The 335th episode of our 12 Questions segment features producer Serge Landar.
1. How old are you, where are you living and how long have you been producing and Djing?
I was born on 23.04.1991 (25) in the Ukraine, in the Donetsk region. I started producing music in 2016, before that I was just a DJ, periodically played in clubs in the city of Donetsk
2. Where do your musical roots lie, what are your first memories of electronic music and when did you know you wanted to pursue it seriously? Are there any particular productions or artists from the past that really made you think to yourself ‘this is what I want to do.”
I started listening to electronic music in 2009. I really liked the albums “Armin van Buuren – Imagine”, “Cosmic Gate – Sign Of The Time”, “Markus Schulz – Do You Dream”. I also liked the music Paul Oakenfold, Tiesto, Ferry Corsten, Paul van Dyk, Above & Beyond, Matt Darey, Solid Stone, ATB, BT, Solarstone, Eco. I listened to their radio show and understood – I like it very much and I also want to do this!
3. How difficult was learning to produce for you in the beginning? Did you take any Audio Engineering programs or production courses to help you out or are you pretty much self taught? And did anyone give any advice early on that really helped?
I have studied creating music for 5 years by myself, through various video-courses in internet. I have read two very useful on my opinion books – David Gibson “The Art of Mixing” and Michael Paul Stavrou – “Mixing With Your Mind”! it’s gave me a solid foundation in theory. I devoted all my time to the study of music and I enjoyed it. Music is my hobby, even more, it is my life! At first it was very difficult, wealth of information, but I did not depart!
4. What parts of the production process do you find the most difficult and what comes easiest for you? When you do hit a creative block what helps you through it?
The most difficult – is to pull ideas out of your head and move them to the sequencer. The most simply – make mastering to well mixed track.
My sources of inspiration is: My lovely girlfriend, night city, road, good fantastic film, night sky, sea, good music… and when the inspiration is lost, I digress for a while. I go to do something else and soon I coming back with new ideas!
5. What’s a normal day like for you? Do you have a job outside of electronic music? And what do you like to do when you’re not working on music?
I work in the company of cable TV and internet, but I want to make music became my main job, since I gave her almost all my spare time!
6. Apart from electronic music what other genres do you listen to and who are your favourite artists outside of electronic? and do these genres or artists have a direct effect on your own productions?
I do not know what to say I mostly listen to various genres of electronic music (Deep, Prog House, Prog Trance, Breaks, Drum & Bass, Chillout). Sometimes I can listen alternative rock and acid music (Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, Evanescence, Prodigy, Chemical Brothers)
7. What was the first and last physical (CD, Vinyl, Cassette etc) piece of music you bought?
First cassette with Prodigy and Chemical Brother and last CD with Compilation of Armin van Buuren and Tiesto.
8. Tell us something about yourself that might surprise people?
I constantly think about the future, about the cosmos. I am wondering whether there is life elsewhere in the Universe? I would like to be on the Earth via 100, 200, 300 years and see how life has changed and people.
9. Which producers in your opinion get consistently overlooked?
Solid Stone, Rex Mundi, Basil O’Glue, Matt Lange, Tim Penner, Brian Cid.
10. Which producers consistently inspire you? And where else does your inspiration come from?
At the moment it’s Solid Stone, Rex Mundi, Basil O’Glue, Matt Lange, Tim Penner, Brian Cid.
11. There are countless producers out there trying to find their way and create their own unique sound, what advice do you have for them?
More practice!!! Take one synthesizer and learn it completely! That you to understand – what you want to do and how to do it! And eventually you’ll succeed! 🙂
12. If the final DJ/live set of your career was next week what would your last track be?
Complex question, I have many favorite tracks. I have a very large collection of electronic music since 2005! Perhaps something from classics 😉 eg: Luminary – Amsterdam (Super8 & Tab Remix) or Armin van Buuren – Unforgivable, This World is Watching Me or Cosmic Gate – London Rain, Open Your Heart, Body of Conflict 🙂
Serge’s remix of ‘Inner Illusions’ by FictiOne & Nixxon is out now on Electronic Tree, you can purchase the release: here
