S3RL - Interview

S3RL (pronounced 'Serl') is a Brisbane based DJ and producer specializing in producing happy hardcore based electronic music. As of (05/16/2022) S3RL has amassed 225,000,000 views on Youtube and tens of millions of streams across various online platforms. The identity of S3RL is often represented through anime/meme culture, which has culminated in a high level of notoriety from those involved in the respective online cultures.

(I)

ETHEREAL.PRESS

With the mainstream adoption of anime/meme culture, many of your prior releases (such as MTC / Hentai / Pika Girl) have aged exceptionally well, garnering massive viewership. What are your thoughts on anime/meme culture growing more mainstream among western audiences?

‍S3RL

Anime was a massive part of my coming of age, and I’ll always have so much love for the genre. When I was making anime remixes in my early career, I never thought that it would become almost a genre of its own. Although I felt that anime itself would become mainstream eventually, I didn’t know it would be this popular, to the point where it’s almost over-saturated.

It’s interesting because EDM and anime have had a similar rising path, going from somewhat niche to completely mainstream, all in a similar time span. Overall, I feel like there are pros and cons to becoming so commercial, so you just have to ride the wave.

(II)

ETHEREAL.PRESS

At ETHEREAL we have enjoyed your recent collaborations with Dorian Electra on 'M'Lady' & your most recent release 'Notice Me' (feat. Dorian Electra & Nikolett). The overlap between hyperpop and hardcore feels natural on both of these tracks, with both sounds mutually benefiting each other.

What was your experience like working with Dorian?

S3RL

My introduction to Dorian Electra was getting a random demo sent to me of M’lady. As soon as I heard those unique vocals lead into that perfectly executed drop, I was instantly hooked. It was a perfect combination, and the layer of cringe on top made it a masterpiece. I later found out that Dylan from 100 gecs was the producer, and that made total sense because their stuff is also awesome.

I went on a journey through Dorian’s entire back catalog and was so impressed with the intense creativity and vision in every track. As soon as we started working together, our personalities and styles melded so well. It was so fun doing both collabs. I learned so much and it’s made me want to step up my game because I hope we can do another one.

(III)

ETHEREAL.PRESS

Do you have plans to work with more hyperpop artists in the future?

S3RL

For sure.

Hyperpop has really caught my attention much in the same way that the style of The Medic Droid did in my early career. I really love the twist on happy hardcore that Hyperpop has, and it so easily mixes with my style. I have some upcoming collabs with very interesting artists in that genre on the way so it’s getting hard to contain the excitement I have to get them out!

(IV)

ETHEREAL.PRESS

The graphic identity of your YouTube channel is unique given the diverse array of visuals supporting your hardcore tracks. When finding video editors/visual producers to support your creative vision, what do you look for?

S3RL

The main thing I want in video creators is for them to be into my music to start with. It has to be authentic. It’s the same with singers. I always prefer to have singers who want to be a part of my music instead of generic vocals being layered over a disconnected beat. I’m lucky to have found people who are passionate about video creation and have similar visions because I sometimes prefer to collab with artists who aren’t music producers.

I love the dimension that music videos add to be in a position where I can get custom animations and visuals for my music is a massive milestone for me. It’s something I’ve always wanted since I started producing, and I’m always looking for new talent to do things with.

(V)

ETHEREAL.PRESS

At ETHEREAL, we were stoked to see your inclusion on МОЕ ИМЯ ЛИДА (MY NAME IS LIDA) on the track ФЭС (FES). How did you come into contact with the Russian artist LIDA?

S3RL

It’s funny, because I first heard of LIDA from a few people giving me a heads up about a Russian kid who had ‘stolen’ my music and sung over the top, passing it off as original. I checked it out and I was very impressed at what he had done. Even the music video they created for it was amazing.

Instead of going with the natural first instinct of having it taken down, I contacted LIDA and asked if he’d be interested in doing a legit collab for an original track (expecting to be ignored), but he was actually into the idea, and the rest was history. We now have a list of collabs together, and despite some minor language barriers, we have a great musical relationship with no plans to slow down.

(VI)

ETHEREAL.PRESS

What advice do you wish you had known earlier in your music career?

(VII)

S3RL

It doesn’t matter how you make the music; it only matters what the end product sounds like.

