LOVEZONE RECORDS — INTERVIEW WITH DE FONTAINE

1. To begin with, who is De Fontaine artistically today, and what do you primarily seek to express through your music?

De Fontaine:
De Fontaine is the name I chose when I signed my first contract with Step2 House in 1999.

Today, De Fontaine has become a project without any boundaries, where I can freely explore Deep House, Deep music, and even Ambient.

Through my compositions, what I seek above all is to convey emotion through sound, bringing together different inspirations during the creation of a track. Each piece is a meeting point between an atmosphere, an intention and a feeling.

When a track resonates with me, when it gives me a genuine emotion and communicates something sincere, then I feel that my job as a composer is done.

Through my music, I simply try to express softness, groove and an emotion that can reach the person listening.

2. Your new EP brings together three tracks — The Green Illusion, Light Water and Nae The Legend. What is the story behind this project? Were these three tracks conceived as a whole, or did they emerge independently from one another?

De Fontaine:
The story of this project began with a very simple idea: initially, I just wanted to submit one track to Lovezone Records. I had seen a post from the label on social media explaining how to send in demos.

My last release on the label as De Fontaine was back in 2014. We had also contributed to the compilation A Journey in Ibiza, Vol. 1 in 2024 with my other project, Monsieur Charles, a duo with Fabien Lelarge.

So it was time to reconnect with my old friend Christoph Kardek.

The first track, The Green Illusion, came together quite quickly and received a very positive response. I then wanted to submit a second one, and after that the label asked me whether I could produce one final track.

These three tracks were composed and produced between the end of July and August this year. They were created within a relatively short period of time and conceived as a whole, with the aim of building a coherent universe and bringing out the same musical colour across all three tracks.

3. There is a very visual, almost cinematic dimension to your music. When you compose, do you begin with an image, an emotion, a memory, or more with a search for sound?

De Fontaine:
The composition process is usually different depending on the purpose of the production and the style I am looking for.

With De Fontaine, I often like to start at the keyboard, with a few chords that will define the mood and atmosphere of the track. Then I simply leave the kick running in the background and start looking for bass lines that will complement and interact with those chords.

With De Fontaine, you will usually find the sounds and colours of the Rhodes, which are very much part of my sonic universe.

Then, as the arrangement develops, the composition can continue to evolve. That is often the moment when the track takes on another dimension, with the aim of reaching an emotion, a sensitivity or an atmosphere that the listener can then experience in turn.

The search for sound continues indirectly right up until the final note of the arrangement. It is not limited to choosing instruments or sounds: it also involves the approach to mixing, the work on textures and the choice of effects.

In the end, every element contributes to the search for that sonic colour and emotion that will give the track its identity.

4. The Green Illusion has a particularly evocative identity. What does this “green illusion” represent to you, and what would you like the listener to feel when discovering the track?

De Fontaine:
The Green Illusion represents the beauty of landscapes. That moment when you are alone, facing the beauty of the world.

The ocean, the mountains, the valleys, the sky.

With this track, I would like the listener to feel that human beings must remain humble and grateful in the face of the world around them. There should be a sense of respect for nature, for the world, and for everything that is greater than us.

5. Light Water evokes something more fluid, luminous and contemplative. What place do nature, landscapes and sensations have in your creative process?

De Fontaine:
The environment, through its beauty, nourishes me constantly during my studio sessions.

Even when I am sitting behind my machines, all I have to do is close my eyes to rediscover and visualise landscapes, atmospheres and moments of beauty that are deeply rooted in my memory.

These images then become a source of inspiration and naturally find their way into my music.

6. The title Nae The Legend immediately sparks curiosity. What story or person lies behind this track, and why was it important for you to give it this place on the EP?

De Fontaine:
“Nae” comes from the word “Ocean” written backwards. “The Legend”, meanwhile, refers to the voices used on the track.

There is quite a strong connection between the bass riff and the power of the oceans: a force that can be gentle, deep and powerful at the same time.

Through this track, I wanted to express my vision of nature: it has a fascinating beauty, but it can also reveal an immense force, sometimes even a devastating one. It reminds us that we are facing something far greater than ourselves.

And then, after the storm, the sky always eventually offers us a clearing, allowing soft rays of sunlight to appear.

It is a way of reminding us that even after the storm, light and a sense of peace can find their place again.

7. De Fontaine is not your only artistic identity: you have also worked under the names Normann and Monsieur Charles. What distinguishes these different identities? Do they correspond to different musical worlds, different periods, or different sides of your artistic personality?

De Fontaine:
I discovered composition through labels such as Fnac Music, F Communications and others.

At the beginning, I was a huge fan of the early productions of Shazz and St Germain, with a strong love for Deep music, which is where my first alias, De Fontaine, came from.

Then life brought Fabien Lelarge into my path. A strong friendship and a natural collaboration grew from that meeting, leading to a more House-oriented universe with a Jazzy touch under the name Monsieur Charles.

But my love for electronic music also draws me towards tracks with higher BPMs. To avoid mixing the different styles, I created a third alias: Normann.

With that project, I sometimes move between Progressive House and Techno.

8. Let’s talk about your studio work. Are you someone who spends a long time building and experimenting with tracks, or do you prefer to preserve the spontaneity of the original idea?

De Fontaine:
I find it quite easy to produce a lot of music, so I try to keep my studio sessions relatively short and avoid forcing things.

I definitely like to preserve the spontaneity of the composition.

On the other hand, I enjoy spending time on the mix, because that is what will give the track its overall colour, along with the effects used on each audio track.

I usually leave the project alone for a day before opening it again. That gives me some distance and allows me to listen carefully, so I can finalise the last details before submitting the premaster to the label.

9. Your previous release on Lovezone Records dates back to 2014. More than ten years have passed before this new EP. What happened artistically during all those years, and why did this feel like the right moment to return to Lovezone with De Fontaine?

De Fontaine:
I had a lot going on in my personal life, and very little desire to produce or, quite simply, to make music.

Then one morning, I came across a remix opportunity with the label BriqueRouges, and I fell back into music production again. In 2025, I must have released close to 25 tracks, including originals and remixes, under my Normann alias.

As I mentioned earlier, life sometimes creates and brings about surprising synchronicities.

So it was time to return to Lovezone, this beautiful label with an identity of its own.

And Christoph Kardek has genuinely been a friend for all these years. So it is with a great deal of pleasure and enthusiasm that I am now bringing new music to the label — and for Yann as well. 😊

10. After the release of this EP, what direction would you like to explore next? Does this record mark the beginning of a new universe for De Fontaine, or is it more a snapshot of a particular moment in your journey?

De Fontaine:
I do not make plans or predictions when it comes to my future productions or upcoming projects.

I prefer to let things happen naturally and see how the public responds to this EP.

In any case, thank you for these questions and for this conversation.

Enjoy the music, and may the emotions carried by sound take you away.

De Fontaine