At this year’s Open Source Art Festival in Sopot (Poland), Chloe Lula mesmerized the audience with her unique collision of electronica and classical music, creating a poignant spectacle. The performance, filled with intuitive transitions between her classical experience and club electronica, proved to be one of the most inspiring moments of the festival – at least for me.
As an artist with an impressive body of work and a diverse background, Chloe has come a long way from her intense years of cello lessons in San Francisco to the experimental worlds of techno to find her sound. The decision to move away from classical music proved to be a crucial step for her towards discovering new musical forms, which gradually revealed a new path for her – from club music to expressive compositions in which the cello, like a totem, becomes a symbol of her personal and artistic development.
Renewing her relationship with the cello was an intimate process for Chloe, in which she regained a sense of belonging to the world of organic and electroacoustic sounds. This journey drew her back to the instrument, which now serves as a bridge between the past and the present, symbolizing a connection to memories that transcend consciousness.
In the interview, Chloe talks about how her musical journey takes her from the extreme discipline of classical music, to the clubby darkness of techno, to a return to the cello – an instrument that allows her to celebrate the intricacies of the past and bring new tones of inspiration to her own work.
The end of November will see the release of her album Oneiris on Subtext Records – look out for a review in ANXIOUS, of course – and in the meantime, enjoy the interview below.
Artur Mieczkowski
A.M.: Chloe, you started your musical journey as a classical cellist. What made you decide to leave your classical music training behind and start experimenting with other genres?
Chloe Lula: I was on a rigorous classical music track for a number of years, and reached the point where I had to decide whether I would pursue it professionally alongside my peers. This was around the time I was 16-17, which happened to be the first time I was exposed to electronic music. I quickly fell in love with it and started going to clubs and raves. It was so free and uninhibited compared to the music world I’d known up until then. I joined a freeform community radio station in university, met other people into electronic music and studied abroad in Berlin when I was 20. The rest, as they say, is history.
A.M.: What were your first impressions when you started discovering electronic music and rave culture in San Francisco? What fascinated you most about this music?
Ch.L.: I think initially I was more drawn to the culture rather than the music per se, especially since my friends and I were sneaking into clubs that we were legally way too young to be going to. It was when I discovered “proper” techno a few years later that I really “got” electronic music, especially when I first heard it in Berlin. I was drawn to how melancholy and moody it was, and how it created a sense of nostalgia and place. You could probably say the same thing about the cello, actually.
A.M.: Your first parties were not typical techno sets. Tell us about the bloghouse days and the early raves you went to. How did these experiences influence your later work?
Ch.L.: Yes, bloghouse! The raves I was going to in San Francisco were peak Duck Sauce, Bloody Beetroots, Steve Aoki days. I don’t honestly think that this music necessarily influenced my own work in any direct way haha, but it provided the gateway to a freer, more underground world that didn’t follow any rules.
A.M.: How do you recall your first experiences with Berghain and Boiler Room? How have these venues influenced the formation of your identity as a DJ and artist?
Ch.L.: I was invited to play at Berghain for one of my first gigs in Berlin, actually, and it was terrifying but it also went really well. It was the first time I met Juan Mendez (Silent Servant), who was attending the show, and he recommended me to Tresor, who booked me to play alongside him shortly thereafter. It was a pretty serendipitous experience and mind blowing to me since he was my musical hero. Boiler Room was one of the most intense DJ experiences I’ve had so far but it was incredible!
A.M.: At the age of 20, you decided to study in Berlin. How has this city influenced your musical and personal life?
Ch.L.: I’ve lived in Berlin longer than any other place as an adult, and it’s shaped me immensely. There are some things about this place I think I may never learn to love (like the bureaucracy), but on a musical level being exposed to underground techno and avant-garde experimental stuff has irrevocably shaped my taste in music. I think the sheer amount of creatives here—and especially creatives who aren’t drawn in by commercial incentives or making money (like in Hollywood)—makes this a very unique place to make art.
A.M.: You started producing your own live sets in 2019 after an artist residency with Drew McDowall. How has the experience with this artist, who has participated in projects such as Coil among others, influenced your work?
Ch.L.: One of the greatest compliments I’ve ever been paid was when a friend told me this album had moments that were reminiscent of Coil. They are still one of my favorite outfits. They were so creative, innovative and ahead of their time. So it was such an immense honor to work with Drew. He taught me put together my first live set and to work with the “mistake-like” moments that happen while jamming with hardware—like a delay or frequency knob being inadvertently moved—as intentional parts of the music. He also introduced me to granular synthesis and all of the creative ways it can be applied to acoustic instruments and synths. He’s such a talented artist and one of the nicest and most generous people I’ve ever met, and I’m lucky to still call him a friend.
