DEVSTAR On Vinyl, London Club Culture and Rediscovering the Soul of House & Garage
- 12 hours ago
- 5 min read
Fresh from delivering a standout guest mix for Undrtone x Jake Tomas & Paul HG + Friends Presents, London’s DEVSTAR feels like an artist reconnecting fully with the foundations that shaped him in the first place. That mix, packed with raw house grooves, dubby garage pressure and deeper club cuts from names like Jerzzey Boy, Unity Vibe, Raw Concept and Armando alongside multiple DEVSTAR originals, captured exactly where his head is at right now: rooted in classic dance music language but constantly searching for fresh movement within it.
For DEVSTAR, evolution has never meant abandoning where he came from. Across the last decade, his sound has moved through bass-heavy club music, house, garage and deeper underground territory, but the thread connecting it all has remained surprisingly consistent: rhythm, swing and an instinctive relationship with the dancefloor.
That relationship began long before the recent wave of vinyl digging and Slapfunk-inspired grooves now feeding into his productions. Back in the mid-2010s, the Juxx parties became an important early chapter, not just creatively, but professionally too.
“It’s mad those parties were about 10 years ago now,” he says. “We started them because London’s oversaturated, everyone’s a DJ. Me, Jack Swift and DJ Listener wanted to become opportunity providers rather than opportunity grabbers.”
What started as a way of building credibility quickly became something more formative. The nights brought them into direct contact with artists they genuinely admired, while also giving DEVSTAR his first real understanding of how the wider industry operated behind the scenes.
“It gave me a proper grounding in how things work,” he explains. “Working with agents, venues and promoters gave me a solid foundation early on.”
Musically, those nights refused to sit inside one narrow lane. Artists like New York Transit Authority, Klose One and Paleman brought raw bass pressure, while other bookings leaned further into house and garage through names like Dale Howard, Martin Ikin, Matt Jam Lamont and Gerd. Looking back now, that openness feels important in understanding where DEVSTAR’s sound sits today.
“To be honest, I still like making lots of different types of music within the house and garage world,” he says. “I never want to make the same track twice.”
That said, his recent obsession with Slapfunk parties and Amsterdam’s underground scene has clearly sharpened his current direction. ADE and venues like Shelter left a particular mark. “There’s a real underground connection there,” he says. “Artists like Brawther and Tristan Da Cunha from Dungeon Meat are hugely inspiring to me. What they play feels so raw.”
Still, no matter how far the sound evolves, he always finds himself circling back to the same source material. “‘90s house and garage is what I always come back to,” he says. “That’s my foundation.”
Interestingly, DEVSTAR experienced much of that era retrospectively rather than firsthand. “I wasn’t even old enough to properly experience a lot of it in clubs,” he explains. “But it’s still the period that influences me most heavily.”
That fascination with older records has only deepened through his return to vinyl and turntables. While he first experimented with belt-drive decks as a teenager, his early professional years became heavily tied to digital DJing, technical workflows and the functionality that came with CDJs and modern setups.
“I kind of left vinyl behind by accident,” he admits. “But with the resurgence of vinyl, and loads of labels I love putting music out exclusively on wax, I realised I was missing out.”
Buying a turntable again changed the way he interacted with music almost immediately. Digging through older house and garage records, many never released digitally, opened up an entirely new level of discovery. “I’ve got loads of YouTube playlists full of old tracks from the ‘90s,” he says. “Now I’m actually going into record shops and buying them properly.”
That process sits all over his recent Undrtone guest mix too. Rather than chasing obvious current club trends, the selection leans heavily into groove, feel and long-term influence, blending soulful dubs, tougher garage rollers and stripped-back house cuts with the kind of patience and pacing that only really comes from years spent studying records deeply.
More importantly, it reignited his excitement around sharing music itself. “People genuinely love discovering records,” he says. “Some of my favourite accounts online are the ones constantly showing rare classics or hidden gems. I love hearing someone bought a record because they saw me post about it.”
That renewed connection to crate digging also feeds directly into his productions. Labels like Strictly Rhythm, Nice N Ripe and Nervous remain constant reference points, not just sonically, but philosophically too.
“It amazes me how much incredible music people made without the tools we have now,” he says. “People were creating amazing compositions without even properly knowing how to play keys, just experimenting by ear.”
That looseness appeals to him far more than heavily polished modern production. “I don’t really like overly clean tracks,” he says. “I prefer things raw and organic.”
It’s a mindset that’s followed him across releases for labels like Nervous, Toolroom and Moxy Muzik. Even when the tracks move between different shades of house and garage, he’s been reassured to hear there’s still a recognisable thread tying them together.
“I had a mixing session recently and they pointed out that, even though my tracks vary quite a lot stylistically, there’s still a distinct identity running through them,” he says. “Apparently you can tell they’re mine, even when they sound different.”
That identity extends into his DJing too. When discussing his sets, the focus shifts away from perfection or crowd calculation and back towards instinct. “I genuinely get lost in the music when I play,” he says. “If I’m not having a good time, why should anyone else?”
The technical side still matters deeply to him, though. Layering acapellas, unexpected blends and creative transitions remain a huge part of his approach. “I think a bit of that artistry has been lost recently,” he says. “I love keeping people on their toes.”
Outside music, life looks very different to the relentless pace of his twenties. DEVSTAR still works outside the industry, now balancing that alongside family life and dedicated studio time. Fridays are reserved entirely for music, while a few weeks at the end of each year become pure creative reset.
“I absolutely love being a Daddy,” he says. “Things change. You just have to find what works for your life.”
That honesty around balance feels important to him, especially in a culture that often pushes the idea that total immersion is the only path to legitimacy. “I think more people should talk about balancing music with non-music careers,” he says. “Having both gives me freedom. I only release music I genuinely love.”
That freedom also shapes how he approaches creativity itself. Trends hold very little interest. “It’s all about how I feel on the day,” he says. “I collect ideas constantly, but when I sit down, I just see what comes naturally.”
Looking ahead, that instinctive approach is continuing to fuel a strong run of new material. A forthcoming two-track EP rooted in ‘90s-inspired deep house and garage is on the horizon, alongside a growing pile of finished music waiting for the right moment.
“It’s shaping up to be a really strong year,” he says. “There’s something coming very soon on a very cool label.”
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