"Sometimes you have to step away from the record so you can get a fresh perspective again."
Tell me how the idea came to become a DJ?
Arriving in New York, I fell just at the peak of the heyday of club culture. There, in New York, there were then the coolest clubs, where every weekend there were famous DJs, world stars.
Who has been inspiring you in terms of production recently?
Maya Jane Coles, Matthew Dekay, Shonky and Solomun to name a few.
What is purely "Russian" in you, and what is "American"?
From Russian - thinking, cunning, quirky mind. The Russians, basically, are all like that. That's all that is invented in America "bypass", all the most ingenious fraud - it's all invented by us, the Russians. Our logic is "twisting", the American one is "straight". Their system always works well, until Russians come. I think that these features helped me to achieve all that I have, they helped me to bypass the barriers and get acquainted with many promoters. Who are you listening to these days? What’s on your iPod? AZARI & III and some new Vision Quest stuff… Empire of the Sun and my new album. Can you mention a few of your favorite destinations to play at; and why? Definitely Ibiza is my favorite destination. Best parties and you see all your friends from all over the world! Nothing beats that. What does the music producer Serge Devant do in their free time? What kind of music do you prefer to listen to outside the studio? I lead a very active lifestyle, work, swim, play sports, like to hang out with friends or go to the beach when it's hot, and sometimes I just eat and sleep. Believe it or not, these are really the most memorable moments of my free time. I like to listen to classics and rock, and their combination is very interesting for me.What is the difference between Russia and America? What was your life here, and what was it like there?
My life in Russia is a period until 1992. It was a rather difficult time for me and for the country as a whole. There is nothing and nothing can be done. And everything is closed. And in America there are a lot of opportunities and nobody restricts you in anything.
Do you act as a DJ in the US or abroad?
Of course, otherwise why then write music? It's like baking a pie and giving it to strangers every time, without trying it.
You have done residencies over the years. Do you prefer a residency or would you rather play a new city every night? What advantages does a residency offer a DJ?
That’s a tough question. Residencies are fun because you really get to build and establish your crowd; you get familiar with the room and the people and with every gig it feels more and more like home. You see the same faces and so on… but playing new cites is very exciting as well. Everything is new and new faces at a new club… a new experience. It’s hard to pick one; I love both.
What has been the most exciting new technological development for production since you have been away?
I don’t know if there was anything huge, but since I moved over to Ableton it has been such pleasure to work with. It’s so easy to get something going quick. I started using Steve Duda’s plug-in Nerve which has been amazing to sequence percussion and create grooves instantly. It’s a very user-friendly plug in and it saved me a lot of time.
How do you usually go about beginning a track?
I just throw some grooves together over a kick and hopefully I hear a bassline once I have some percussion going. Then just see where it goes from there. I let one element inspire me to find the next.
https://soundcloud.com/crosstownrebels/sets/serge-devant-this-moment-ep-1