Tomorrow

Sandy Rivera, a towering presence in house and hip-hop DJ culture, performs under the Kings of Tomorrow name along with many other aliases. Of Puerto Rican lineage, he absorbed the vibrant mix of musical styles that pulsed through New York’s streets during his youth. Early on he began playing records, taping radio segments, and layering Latino, hip-hop, and rock elements together on the belt-driven turntables and tape decks then available. By age 17 he was already DJing parties and carving out a name for himself. His first professional steps involved producing hip-hop cuts for Big Pun and Fat Joe as a member of the Full Eclipse production team. Turning his attention to the burgeoning house scene, Rivera founded Blackwiz Records in 1994 and later launched Deep Vision with assistance from publishing titan Burt Bacharach. His initial release arrived in 1997 with The Calling, an album that placed Rivera on both keyboards and vocals while revealing his singular production instincts. The Kings of Tomorrow identity reached the house audience through his follow-up project. Rivera’s catalog, like those of many leading DJs, blends original material with remixes; yet unlike most peers he issues original work under numerous guises, among them Aurei, D’Menace, Awesome Foursome, the Committee, Kings of Tomorrow, and Mysterious People.