Grammy-winning producer Cedric Gervais has had a long and very successful career. Starting off DJ’ing at his father’s club in the south of France at the young age of 15, he soon moved to Miami in order to further pursue his interest in music. Arriving in the United States not speaking a word of English, Gervais soon taught himself the ropes of production and in just a few short years, had signed his first single, “Burning,” to Ultra Records.
Now, some 20 years later, the DJ is a hot commodity in the EDM world. His two remixes for Lana Del Rey (“Young & Beautiful” and “Summertime Sadness”) were massive hits, with latter one earning him a Grammy and marking him as a highly sought after producer.
With a batch of successful remixes now under his belt, Gervais is ready to get back to making his own music. His last album (which was the second of his career) came in 2011, and he’s now hard at work on his third one. However, that hasn’t stopped him from making live appearances and this past weekend at EDC Orlando, Cedric took the stage for an electrifying set.
After he was done playing, I had the chance to catch up with him for a brief, but enjoyable interview. We spoke about how he adjusted to life in America when he first moved here, why he’s done with remixing for the time being, what new music we can expect from him, and much more.
Check it out below and enjoy!
How was your set today?
Cedric Gervais: It was amazing. I’ve been playing here for three years now and it’s always great. It’s my homebase, it’s Florida. It’s always amazing.
You moved here when you were 15, correct?
Cedric Gervais: Yes. I came from France. It was difficult to adjust but there are so many flavors here that it made it a bit easier. You know, there’s the Latin American population, the European population. Miami is very different from most of America, so that made it easier for me to adjust.
You’ve done two remixes now for Lana Del Rey. How did that creative partnership begin?
Cedric Gervais: Well, it’s between management. My manager is good friends with her manager, and one day they decided to put her and I together to do something. I’ve always loved Lana’s work. So when they offered me “Summertime Sadness” to remix, it was unbelievable.
Will you be working with her again in the future?
Cedric Gervais: I don’t think so. I’m working on my own projects for now. No more remixing, just my own, original music.
So which vocalists will you be working with then for your own stuff?
Cedric Gervais: Well right now I’m working with Tove Lo on a song, and I’m really excited about that. We just did a song for my album. I also just did a track with Ali Tamposi called “Love Again.” It’s being played on Top 40 Radio, BPM, etc., and we haven’t even pushed it yet. The first day we put it on iTunes we sold 6,000 units, which is crazy. So it’s doing really well.
Do you prefer creating your own original tracks over remixing?
Cedric Gervais: I like both. For now though I’m sticking with my own music. I don’t think I’ll be remixing anything more unless it’s something that I’m really excited about.
Tell us how you began DJ’ing?
Cedric Gervais: I started in the south of France when I was 15 at my father’s club. I kept bugging him to let me play but he would always tell me that I wasn’t good enough. [laughs] Eventually he gave me a shot though.
So you began DJ’ing first and then started producing?
Cedric Gervais: Yes. I learnt how to produce in Paris on some old school computers. I wasn’t making anything though, just learning. When I got to Miami, I finally began producing myself. That’s when I made my first track that I signed to Ultra Records. I was 18 at the time.
That concludes our interview, but we’d like to thank Cedric Gervais very much for his time! Be sure to check out his newest release, “Love Again,” below!