Devin Wild discusses the personal changes behind Serenity, breaking away from genre and tempo restrictions, his long-running relationship with Scantraxx and what he wants to explore next

With Serenity, Devin Wild is continuing to explore beyond traditional hardstyle while drawing from techno, trance, industrial hardcore and drum & bass. The EP comes during a year that has brought major changes both personally and professionally, from moving into a new home to signing with a new agency, while creatively he has revisited older elements of his music and experimented at tempos reaching 175 BPM. Speaking with EDM House Network, Devin Wild opened up about the ideas behind Serenity, the importance of creating without restrictions, his history with Scantraxx, the challenge of finishing We Desire and what he already has planned for 2027.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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How has your year been so far, both personally and musically, and what have been the biggest moments for you?

My year has been good. Big things happened as musically and personally. Moved to a new (bigger) house, signed to a new agency (which is a big and exciting step tbh) and made this freaking EP ofcourse 

Your Serenity EP reflects a period of personal and creative change. What was happening in your life that inspired it?

Well, life is always in motion. Your vision, just your brain, the world, everything. I always try to find balance and see a meaning behind things which can be challenging sometimes. To stay in positive energy, to keep on creating and to see opportunities is key in my opinion. That is why I always try to keep creating things that I really love, that means something to me. But also things that I have been thinking about, how we people are, things we do, patterns and things I like or don’t like about it. I know all this is really abstract, but I can write a whole book If I go in-depth about specific cases haha.

You’ve spoken about finding peace by staying grounded while everything around you changes. How has that shaped your music?

It’s not really changing my music itself, but more the way of staying inspired, motivated, to keep feeling passionate. Creating is one of the most beautiful things humans can do and I want to stay in that mindset. I wanna feel that every day.

Did making Serenity change the way you see yourself as an artist, or did it bring something out that had been there for a while?

Every year I’m in a slightly different place creatively haha. Like I said, it’s in constant motion. Its just where you pick a point in that cycle I guess. This EP I felt bringing back a nice gradient in sound since I created a much wider range of music compared to the previous EP. I wanted to bring back some elements like my OG 2017 kick in When The Book Is Closed but I also went al the way up to 175 bpm, inspired by one of my favorite DnB and Industrial Hardcore tracks I loved back in the days. That is why I love creating music. Feeling inspired by so many different things and being able to create whatever feels right.

How did your relationship with Scantraxx come about?

I sended a demo back in 2014 and the rest is history lol

Hardstyle remains at the heart of your sound, but the EP also explores techno and trance. What drew you towards these styles, and how did you approach bringing them together?

I started experimenting with different styles since 2019/2020 already but this EP I took it a bit further. All these kinds of music were things I started listening to years ago. I was always a huuuge fan of Industrial Hardcore. Back in the days me and my friends always went to the industrial stages on events like Q-Base for example. Being there for a big part of the night was so good man. Pure filth and crazy experimental sounds. Hahah damn I love that so much. Same reason why I love music like DnB. It just tickles my brain, so for me it’s just putting all those elements into my own music. It flows naturally, I don’t even think about it too much. That is what happens If I just start creating without any rules or guidelines.

You’ve described moving beyond self-imposed rules around tempo and genre. Were there any boundaries you felt you needed to break while making this record?

No. That is the whole point for me when I make these EPs. No boundaries, no rules. Just pure creations.

Was there a particular track on Serenity that challenged you the most creatively?

Well, I think We Desire. The first draft of that tune was a pretty easy going vibey thing, later I wanted to add a few more parts bcs it just didnt feel ready yet. The moment I felt it was done I shared it with a good friend who gave me really good feedback but the challenging part was mostly that the track was almost done to me haha. So at that point you have to reopen your mind and find ways to implement the feedback and to shift your view on the project. I shaped the arrangement several times to find the right spot and did the best I could do at that moment while the deadline kept coming closer haha. I am really happy with the end result and happy I ended up changing the track bcs I love playing it every set in this new form.

What are you working on next, and what have you got coming up?

I keep exploring new ways of making music. New workflows, new techniques. This is what keeps it fun to me. I have no idea what I will come up with next, so expect the unexpected. One thing is already sure. Another EP project coming 2027!

Listen to Serenity by Devin Wild now on Spotify.