An icon of French electronica
“What if…”, the phrase that links the three tracks he’s released as Agoria in 2021, is a question that Sébastian Devaud has been asking all his life. What if a 17 year-old from rural France decides he’d rather dedicate himself to music than continue his studies in cinema? What if it doesn’t matter that no one dances during his first set (playing before Carl Cox and Richie Hawtin) at Lyon club Space? What if he could bring together the music of his Detroit heroes (Jeff Mills and Kevin Saunderson) with his love of pop, soul, and hip-hop? What if he started a label (Infiné)? What if, after two decades in the service of French electronic music, he decided to make a pop record (“Drift”)? What if ‘French Touch’ wasn’t a moment in time, nor a genre; but instead an attitude, a playful approach to DJing that’s never dimmed over three decades of playing and producing music? What if…