Eddie Sancho & Maria Isa

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Eddie Sancho, Hip Hop’s “Engineer Extraordinaire” representing Queens teams up with Sotarico’s own lovely and talented Maria Isa for the upcoming project ‘Sip It” with the first single ‘Goin’ Out’ to be released today. I sat down with the duo to find out more about the man behind the music and the woman behind the mic,  how the East Coast/Midwest  collaboration started and what is to come with this new-found energy in Hip Hop.

Check out the single “Goin’ Out” HERE!

Lyrics Written and Performed By Maria Isa (M.I.Perez, BMI) | Produced, Mixed and Engineered by Eddie Sancho

Interview and photos by Rebecca “B FRESH” McDonald of B FRESH Photography and Media

B FRESH: Eddie, you say music is your life, so how about telling us about your journey through music to where you are now in your career.

Eddie Sancho: In the beginning there was house…..lol…i was listing to Marley Marl (WBLS) and Red Alert (KISS FM) and they were a part of the inspiration to drive me towards becoming a DJ.

Before becoming an engineer I started off as a DJ. Any income I was making at the time would all be gone buying records.  I would vibe off all genres of music and loved to read the credits on them.  I would read the credits and see produced, recorded, engineered and mixed by such and such and I was like, what does this all mean? While looking for answers to all this, I remember hearing a radio commercial for IAR (Institute of Audio Research) and basically the message was “Get involved in the music business, make a future for yourself in audio.” I knew right there and then this is what I wanted and that I was gonna make it happen!

I began interning at D&D and it was rough…..I had to work my way up.  I decided to move my internship hours to night to gain more experience.  There was one engineer, Mike Rogers who was always cool and I learned a lot from him. He became my mentor who taught me a lot and within 6 months, I became assistant engineer at D&D.  Within 2 years, the studio gained confidence in me and I became a staff engineer.  Within that period of time I happened to record a session for Lord Finesse on “Return of the Funky Man” Remix produced by Show Biz with scratches by Premier.  He really liked how I mixed that song, and at that time Premier was looking for a studio to record the next GangStarr album.  He asked me to assist him on the project which later became the “Daily Opperation” album.  I started with him as an assistant, but than eventually was promoted to work as head engineer.  From there, the rest is history.

BF: What are some career highlights?

ES: What can I say? Look at my discography and read the credits…each and everyone has been a highlight. [Editors note: Check out the discography here.  You will be amazed, to say the least.]

BF:  Your discography credits includes some of the greatest talent Hip Hop has seen; everyone from Notorious B.I.G. Gang Starr, NAS, to Jay Z, M.O.P., Rakim, and KRS…Tell us one of your most memorable experiences as Hip Hop’s “Engineer Extraordinaire.”

ES: Premier was out of town and he asked me if I could work on Thanksgiving Day back in 2002. It was for Snoop Dogg’s “The One and Only.” What more can I say, it’s Snoop and Premier…and me on the mix, of course it went well!

BF: What does your creative space look like today, compared to in the 90′s?

ES: Easy! I have a laptop. [Laughs] You wanna go back to the 90′s and have a board? A 2-inch tape machine? That was all great with the analog sound, but I still get that sound in today’s digital world. [Laughs] I love technology!! Sure, Pro-Tools took all of the studios out, but in the long run, it’s been more convienent for me. You gotta keep up with the times.

BF: What is the most enjoyable part of your creative process?

ES: Being determined to create and mix the next sound for the new generation of hip-hop.

BF: What goes on “behind-the-scenes” with engineering?

ES: I sit alone in my four-cornered room staring at Pro-Tools!

BF: So how did you get into producing?

ES: I was influenced by Todd Terry and his work with house music.  Even though I was an engineer, I always wanted to work on my own production.  I had an opportunity that was offered to me from Todd, to start focusing on my production, and from there I began working on both mixing and producing.  History!

BF: Eddie produced 4 tracks and mixed two others on your new mixtape “Sip It.” How did you both meet?

Maria Isa: I was invited by my close-friend and good mentor, Toki Wright, to rep the Twin Cities in NYC at Rhymesayer’s Fresh Air Tour which featured Toki, Evidence, BK-One and Brother Ali. I had an all access pass and happend to bump into Evidence who asked me who I was. I answered back “Toki and Ali’s lil sister…” and Ali responded saying “Our sister who’s repping the movement hard.”  Eddie Sancho was there supporting Evidence and happend to introduce me to him.  I gave him a copy of Street Politics and …..

ES: From there I accepted the copy, checked her music out and it was history!

BF: What makes the work the both of you have collaborated on for “Sip It” any different from what either of you have done in the past?

ES: Maria Isa is the first female rapper I’ve collaborated with, who’s also not from New York.

MI: The work I’ve been doing with Eddie brings me to recognize the influences that the New York sound has had in my life. I’m a child of New York raised in Minnesota…literally..NuyoRico to SotaRico…it feels good to be able to now bite the big apple while repin’ the miny one with St. Paul’s blessing. Sip it!

BF: What should people expect from “Sip It?” What is the vibe of the project?

MI:  Sip it…it’s a flava that describes a cultural movement and fusion- Something that I think no matter where you are from, what you listen to, you’ll have a good time bumping it in your speakers. I wrote the majority of this project in between acting in RENT and traveling back and forth from NYC to the TCs. I wanted to showcase more of the MC in me…but I still throw on the vocals It’s like Hip-Hop meets Rita Moreno.

ES: In regards to my productions on “Sip It,” expect the truth from Maria. She’s really a true artist, who believes in her craft and songwriting. All I can say is that Maria took our songs to another level, and soon all of those who listen to our work will experience that feeling.

BF: So Eddie, what is it like to work with Maria Isa? What makes her stand out from other artists?

ES:  Her work ethic. Maria’s always ready to rip up the mic and always determined to finish a song once we start. We’re always bouncing back ideas, while the both of us are willing to respect and hear out positive criticism.

BF: And Maria,  what is it like to work with Eddie Sancho? What makes it different working with Eddie, compared to other producers/engineers?

MI: It’s very tribal. He’s willing to expand his creativity and enjoys to venture with many different styles and sounds. I think that’s why we work well together.  I’ve also never worked with a producer who’s been a die hard METS fan. I lost a bet with Eddie when the Twins lost the series to the METS last June. So I had to wear a METS hat…hard for a die hard TWINS fan to do, but I’m a lady who keeps her word!

ES: Haha!

BF: Do you see collaborative projects happening in the future?

ES:Yeah of course! We’re working on the next set of hits…so stay tuned!

MI: Sip-it!