Serge Devant (Kornél Kovács remix)

Backed with years of classical training from the prestigious Music School of Saint Petersburg, Serge Devant is a masterful and versatile producer.

He became fascinated with electronic sounds after discovering French pioneer Jean Michael Jarre in his youth. Following a move away from his homeland Russia to New York in the ’90s he began pursuing this interest further, visiting the city’s legendary night spots such as Sound Factory and Tunnel from the age of 16 and digging through record shops for the tracks he heard there.

Entering the realms of producing, Serge started out making progressive house, and was an Ultra Records artist for a number of years. But if you’re only aware of him from this period leave any preconceived notions at the door, because he’s now making beautiful vocal-led deep house.

His lush productions quickly turned the heads of a number of the scene’s key figures, including Hot Since 82, Lee Foss and Jamie Jones, with the latter two locking ‘Fearing Love’ in for the debut release of their vocal-driven Hot Creations sublabel Emerald City.

Damian Lazarus is another admirer. He selected two of Serge’s unreleased demos in his Essential Mix last year, including the expansive ‘Always On My Mind’ that the Crosstown Rebels boss is now releasing through his revered imprint.

It arrives backed with a remix from Studio Barnhus co-founder Kornél Kovács who repackages the track into a dreamier, subtler offering. A charmingly clunky piano melody is forefronted above pulsating percussion, while the reverb is eased off the vocal, lending the track a greater emotional weight. Listen below.

‘Always On My Mind’ is out now, buy it here

Patrick Hinton is Mixmag’s Digital Intern, follow him on Twitter here