French DJ & Composer Chloe (aka Claudia Di Marco and Lya Lewis) is onstage to a crowd of thousands. An equal number of concert goers have been turned away from this sold out performance in Paris; they resign themselves to listening to the pulsing beat outside the venue which Chloe creates atop her perch at the turntables. You would never suspect that this woman who is the beating heart of this shared experience found herself less than a decade ago working at a restaurant, dreaming of being where she is now. The tale reaffirms that talent fused with determination can transform one’s life. Chloe is much more than an inspiration to women, she is an example of what any creative person can achieve if they push themselves and are willing to evolve and endure. In only a few short years, this French native has transformed from dreamer into doer; a respected and lauded member of the global music community. A marquee name at clubs and festivals, Chloe’s career is an example of what the title “rockstar” entails in 2018.
If you’ve been lucky enough to catch Chloe performing at festival style event such as Acaira! you have no doubt that all of the excitement and enthusiasm which surround her is well founded. This event, held in the forecourt of the François Mitterrand library in Paris, was a who’s who of DJs including: Chloe, DJ Kavinsky (composer of the soundtrack of the movie Drive), and some of the most prominent names in the DJ community. Held by the Vodka Pomme agency, the sold out capacity crowd held three-thousand concert goers and turned an equal number away due to limited space. Leatitia Thorethon (CEO & Artistic Director of Vodka Pomme and Brigade Amour) professes, “I was aware of Chloe’s acclaim and popularity as a DJ. When organizing the talent for Acaira!, I wanted the most exciting and renowned DJs in the world. Chloe is known as one as one of the most fun and exciting DJs to see perform. The popularity of Chloe, DJ Kavinsky, & the other DJs performing at our event allowed us to quickly sell out the venue in a matter of no time. It can be difficult to get to see Chloe perform due to her immense popularity and this was a chance for many fans to see her stunning performance. While many DJs play the most popular songs, playing it safe to the crowd, Chloe always reads the crowd and brings something unexpected and fresh to the music. She is truly one of the most exciting artists on the scene.”
Chloe is a staple and prominent part of the European music scene and often performs in her home country at Paris clubs, but even the biggest clubs like Rouge Pigalle only hold so many people. Located in the mythical district of Pigalle in Paris near the Moulin Rouge, the Rouge Pigalle possesses a vibe and astute clientele which draws the most popular DJ such as Teo Moss, Mr. Oizo (from the Ed Banger label), and Chloe. The large crowds with their discerning ear push DJs in a beneficial manner. Chloe remarks, “You can play to a couple of thousand people at Rouge Pigalle. While a crowd that size is always a challenge, there’s something particularly special about the crowds there. Large venues like this are somewhere between a normal club and a festival vibe. In this kind of atmosphere, I push my style further. I play more underground, louder electro music with more bass ... In clubs, people often like to hear songs that they know from the radio, so I take the songs they know and adapt. I make mashups, remixes of sounds they like.”
It’s the challenge of finding the crowd’s taste and directing…even controlling it which has made Chloe a fan of international touring. Her career as a DJ has seen her travelling to locations like Spain, Tunisia, Germany, Switzerland, and others to perform at clubs and festivals alongside her peers, the biggest DJs in the world. Whether it’s Berlin or Barcelona, Nantes or Lisbon, she gives part of herself to the crowd while onstage and takes in what their cultures have to offer as she explores them during the day. Different people and areas have different tastes; Chloe concedes that she learns from every touring experience. The DJ relates, “It’s wonderful to play the LC Club in Nantes because I grew up there and they always welcome me so warmly, selling out every time as if to say “You’re home.” At the same time, it’s exciting to play a place like the Cyclone in Djerba (Tunisia). It holds about two-thousand people and they are really intoa House trend, deep House. Every time the boss asks me to play quieter than what I usually play but I always finish in hard EDM/Dubstep and people go crazy! I want to stay sharp and continue to grow. Being forced to find a way that works rather than just relying on what I already know will work…well, that makes me grow and I love it!”
Chloe seems content instead of self-involved when discussing her “rockstar” lifestyle. Flying around the world with her compact rig (a computer, DJ headset, & USB keys which accompanies her everywhere), there’s no space for an entourage. She’s incredibly mobile as musical artists come and her career is congruently on an upwardly mobile path. Chloe is on a constant state of adventure which fuels her creativity as a composer. Her path as a DJ is that of one individual in front of thousands; while that can be stressful at the moments directly preceding a performance, Chloe confirms that the stress leaves immediately when she feels the energy from the crowd and is reminded that this is where she was always meant to be.
