EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Cedric Gervais

While most artists would define their success by winning a Grammy, Cedric Gervais doesn’t. The humble, Cedric Gervais, has become a household name in the world of electronic dance music and is one of the most respected artists for his craft in production. Last time I caught up with Cedric, he was discussing an upcoming tour. Fast forward six months and he’s on

the road selling out each stop his tour makes! It’s a no ­brainer as to why each of his shows sell out. Creating an identity for himself and staying true to his roots, he continues to kill it. I sat down with Cedric Gervais at LAVO in New York to catch up with him about his ongoing tour.

KIMBERLY PHAN: What’s the difference between New York and Miami?

CEDRIC GERVAIS: Miami is my hometown so it’s always special. It’s always more nerve wracking for me to play in Miami. I don’t know why.

KIMBERLY PHAN: Maybe it’s because it’s your hometown?

CEDRIC GERVAIS: Yeah I feel like I have to double prove myself every time I play but I love New York. New York is very tough city. It’s hard to get fan base.

KIMBERLY PHAN: It’s because us New Yorker’s don’t take any smack from anyone!

CEDRIC GERVAIS: Correct! It took me a long time to play in New York. The first time I sold out in New York was Marquee and every time I came I started selling out shows and some were at Pacha. I was like “finally!” Before that it was a rough time for me so it’s always special for me whenever I play in New York.

KIMBERLY PHAN: You are your own household name. How do you think your experience has changed playing in New York since the beginning of your career?

CEDRIC GERVAIS: I think the songs I made. When people knew me back then being a resident at Space, I played the long underground sets. They’d see me and be like “Wow, that kid Cedric!” It was great for me because people actually knew me as a DJ instead of just for a single track. Then when I started making music there was masses of people. I think it changed a lot and that’s why I’m having sold out shows.

KIMBERLY PHAN: How is your North American tour going so far? I know last time we spoke you were taking a break from playing at EDC LV to focus on touring.

CEDRIC GERVAIS: A lot of people asked why I wasn’t playing. I wanted to take a break from EDC because I did it for five years straight. It’s good to take a year off and do different stuff. I did Made In America in Philadelphia which was incredible. It was me and Duke Dumont! I’m doing a lot of mixed rock concerts. I love to do that. My current tour is going great! Last week we did Columbus and Cincinnati, and sold out. I’m doing the smaller cities and people are going nuts. Now it’s getting into the bigger cities... New York, LA, San Diego, Chicago. I normally do them but for some reason when you put a tour together people get more excited.

KIMBERLY PHAN: Is there any new music or collaborations you’re working on?

CEDRIC GERVAIS: I have five new club tracks that I’m doing that I just finished last week.

KIMBERLY PHAN: Do you prefer playing in the club more than at festivals?

CEDRIC GERVAIS: I love clubs more. It’s more intimate. At a festival, you play for an hour and it’s just BAM BAM BAM. You don’t have time to play what you want or be yourself.

KIMBERLY PHAN: You just released "Say My Name" two days ago and it was listed as #6 on Beatport. How did you do that?

CEDRIC GERVAIS: I don’t know... It’s doing well because the people accept it. I haven’t gotten one bad comment about the song. People also respect Odesza as well. Like when I worked with Lana, she was very well respected and Odesza is very well respected. I don’t work with artists who aren’t respected.

KIMBERLY PHAN: Since we spoke last at Miami Music Week, you were emphasizing how you liked to give away free music. Do you think that also generated your audience to veer towards your music?

CEDRIC GERVAIS: I think so. I’m still gonna keep doing it. DJ Mag did a full interview and page on it saying the most downloaded giveaway top track was mine. It was #1 with over 500,000 downloads in a week. It was a big song and I just wanted to give it away for free. I think it’s great to give back to your fans. It gets them excited to come to your shows.

KIMBERLY PHAN: Miamication is a hit every week. How do you prepare those sets?

CEDRIC GERVAIS: Oh my god... It’s a nightmare! Every Monday I go through music and I’ve to pick the tracks and put it together. I then go into the studio, mix, and record.

KIMBERLY PHAN: How do you go about picking your tracks?

CEDRIC GERVAIS: Every week I receive promo from everywhere in the world. So when I pick for my sets, I pick for my radio show as well. My radio show has club classics so I incorporate my old records. It’s a process and a lot of work.

KIMBERLY PHAN: So, for the fans out there who want to send you tracks, what advice would you give them? Or should I say, what will make their music stand out?

CEDRIC GERVAIS: Make something that’s different than everything that’s currently out.

KIMBERLY PHAN:Define different.

CEDRIC GERVAIS: Right now, all the EDM tracks are the same. They’re all trancey chords then it goes back to that Dutch bass, and then that noisy drop. I don’t play that. I receive hundreds of thousands of tracks like this a week where it’s “bang bang.” I’m like “next next next.” But then I’ll hear some groovy sexy progressive house! Everyone nowadays is copying one another so it all sounds the same.

KIMBERLY PHAN:It’s as if they don’t have an identity anymore.

CEDRIC GERVAIS: Nope.

KIMBERLY PHAN: Who do you think has the sexiest tracks out on the market (besides you!)?

CEDRIC GERVAIS: Me? *Haha* No. I would have to say Snake. He’s a sick producer. He has his own style of music. We’ve talked about collaborating with one another but we haven’t yet.

KIMBERLY PHAN: Could that be an upcoming surprise?

CEDRIC GERVAIS: Yeah, when we have time.

KIMBERLY PHAN: Are there any vocalists you would love to collaborate with?

CEDRIC GERVAIS: The Weeknd. His voice is the closest to Michael Jackson right now and he’s an amazing artist. He hasn’t worked with anyone yet.

KIMBERLY PHAN: It’s as if he’s got his own flavor.

CEDRIC GERVAIS: That he does.

Catch Cedric Gervais in a city near you while he is on tour, and be sure to stay up to date with the talented producer via his social media outlets, listed below!

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Soundcloud

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