French DJ/producer Sebastien Drums has been producing music since he was only 11 years old. His greatest musical influences include countrymen Bob Sinclar and Cassius. In 2006, his career skyrocketed after becoming the resident DJ at Palas nightclub in Cote D’Azur. Drums also has his own record label: Work Machine, which he started roughly a year after he began his residency at the Palas. Afrojack and Thomas Gold are two signees on Work Machine, pushing a progressive sound that is very much rooted in the underground. 2009 was a breakout year for Sebastien as he collaborated with Avicii on multiple hits such as My Feelings for You, Wet Groove, and Snus, and started travelling internationally to perform. Drums quickly saw his work reach the top of the charts receiving huge support from a who’s who list of top DJs.
Other than Miami’s Winter Music Conference, Drums hardly ever makes it to the U.S. because he spends most of his tour life in Australia, Europe, and South America. When Drums does come to the U.S., he typically only stops in cities with big electronic music scenes such as New York, Chicago, Vegas, and Los Angeles. He recently made an unusual stop in Indiana, which is something he’s never done before. Fortunately, we had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Sebastien. We learned a lot about Drums during our chat, such
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as where he enjoys traveling, his thoughts on the rise of EDM, and the craziest thing a fan has ever done for him. This French artist has a lot in store for the future including new remixes, original tracks, and tour dates in multiple countries.
Could you give us a little background on how you became a DJ/producer? What made you want to take up this career?
I started DJ’ing when I was 11 years old. I learned by myself and I started scratching a bit and then I was working for my father, at that time I was playing like funk music, R&B, and disco… everything. Then I moved to house music because I’m French-Dutch.
SEBASTIEN DRUMS TALKS ABOUT THE MEANING OF DJ’ING, THE IMPORTANCE OF PRODUCTION, AND THE EVOLVING USA SCENE.
You recently released a song with Richard Gray titled “It’s Time to Party Now” which has that irresistible disco vibe to it that we all love. How did that collaboration come to happen and what was it like working with Richard Gray?
It’s funny because Richard Gray is French as well, but he moved to Ibiza. He just stayed a bit in France before he moved, so yeah he decided to contact me because of “My Feelings for You” because was a big hit and said let’s do something similar. He came with a sample, which was “It’s Time to Party Now” and then we did something cool.
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What artists and genres do you believe really had an influence in shaping your current sound?
I was a big fan of the French-Dutch. For me I would say Cassius (French musical duo), Daft Punk, and Bob Sinclar: the beginning of the French-Dutch and disco- house sound.
If you could get in a time machine and go back to any era for inspiration, what time period and in what place would you go?
I would say back to that French-Dutch era, it inspired me a lot because of Cassius. We made a track “My Feelings for You” and then we decided to take a sample and do something different with the sound of today.
What are your thoughts on the importance of production for artists entering the dance music scene?
I think artists that produce have big success now because it’s different than years ago. Before you could be a DJ working in every place in the world where people didn’t need to know each of your songs, but now you need to have tracks people know because it’s completely different. I perform like a DJ and I really like the technical things like making some loops. I don’t only perform using bootlegs because the most important thing is we are DJs, not a “jukebox”. I prefer to play with the turntables and do something creative and different.
What is your picture perfect setting for a Sebastien Drums show? Is it a massive festival style show like when you closed Space Ibiza with Roger Sanchez, or a more intimate and personal show such as a smaller club or private party?
It depends because sometimes when the place is small, I like it because the crowd is right next to you. It’s a bit different and more intimate… and then it’s different when you play in a festival because the crowd is completely crazy, there are so many people, so it’s very different. I like both though.
If you get that feeling that it’s time to turn the party up a notch, what’s your go to song that you know will make the crowd go absolutely wild?
I would say my last track with Whelan and Di Scala called “Here I Come”. This track has been released like four months ago. Axwell made a bootleg and it’s played by everybody like Tiesto, David Guetta, Axwell, and Swedish House Mafia. The Axwell bootleg is like really really popular.
So you have gotten to really travel and sample all of the world’s crowds, have you ever noticed a difference from place to place and can you tell us a little about what that’s like and how you adapt?
It’s been different. I was playing in India a few months ago and in India the EDM/house music scene is very new and the crowd was completely nuts because it was new for them. They’ve listened to house/electronic music for maybe two or three years. The Europe crowd is different and so is the Australia crowd. Yeah, really all of the crowds love house music, but the vibes are a bit different. For example, in Ibiza people really know about the music and then in Miami during Winter Music Conference people who listen to the music are a bit younger and so you need to do a different show every now and then.
Do you play around the U.S. much?
Yeah maybe around 20-25 gigs. I’ve played Miami, New York, Las Vegas…I really like it.
You have shared the stage with so many great acts (like we have already noted Roger Sanchez), was there ever an artist you played with or that played before you that you felt’s music complimented yours perfectly? What has been your favorite person you have played before/ after because yours sounds just clicked?
Axwell! I played with Axwell four years ago at a party called “White Beach” in my city. I really like this guy because he has influenced me a lot: his production, he’s a really good DJ, and I would love to play with him again.
This travel is one thing that separates performing artists from most other careers. What is life on the road like?
It depends. Sometimes I’m touring nonstop for 4-6 weeks, which tends to be a bit hard, but it’s my job. I love traveling, doing some sight-seeing, meeting new people, and then playing in different countries. I’ve got a chance to do this job and when I’m back at home I’m really happy as well so it’s very good. I love this job and this is my passion. I can’t complain.
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