Parisian based producers Donovan are preparing for the release of their forthcoming funk-fueled release “Breakin’” (featuring G. Rizo). To celebrate they hook you up with an exclusive minimix, a top 2008 playlist and an interview below.

What’s your new release about?
Breakin’ is about funk, house, electro and hip-hop having sex together in a musical orgy, givin’ birth to a baby on speed.
We took sounds that we liked in each of these musical styles: funky bassline, housy kicks, electro synths, and the crazy “80’s hip-hop” flow of G.RIZO.
We put everything in a shaker, and got this track.
Kris Menace liked it, the house feeling, we guess. He decided to release it on his label WORK IT BABY.
With remixes from his “protégé” Charlie Fanclub and another one by Dinamics, a good friend of ours (a former French rap producer).
The EP already got support from Fake Blood, The Presets, Punks Jump up, Dexpistols…

Who is Donovan and how does the project started?
Donovan is a French Electro band from Paris (for a change).
Two friends and almost neighbours in the Chinese district : Nicolas & David.
We’ve been making music together for 2 or 3 years, but we know each other since school.
This project started very early after a party, David making a track and Nicolas singing on it, both a bit sleepy.
Meanwhile we discovered Myspace, we uploaded some tracks, and people liked then etc.

What’s your Fairtilizer’s playlist about?
This playlist is about tracks which pleased us during 2008.
Not necessarily electronic or club tracks.
It wasn’t easy to do a top 10 of 2008, ’cause we are not very into every new stuff, we prefer to stay on the basics.

How do you see today’s French electro scene?

The French scene seems to stay very productive, with a lot of producers/bands from all around France, some are nice, a few are very good.
This scene managed to diversified itself, now you have all the electro/bangers bands, but also some 80’s revival bands, house 90’s revival bands and some newcomers in the techno scene as well. It’s a good way to keep the French electronic scene on the front.
But maybe, there is too maby bands right now. We guess that there will be a kind of purge in the forthcoming years, we’ll try to survive

Influences and family?
Funk is our common influence, David is more into Italo-disco, electronic funk, and me a bit more into Soul. Otherwise, David is fond of Zouk, I prefer hip hop.
In fact, we listen and get influenced by a lot of kinds of music, from techno to rock…

As an artist what services do you expect from the internet? And how is it important to you today?
Internet allowed us to give our music directly to people, feedbacks are instantaneous!
It is also a great mean of communication, marketing etc.
Some people are making money selling t-shirts on it, so it must be efficient.

Digital or physical, is there a place for both?
Well, we think that there is a place for both, even if digital releases are increasing, the vinyl/cd is important. From what we’ve seen, indie labels are changing their way of seeing the vinyl, it seems that they want to make it a collector object more than a music support.
It works, people are purchasing “picture vinyls” even if they do not have turntables.

Smoking or non smoking clubs?
We are a semi-smoker band: David smokes, I don’t.
I find non smoking clubs cooler, David agrees only if Dj’s are allowed to smoke in backstage

The future of Donovan?
Some remixes to come, an EP on CITIZEN coming soon.
Doin’ Music until the end of times: December 21th 2012 ( no kiddin’ check on the internet ).

Do you live off music today?
I’m still a student, and David produce some Hip hop bands, and singers.
But yeah Donovan is almost making us live of music, thanks to some advertising soundtracks we’ve made and the DJ sets.

Playlist tracklisting:

Breakin’-Donovan (Fairtilizer exclusive miniix)
Gecko-Rex the Dog
Simple – Siriusmo
Love lockdown – Kanye west
Curious – Romanthony
XY – Kery James
Miami Atlanta – Pryda
Bande à part – Detect
Ringardos – Mr Oizo / Tellier / Sebastian
777 – Arnaud Rebotini
Are you the one ? – The Presets

Breakin’ Release Party @ SHOWCASE ( Paris ) 17th january 2009
Guestlist “before midnight” : mail to INFO@GIGSPROD.COM