Working solidly in the studio, playing international clubs and releasing material via various imprints, Wildkats’ Sandeman & Dickie are the definitive and eclectic house/disco DJ duo that make up two thirds of the partnership that makes up Wildkats with Corey Baker.
Mates and music partners Sandeman & Dickie spend most of their time together. Feeding each other’s deep passion for classic house, funk, techno, 80s, 90s, hip-hop and disco, the East London based boys have put out releases via a multitude of labels including Hot Waves, Off Recordings, Made to Play, Akbal Music, Digital Delight and gained kudos for their remixes on house giants Get Physical and OM Records. The Wildkats appeal is vast and their popularity over the past five years has spread fast. Pushing the boundaries of new music and intimated by nothing, the energy they bring with their club noise is notorious. Playing i-D Mix last month, i-D found out what one half of the double act gets up to on a daily basis, Sandeman spills…
“If you asked me 18 months ago what a day in my life consisted of it would be very different from a typical day now. I was working a hectic finance job Monday to Friday and making my music on the side. Fortunately, I have been able to wave bye bye to the suit and follow my dream to concentrate on music full time.
For me a typical day starts in a place I wish I saw more of, my bed. I wake up, computer goes on, as does the kettle and I get ready for the studio. In terms of studio work, that is always varied depending on what we have on and if we have project deadlines. We may be working on something specific like a remix or a track for a certain label, or it could be a case of starting something new. For new material we throw down ideas on Ableton, then work on building some loops and construct the track from there. At the mo, we are working on a remix for Amine Edge, and a bunch of new projects and some solo stuff. We did a fair amount of traveling last year and didn’t have much time in the studio, so right now it’s a case of playing catch up and getting as much new material done as possible. Sometimes though you can get stuck in a rut with a project, and find yourself going round in circles, so I try to break up my day if I can by heading out to the gym or doing some errands or something. A break can work wonders to get creative juices flowing again. If not making music I tend to be on the hunt for new music, either by listening to new promos we’ve been sent or by shopping online stores.
When I feel it’s time to finish up for the day I wind down, have some food and either head out to meet some friends or stay in and watch a movie or series. I have just finished final season of Breaking Bad so right now I’m looking for a new series to get stuck into.”
Text: Milly McMahon
