Slavic Livins has been in the industry for over two decades – moving seamlessly from engineer to producer and back again – and has collaborated with such talent as Keyshia Cole, R. Kelly, Ministry, Avant, Day 26, Snoop Dog, and Farley “Jackmaster” Funk.

Livins was enrolled in a Music Conservatory in Belarus at a young age. Once in the States his appreciation for music grew into a hunger and a drive to be a part of the music industry. After graduating Columbia College Chicago top of his class with degrees in sound engineering and music/artist management, Livins quickly began moving up the ranks. He turned internships at Battery Studios and Chicago Trax into assistant engineering positions followed by production and head engineering positions. While at Battery Studios he worked on Avant’sfirst album My Thoughts, which generated the Top 40 hit “Separated” and reached RIAA Platinum status.

As Livins honed his craft at Chicago Trax he caught the attention of Vince Lawrence, owner of Slang Music Group, who began sending him high profile projects at which Livins excelled. This led to music production for nationwide commercial campaigns like Jeep, Sprite, and Pop Tarts (which featured Fabulous and debuted during the half time of the 2002 NBA play-offs.) He also engineered a remix for R. Kelly’s hit “Ignition” and collaborated on several other projects with him.

The industry took notice of Livins’ work when he achieved RIAA Platinum status for his remix of Sisqo’s single “Incomplete”and RIAA Gold for his remix of Joe’s single “Stutter.” Wanting to capitalize on his success, Livins co-founded The Milk Bros withEric Ley. The duo quickly became known for their dynamic, high-energy mixes. With Lawrence as their manager they began to produce remixes for major label clients like John Legend (“Green Light”), Amerie (“Touch”), Omarian (“I’m Tryna”), and Korn’s Jonathon Davis (“Money”). Not one to rest on his laurels, Livins started 8 Mile High Productions with Gene Katsuro at the same time. This project offered him a new challenge in a genre Livins had not worked in before – House. The two began producing house tracks for artists like Felix the Housecat, Farley “Jackmaster” Funk, Katya and Niki Lynette and had multiple releases on King Street Records and Slang Records.

Livins attributes his success and longevity in this industry to his ability to constantly reinvent himself and continue learning. Though he has achieved much he stays grounded and focused on his craft. “Working in this industry is extremely humbling, each new project feels like starting over in a way,’ says Livins.