Everybody has a moment when they first fall in love with an artist in a way that feels like a spiritual awakening. Their music has been floating around for a while but it takes one project to bring you to your knees, forcing you to bear witness to their talent. For me, it was Sarz’s first collaboration project with WurlD, ‘I Love Girls with Trobul’. “My favourite song on that EP is ‘Trobul’” the producer tells me. While many creators give the ‘a mother has no favourite’ line, Sarz is sure-footed in his own artistry. And it is this self-confidence that rightly led him to title his long-come debut album ‘Protect Sarz At All Costs’.

Fans will know that the ad lib “Sarz on the beat” has rang out on many records, from Jahbless’ ‘Jor Oh’ to Reminisce’s ‘Skilashi’ but it was 2012’s ‘Beat of Life’ featuring Wizkid that popularised the tag. For the preluding thirty seconds of the track, the phrase plays on a loop like an ode to Sarz. ‘Beat of Life’ is also a fitting title for the career of this Grammy-nominated producer who has made the beats that have defined the life of afrobeats. So why, almost two decades after he earned his full credit production on Lord of Ajasa’s ‘See Drama’, and with a career that has been rowing rock steady ever since, why does Sarz choose now to release his own album? “Why not now?” the producer retorts. “They say the best time to plant a tree was 25 years ago and the next best time is now.”

The project was born from a desire to create music that goes to his core. “I always find that some of the beats I really love don’t resonate with people the same way. So, I think making albums is my way of expressing the kind of sounds that matter to me, even if others don’t gravitate toward them.” The vastness of this new territory made him hesitant at first, but as the producer has always shown, experimentalism is a guilty pleasure. “It’s a bold step because I could’ve easily taken a back seat and just kept producing for other people,” he reflects. “As humans, we’re often afraid of change. So even though I’ve had this idea for a long time, it took me a while to do it.”

Finally deciding to not let dust settle on his ideas, he went about creating a work within which other artists could shape to his vision. He stepped up and took charge of curating the sound, concept and collaborations. But that didn’t make him a lone wolf as he willingly invited feedback from other producers. “As a creative, you can have blind spots, so having other people come in, even if it’s just to listen, really helps bring a different perspective.” This acknowledgment of fallibility and defiance to omniscience is what breeds the best artists. By being open, he pushed himself further to get through engineering of the album and release it into the world.

As for features, having Wizkid, Lojay and WurlD in the room was a no brainer. You can hear the air of ease between his favourite collaborators as they turn insane ideas into reality, track by track. The project’s incredible line up wasn’t planned but has eventually included Asake, Shallipoppi, Joeboy, Qing Madi, Teni, Gunna and Libianca – all people he loved and naturally gravitated toward as the album continued to unspool in his hands. And while this consummate artist produces, writes and shapes sound, anyone hoping to hear him pick up the mic on his record will be disappointed. “I don’t think singing or rapping is something I am interested in right now,” he says simply. “I’d rather be on stage DJing, producing or writing music… And if I'm being really honest, music production is my first love.”

And his fans, that is more than enough, which brings us back to that suitably commanding album title. For someone who’s worked with Drake and been sampled by Beyoncé, his place in the annals is assured. “Looking at my career so far and the impact Sarz has had on afrobeats as we know it today, from producing hits for some of your favourite artists to constantly pushing sonic boundaries and even giving other producers the opportunity to grow through things like The Sarz Academy, I don’t see anyone else doing it quite like that,” he says, refusing to perform humility. “You know, that legacy does need to be protected.”