Early in my production journey, I would always have other producers tell me my music was ‘wrong’ because I didn’t use the correct production techniques or the most popular DAW, trendy plugins, etc. It didn’t bother me much because I was still getting tracks signed to labels (and they weren’t =P), but it’s still stuck with me that I was doing it wrong. People sometimes ask me why my music has changed over the years. I think one of the reasons is that I’ve spent so much energy learning to make music ‘properly’, and now my process is entirely different from what it was before I knew what I was doing. One of the reasons I appreciate HyperPop is because a lot of what they do is technically and purposely ‘wrong,’ but it still sounds awesome.

(VII)

ETHEREAL.PRESS

On YouTube and Instagram, your account bio states, 'Happy Hardcore with a layer of cringe,' can you elaborate on the significance of that statement describing your music?

S3RL

Haha, well, my version of Hardcore stands alone in the corner in the world of Hardcore. When I first heard the music, the tracks that made me fall in love with Happy Hardcore were the ones that were eccentric and didn’t take themselves too seriously, and that was a foundational value that I took on for my music. In my early career, Happy Hardcore had evolved into UK Hardcore, which wanted to be taken more seriously and was trying to shake off the Happy Hardcore name. Looking back, I realize that as much as I wanted it to, and even with sold-out world tours and viral tracks that transcended the Hardcore charts, my music would never be accepted among the big names in Hardcore.

I think I subconsciously decided to go my own way and lean into the cringier side of life with tracks like ‘MTC’ and ‘Hentai’. There was a whole untapped genre of hardcore that no one wanted to touch, and I was just the guy to touch it.

(VIII)

ETHEREAL.PRESS

On Youtube, your music video for 'hentai' has been re-uploaded and 'increasingly censored' to comply with YouTube's community policies.

Have you had issues with YouTube taking down/copyrighting other tracks/videos in your catalog?

S3RL

YouTube has actually been pretty good to me regarding that kind of thing. They’ve let me off the hook a few times when almost taking my videos down. Although, I still think the original censored version of ‘Hentai’ was censored enough to avoid the takedown… It must have just been one of those boundary-pushing tracks because even my music distributor tried to not distribute it, but luckily I was able to parkour my way to getting it published. I haven’t had many issues since then, but I am always hoping that I can make another track that gets that kind of resistance again.

(IX)

ETHEREAL.PRESS

While researching your catalog, we found tracks dating back to 2006. Have you experienced creative burnout during this impressive 15+ year run? (if so) How have you managed that burnout?

S3RL

I’ve been lucky that I’ve always had more ideas for music than time to produce them all, so in the beginning, it was easy. I was releasing 15-20 tracks a year, and labels were eating them up. When the main label that released my music, ‘Nu Energy Collective’ finished, I thought it was a great time to start my own label ‘Emfa Music’.

I kept a very busy but sustainable release schedule where I made sure I was consistently putting out lots of music but just enough to avoid burnout... Aaaaaand then my wife and I had kids. Nowadays, my studio time is a fraction of what it once was, and I’ve had to slow down my releases slightly, so I have to be more selective with what I work on. Hopefully, that means less but better music!

(X)

ETHEREAL.PRESS

The recent live streams you have done with DJ Brisk feel natural, given your online presence. Have you thought about creating virtual/augmented reality rave sets on twitch and commissioning VFX artists to create virtual stages to host your live-streamed performances?

S3RL

Right now, a bunch of my Discord friends are building a VR rave venue and custom stage for me to play on. We’re still working out the logistics, but it will happen eventually. The plan is to have a kind of S3RL & friends DJ lineup with Brisk, Krystal RaveGirl and so on. I can’t wait to do it! Personally, it would be such a next-level thing for me to DJ inside a video game.

My child self is losing his shit.

(XI)

ETHEREAL.PRESS

In an interview you did with EDM Identity back in February 2018, you said you had no plans to tour other than a few occasional shows here and there. (Aside from virtual sets) do you have any one-off show plans now that we are (hopefully) turning the corner on the pandemic?

S3RL

I accidentally timed my retirement a little too well with the whole pandemic. I said, “I’m not doing live shows anymore, but I’ll keep making music”. Then Covid hit and every other DJ was forced to do the same thing. When the pandemic started to ease and everyone started touring again, everyone expected me to do the same, but I was still just as retired as before. In saying that, I am succumbing to the beckoning call of my fans to return so I will, most likely, return to live DJing someday.

Give me another couple of years or so.

(XII)

ETHEREAL.PRESS

What's next for S3RL?

S3RL

¯_(ツ)_/¯

“New music and music videos, another S3RL Presents mix, a ton of collabs, more Beat Saber levels, a side project I can’t say too much about, a VR rave, and when that’s all done, I’ll start thinking about maybe getting the ball rolling towards the early steps of playing live, again.”

S3RL LINKS: WITHKOJI

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