Chloé Interview
 
The prolific Parisian dj/producer talks about la "French Touch", German minimalist electronics, the energy in queer communities and women djs that put "Female Pressure" on their male colleagues.
(2004.07.02, 17:15)

Could you tell me a little bit about yourself?

I grew up with my mother who was really into music, turning the radio on all the time. She's English and used to be a "disc jockey" in Swinging London. When I was 15, I started to play the guitar, trying to imitate Nico & the Velvet Underground. I was at school and I was very bored, so I took theater lessons and I modeled until I was 18 years old. Then I discovered clubs & raves ... a new way of living. I was so much into it that I started to dj (thanks to meeting some djs).

Why did you start producing as well, and why is it that your tracks are rather different from what you play in your dj sets?

I’ve always produced, it‘s just the instrument that is different today. As I told you I was playing the guitar, but I also played a lot with a friend of mine. We had some nice tracks - very lofi and slow stuff. Then when I started djing, I discovered the universe of production in electronic music. I like to use it (sampler, synthesizers, ...) with some acoustic things and other music. I like to experiment in production, it is the prolongation of djing.

How did you record your I Hate Dancing compilation and how did you choose the tracks?

I tried to put some tracks on there that aren't played so much in clubs (except Tiga, "Pleasure From The Bass") and tried to do a mix representative of all I like, which was quite hard because I like minimal, house , electro...

Stupid question: do you really hate dancing?

I used to dance a lot, now I'm bored.

On your compilation and in your sets, there are always lots of German tracks, and I hear that at the Katapult record store in Paris there is also an abundance of German records. How do you explain this fascination with the German electronic scene in France, which used to be known for a completely different electronic sound?

In France, six years ago, electronic music was synonymous with "French Touch" - I never liked it! I felt a bit desappointed that French production was known only for this sound. In clubs, the music was techno or "French Touch", but there was nothing in between. I think in France, Katapult and the Pulp did a lot for the evolution of electronic music. Katapult is from Rouen, they arrived in Paris six years ago with a lot of new sounds, new labels, mostly German... And some minimal, with productions that were coming mostly from Germany. But noone was playing this sound, it was very underground. Only some parties at the Pulp were playing stuff like this: I was spinning there with Sextoy, Jennifer, Ivan Smagghe. We were playing house, electro, minimal, which was all very new for people. Pulp has had a great success because of that, now other clubs opened the door to these new sounds.

Are you ever going to produce a whole album?

Yes I am working on it. I just need time, and sometimes nothing happens...

How did you get in contact with the Katapult / Karat people? Are they like a big network or even a circle of friends?

Katapult is a record shop so it was easy to meet them. I had some tracks that I wanted to play to them because I felt they would probably like them, and they did and took them. That was my first EP "Erosoft". Today Katapult has a circle of friends and good artists: Ark, Krikor, Cabanne...

I know you have probably heard this question a million times, but I think it is still important: why do you think there are so many more male djs than female djs? And is it sometimes annoying for you to be surrounded mostly by guys, do you try to network with other women?

Male djs invite their male friends to dj at their parties... I have a party at Pulp, "Guest Off", where I invite my female dj friends (Electric Indigo, Cassy Britton, Magda, Sonja Moonear, Dinky, Waterlilly...), I can tell you they are rocking the club! I think there'll be more and more female djs - for example Electric Indigo built a connection of female artists in electronic music (djs, producers, art directors etc.) on a website: Female Pressure. If some male actors in electronic music looked more into these connections, they would be very impressed... Things are changing.

Is the Sound of Cologne important to you, and do you know and like artists like Ada and Mia?

I play quite often in Cologne, I was invited by Superpitcher or Tobias Thomas to their parties, and I spin also at Subway. I think there is a great energy there. I love the Kompakt store that made me discover artists like Mia and Ada. I like this very romantic, poppy sound a lot, even if I play also other stuff.

How did you get the residency at le Pulp? Is it a mixed club or only for women?

I've been playing there for five years now. As I said before, it is first a lesbian club, on Saturdays mostly. On Thursdays and Wednesdays it's mixed, and during the day the Pulp is a club for old people! Now Friday is open to mixity... but not so much. Today, electronic music is accepted by everyone, it's so funny to know you have so many different people in the same club depending on the day and the hour. I toured the gay community a lot because the energy is so great!