Agoria (musician)
French record producer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Agoria, born Sébastien Devaud (born 16 January 1976)[1] is a French electronic record producer, composer, and DJ.[2][3][4][5] He has released four albums, including the soundtrack to the film Go Fast. He is one of the founders of the record label InFiné and also helped to create the music festival Nuits Sonores.
16 January 1976
Agoria | |
|---|---|
| |
| Background information | |
| Born | Sébastien Devaud 16 January 1976 |
| Occupation | Artist |
| Labels | Different Recordings, PIAS, Infiné, Sapiens Records |
| Website | agoria |
He released his debut album, Blossom, in 2003 and has since produced albums including The Green Armchair (2006), Impermanence (2011), Drift (2019), .dev (2011) and Unshadow (2024). Agoria is the founder of Sapiens Records label and is a film composer, with soundtracks for films including Go Fast and Lucky.
Early life
Sébastien Devaud, known as Agoria, grew up in Valencin, Isère.[6] Inspired by a Jeff Mills DJ set at 15, he taught himself to mix and, by 17, was performing at clubs, opening for Richie Hawtin and Carl Cox.[7] After high school, he briefly attended university but left to organize parties and work in record shops. By 23, he committed fully to music.[8]
Music career
First albums
Agoria released his debut LP, Influence Hivernale, in 1999 on the Kubik label, then managed by Cyrille Bonin, the future director of the Transbordeur in Lyon. His breakthrough came in 2001 with La Onzième Marche, initially released on the Tekmics label in a limited run of 600 copies before being reissued by PIAS. The track was later included on Agoria’s debut album, Blossom, released in 2003 on PIAS. The album, which featured collaborations with Tricky and Ann Saunderson (wife of Kevin Saunderson), was described as a "success" by Libération. The BBC recognized him as "a talent to watch," while Resident Advisor predicted in 2003 that audiences would "hear more of Agoria’s name in the near future."[9] Around this time, he was invited by Kevin Saunderson, producer of Inner City, to remix Big Fun.[10]
Four more albums, soundtracks and two labels (2006 - 2019)
Agoria releases his second album, The Green Armchair, in 2006, during the height of the minimal techno movement.[11] Dissatisfied with the prevailing trend, he spent two years developing the album, which featured collaborations with Neneh Cherry, Princess Superstar, and Peter Murphy of Bauhaus. That same year, he co-founded the label InFiné alongside Alexandre Cazac and Yannick Matray. The label became known for its eclectic approach, blending classical, techno, house, and world music.[12]
In 2008, Agoria composed his first film soundtrack for Luc Besson’s Go Fast, integrating cinematic storytelling with music. Inspired by this experience, he released the album Go Fast later that year. His fourth album, Impermanence (2011), incorporated acoustic elements and featured collaborations with Kid A, Seth Troxler, and Carl Craig. Following its release, he left InFiné to pursue independent projects.[13]
In 2016, he launched a new label, Sapiens Records, aimed at both releasing his own music and supporting emerging artists. His fifth album, Drift, licensed on Universal/Virgin in March 2019, has been the most successful to date. From this albums, three singles have been then accompanied by acclaimed music videos: You're Not Alone,[14] directed by Hernán Corera, Embrace by Jessy Moussalem [15] and Call of the wild by Loïc Andrieu.[16]
Agoria tour the biggest festival that year from Coachella, Primavera, Lowlands or we love green. That year he also started his own Ibiza residency at Blue Marlin under the same name Drift. Behind the decks the guests were as diverse as Idris Elba, Dj Harvey, David Guetta or Henrik Schwarz.[17]
2020 - present
In 2021, he released .dev, his sixth studio album, which showcases his signature blend of techno and deep house, further solidifying his reputation as a pioneer in the genre. [18]
11 years after his first appearance at the Trans Musicales, he is back for the 2022 edition to present a festive and innovative creation called {One Life Two Bodies}, at the crossroads of art and science, being the first artist to organise a live minting experience during a music festival.[19]
2024 is a fundamental year for Agoria's career, including the release of Unshadow, an album that continues his exploration of electronic soundscapes, reflecting his commitment to pushing the boundaries of electronic music. This album's inspiration is about diversity, making complex things sound simpler, and sees the contribution of many different artists like Nile Rodgers and Madison McFerrin, Sacha Rudy, Dominique Fils-Aimé, together with Natalie Sade, Rami Khalife, STS and NOEMIE.[20]
One of the singles from the album, Getaway, is then used in an innovative generative audio minting experiment. Utilising the Bronze.AI engine, the track was transformed into a dynamic, ever-evolving composition, with each minted version being unique. This experiment showcased a future where music exists in both digital and living forms.[21][22]
In these years, Agoria gets back to touring in the best clubs in the world, but the 2024 marks two milestones in the artist's career:
- First Electronic Music Performance at the Musée d'Orsay: Agoria became the inaugural artist to exhibit and perform inside the iconic Musée d'Orsay in Paris.[23]
- Performance at the 2024 Summer Olympics Closing Ceremony: Agoria was among the prominent French electronic artists who performed at the closing ceremony of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. The event showcased a diverse lineup of musicians, celebrating France's rich electronic music scene.[24]
Global influences
Agoria has been deeply involved in Lyon’s electronic music scene, a city he feels proud to represent. In 2002, shortly after releasing his debut album, he co-founded the Nuits Sonores festival alongside Vincent Carry.[25] Agoria has performed at the festival almost every year and records his music in his Lyon studio, Circle Room.
