Agoria

Sébastien Devaud, known as Agoria, entered the electronic dance music scene at a unique period. Unlike the initial wave of techno producers, he's too young to have actively listened to early 80s electronic pop by bands like Depeche Mode or New Order. However, unlike younger DJs and musicians, he has been exposed to house and techno almost since these genres began.

Living in rural France, Agoria first became captivated by electronic music after hearing Kevin Saunderson’s classic “Good Life” on the radio at age twelve in 1988. So struck by the Inner City track, he spent afternoons washing cars to earn money for his first 12". His next musical epiphany occurred when he experienced one of his first DJ sets by Jeff Mills in Lyon:

"It was the first time that I saw a DJ using three turntables and a drum machine. He really created something completely new rather than just playing records. And the way he moved, his precision and speed, impressed me."

Agoria began as a DJ, soon organizing parties with friends (who gave him his artist name, loosely inspired by Agora—the title of their party series, meaning “meeting place” in ancient Greek). He started producing and releasing tracks in 1999, gaining international attention with a series of 12" on Pias recordings in 2002, followed by the acclaimed album Blossom in 2003. Since then, Agoria has released three more albums: The Green Armchair (2006), the soundtrack for Go Fast (2008), and Impermanence (2011), all highlighting his talent for deep, stripped-back, melodic techno tracks.

Additionally, Agoria has compiled four mix-CDs showcasing his ability to pair tracks of varying origins creatively. Notably, Resident Advisor honored his contribution to the At The Controls series in 2007 as one of the best mix-CDs of the past decade.

Besides his DJ and production work, Devaud founded Nuits Sonores, a leading European festival, and the label Infiné. Its releases—from Francesco Tristano’s piano pieces to Danton Eeprom’s sensual productions and Bachar Mar-Khalifé’s dramatic compositions—have made Infiné a platform for new, challenging, and exciting music.

Recently, Agoria has released several EPs on renowned techno labels (Innervisions, Kompakt, Hotflush) and has remixed artists such as Moby, New Order, and Metronomy. At the end of 2016, he launched a new label, Sapiens, which debuted with his hit single, “Up All Night”.

Currently, he is working on his 5th album and exploring other artistic spaces: cinema with film director Jan Kounen (he also performs annually at the Cannes Film Festival); sound design with Nicolas Becker (of Gravity and Phlippe Parreno’s team); and contemporary art.