Rock and Pop: Preview - French Electro DJ Breakbot at Koko (November 6)
Published: 28 October 2010
by ROISIN GADELRAB
FIVE years ago Thibaut Berland was a successful animator, toiling away on big-screen CGI hits such as director Luc Besson’s children’s movie Arthur and the Invisibles.
Nowadays he’s an internationally renowned electro DJ, jet-setting around the world, hiding behind his long hair and going by the name of Breakbot.
As we speak he’s leaving Paris to play Hamburg and Berlin before heading to the UK to play a heavyweight set for the audience at Koko (November 6).
Also playing are some equally magnetic names – French electro-house superstar Sebastian, Reverend and the Makers side project Reverend Sound System, Eddy Temple-Morris and Tom Bellamy’s collaboration as Losers, electro-funk-punk specialists Punks Jump Up and east London dance-pop trio, Chew Lips.
Breakbot said: “I’ll do my best to make people dance and have a good time. I’m coming with Sebastian. I’m very happy to play alongside him. We’re doing separate sets but maybe we’ll do a little piece together.”
He may have left his animation behind for now but he’s making the most of his girlfriend’s artistic talents.
Director and artist Irina Dakeva had a heavy hand in the artwork for Breakbot’s single covers and created the animated video to his single Baby I’m Yours.
He said: “I have total trust in her skills. I know she makes things really fresh. We’ve been together a long time. We’re going to try and make something out of the video for the live show.”
Breakbot has played London many times and said: “I like UK audiences, they know about music. That’s not always the case in Europe. The UK really has a strong indication of music because so many bands come from there and change a lot of things in pop music.”
Breakbot’s also known for his remixes. His secret remix wish, he confesses, would be Beyonce – not a natural progression from his slightly less obvious back catalogue, which includes Late of the Pier, Digitalism, Sebastian Tellier and Röyksopp.
He said: “If Beyonce asked me, I would accept. I love Crazy In Love and all the stuff from the album You.”
He doesn’t pick the remixes, people request them, he says, adding: “When I think I can make something I decide to do it.
“When the vocals are good I say yes. I’m also working on my own album to be released next year.”
Breakbot, who graduated from the School of Graphic Supinfocom, was working on graphics at home but turned to music in his spare time.
He said: “Sometimes when I was fed up with my work I tried to have fun. One day in 2005 I made a MySpace page and made contacts from that. Then I did some gigs. It all started with MySpace and three years later Ed Banger [records] contacted me. It went all like that very naturally.
“I never thought I would be making music as a career one day. Since I began this job I’m very happy because I think it’s one of the best jobs in the world. I never expected to do this.”