Detroit techno has been a key influence on Agoria’s work. Often called an "enfant de la techno de Detroit," Agoria has built close ties with genre pioneers, visiting Detroit multiple times, including for the 2010 Detroit Electronic Music Festival, where Carl Craig and Underground Resistance introduced him to the city's cultural leaders.
Art
BioGen art and AI
Phytocene is a film produced by the Oscar-winning designer Nicolas Becker, Agoria, and the biophysicist Nicolas Desprat, curated by 91.530 Le Marais and auctioned at Phillips in July 2021. Using probes placed in the soil of Le Marais, the team collected data from a hemp plant’s respiration, photosynthesis, and microscopic soil bacteria. This data was then translated into a unique video and soundscape, creating a vegetal musical composition that mirrors the plant’s full lifecycle. Phytocene’s NFT is the first to encapsulate an entire plant’s life, authenticated via blockchain, likened to nature’s interconnected systems.[26]
In 2022, Agoria unveiled his experimental films collection Centriole on SuperRare, created with biologist Alice Meunier. The works depict the intricate, galaxy-like structures of brain cells, specifically centrioles, as vibrant, dynamic visuals. This project reflects Agoria’s vision of biological generative art, revealing the living systems within us.[27][28]
Through Compendia, Agoria examines human and biological generative processes. He developed a unique dataset by documenting repetitive human gestures, such as the remnants of posters on walls during his DJ tours.[29] After constructing this dataset, the next phase involved identifying patterns and similarities with living organisms. Johan Lescure played a crucial role in this process, utilizing algorithmic techniques to uncover hidden structures within the data. By manipulating algorithms to expose details beyond human visual perception, the analysis revealed forms and patterns strikingly similar to those found in living systems, giving lights to the new collection {Compend-AI}.[30]
Le Code d’Orsay
The installation {Le Code d’Orsay}, created for Le Musée d’Orsay, reimagines classical works through the lens of AI and generative algorithms, offering a modern dialogue with historical art. The exhibition, the first one in history presented by a digital artist, open to the public during February and March 2024 with more than 100K visitors, presented two works.[31][32][33]
Invited by President Emmanuel Macron, Agoria has the privilege of taking the stage during the 2025 AI Summit in Paris [34] to present his works—films and Sigma Lumina. Exactly one year after the exhibition opening, being at the center of this ceremony, where technology, creativity, and visions converge, was a moment of deep meaning to solidify the incredible success of this work.[35]
Collaborations
Agoria has collaborated with the renowned artist Philippe Parreno, celebrated for his groundbreaking installations and conceptual works, on significant exhibitions, including Armory Park (New York City, 2015), Hangar Bicocca (Milan, 2015), and Tate Modern's Turbine Hall (together with Nicolas Becker, London, 2016). Agoria's immersive sound design seamlessly integrated with Parreno's visionary artistic narratives, enhancing the sensory depth of the installations and creating a cohesive, multi-dimensional experience for audiences.[36]
Collections
- {Compendia+} (2019 - ongoing)
- {Centriole} (2022 - ongoing)
- {Compend-AI} (2022 - ongoing)
- {Bohem-IA} (2023)
- {Σ Lumina} The Convergence of Breath (2024)
- {Getaway} (2024)
Conferences
Discography
Main articles: Agoria discography
Albums
- Blossom (2004)
- The Green Armchair (2006)
- Go fast (2008)
- Impermanence (2011 - Sapiens)
- Drift (2019)
- .dev (2021)
- Unshadow (2024)
OST (Original Soundtrack)
- Go Fast (2008)
- Mère Océan (2016)
- Vape Wave (2016)
- The Show (2018)
- Lucky (2020)
- Veuillez nous excuser pour la gêne occasionnée (2023)
Mixes
- Cute & Cult (2005)
- At The Controls (2007)
- Balance 016 (2010)
- Fabric 57 (2011)
- RA.229 (2012)
- Benga Benga (2013)
- Essential Mix BBC (2020)
- Le Code d’Orsay - DJ Mix (2024)