The dancefloor has Faith in one of America’s finest
Publicly named by Tiesto as one of his top 5 favourite DJs, Serge Devant’s career so far is littered with outstanding achievements. Back in the day he became the youngest resident DJ to tear up New York’s legendary Crobar and Tunnel as well as bagging himself a spot on DJ Mag’s coveted Top 100 List which is no mean feat. It is his high octane and uplifting sets that have set him apart. Serge takes time out from his US tour to talk about the impact of EDM in America, having a Coca Cola bottle designed for him exclusively, his plans for the summer and his new album ‘Rewind’…
Words: Toni Tambourine
Tell me about some of your previous releases and the DJs that have supported them.
“I released my first album back in 2009 and quite a few singles got a lot of support in the industry. There are too many names to list to be honest!”
Was your rework of ‘3am Eternal‘ your biggest musical success to date?
“No I don’t think so, I think my biggest song up to date was ‘Addicted‘ which is on the first album ‘Wanderer’.”
How would you describe your vibe and sound when producing and playing out live?
“I would describe it as fun, sexy house music.”
Tell me about some of your biggest touring dates lately, where did you play, how was the reaction and where are you going back to?
“I’m just in the middle of my US tour and have just played Vegas, Miami and Orlando. This weekend I was in Chicago which is definitely one of my favourite cities to play out in because people always get it here, it’s so refreshing to play for an educated crowd. Next stop on the tour is New York and Philadelphia and West coast tour.”
America is experiencing a revelation around EDM, what are your opinions on this now that everyone is seeing what you have been preaching for years?
“It’s nice to see EDM grow so much especially now it’s become mainstream. The sad thing is that a lot of it sounds like crap. It’s a double edged sword in a way. Lots of DJs are playing the same commercial hits everywhere they go and I think because of this DJs are losing their identity because they’re scared of trying something new.”
Does it feel good that Dance can stand up to hip hop at last in America?
“Yes of course. We’ve waited for this to happen for a while.”
I know that the late 90’s were a little hazy but do you remember any particular times that you went to the legendary Manhattan club Twilo that were unforgettable? Who was playing and why did it change your life?
“Of course! I remember clear as day. That was where everything started for me. Some of the most unforgettable nights included hearing Sasha and Digweed who would be on every first Friday of the month and also Paul Van Dyk every last Friday every 2 months. That was the time when clubbing was real and all about dancing and having a good time, no politics, tables or bottles.”
The Tunnell and Crobar in New York is where you learnt your craft, it is today’s equivalent of djing at Fabric or Space Ibiza. That was a big start, what did you learn there and how influential on your career was it?
“It was very influential because I got to play with massive DJs, meet them and develop strong relationships with them. Not to mention the chance to play for 3000 people every other weekend. It was huge exposure for me.”
You know people are a big deal when they get a Coca Cola bottle exclusively designed for them. How did that feel and what doors did it open for you?
“It was definitely something of an achievement and something to brag about I guess.”
Your productions have great vocals, who writes them and what singers do you work with?
“I work with Hadley who sang on quiet few songs on a previous album and my current one. I also just started working with Polina and Rachael Starr who I haven’t worked with before so it’s nice change. I write everything with my old friend Danny Inzerillo. We actually have a collaboration together called ‘When You Came Along’ on my new album.”
Where can we see you playing this year?
“I will be spending most of my summer in Europe and over the next 2 months I’ll be finishing up my US tour.”
Serge Devant ‘True Faith’ taken from his new album ‘Rewind’ is out now on Ultra Music with remixes by Starkillers, Paul Thomas and Luke Marsh.