A.M.: Very interesting, because I had similar feelings and associations with Coil after your performance in Sopot at OPEN SOURCE ART FESTIVAL. Which, by the way, I wrote to you about right after the show :). What were the biggest challenges as you transitioned from classical to electronic music?
Ch.L.: To be honest the transition was pretty easy as I didn’t really look back at classical music once I discovered techno (until now!). I just threw myself straight in!
A.M.: Your debut EP was released in 2021. What was the creative process like during its creation and what experiences influenced it the most?
Ch.L.: It’s funny that this was only three years ago … I wrote the music for that release way before that (in 2018-2019) and I don’t feel like it really represents me as an artist anymore. That being said, I wrote the tracks for that EP during a music residency, and having the dedicated time and space to be creative really made that release possible. I’ve written all of my music in that way since then, with dedicated, uncommitted time set aside.
A.M.: Your first album will be released this year by Subtext. What can we expect from this album? What were your main inspirations?
Ch.L.: For lack of better genre descriptions, I’d call the album a mix of ambient and neoclassical; my references would be something along the lines of Sarah Davachi meets Raime meets Philip Glass. It might be surprising for people who are familiar with the music I make for the dance floor, but they can expect the same kind of atmosphere and dark minimalism.
I wrote this during a very solitary and self-reflective period in the spring and summer of 2023, not having any expectations that it might go anywhere or even be released. I was really at a time where I was feeling so unsure about where things were going with my music career, I just wanted to explore something that was a pure form of self-expression. The album was inspired by where I was at that time—if you listen closely, you can hear field recordings I took from walking on the rainy streets of Prenzlauer Berg while taking studio breaks.
A.M.: What significance does the Oneiris album (to be released on 22 November 2024 by Subtext) have for you? Can it be seen as a form of confrontation with your musical past?
Ch.L.: In some ways it could be seen as a confrontation in that I’ve chosen to return to my classical roots, but in a new way. Classical music is very much about playing from the canon according to specific rules, and by coming back to classical through the lens of electronic and electroacoustic music, I’ve tried to integrate what I learned in my training while breaking with old school traditions.
A.M.: What emotions and memories does the cello carry for you, which has become a totem in your work?
Ch.L.: I think most of my most formative memories from childhood and adolescence happened with the cello. Playing with my quartet was one of the best experiences of my life, and it’s only been in adulthood that I’ve realized how important that experience was in showing me how much I love performing music with other people. Even though I left the instrument for a while, it still is a practice that brings me a lot of calm and a break from the “real world” and the sometimes isolating world of.
A.M.: Your performance in Sopot at the Open Source Art Festival made a huge impression on me. What is your approach to live performance? Do you focus more on the technical side or on the emotional message to the audience?
Ch.L.: Thank you so much for the kind words! In total honesty, that was only my second test run of the live set, so I was still tweaking the technical side (and I still am with every performance). I’m experimenting a bit more these days with using separate channels for effects and mixing signals from different microphones. With that said, my focus has always been so much more on the emotional message. The great thing about playing with an instrument is that even if the worst malfunctions happen in a set, you can still perform the cello as it is, which is (in my opinion) the most beautifully emotive instrument.
A.M.: What does playing live music mean to you? Are performances on the club scene different from those where you play more experimental pieces on the cello?
Ch.L.: I’ve been so thrilled to play live these last few months. I played classically growing up, but it was always other people’s music (the same goes for DJing, for the most part. I haven’t been playing many live techno sets). Performing my album or iterations of it has felt so much more fulfilling because it’s vulnerable and truly a part of myself. Even just refining the live process—testing and finding the right microphones, effects pedals and converters, travel cases, instruments—has been so empowering, because I’ve had to take ownership over everything and understand how it works together. It’s so much more gratifying to me than just plugging a USB into CDJs. I’d love to be performing in this context more.
A.M.: Apart from music, do you turn to other art forms as a source of inspiration? Do literature, film, visual arts or other fields influence your work?
Ch.L.: I’ve always been a very avid reader, and literature always informs my work. I’m an especially big fan of memoir and creative non-fiction (as I’m also a music journalist), though I also read many novels. Most titles from my songs and releases both in ambient music and techno come from books or phrases that I love; Maggie Nelson, Chris Krause, Derek Jarman and David Wojnarowicz are big references of mine.
A.M.: What are your plans for the future – do you intend to continue the fusion of classical and electronic music, or do you plan to experiment with something completely new?
Ch.L.:
For
now I’d like to see how much I can continue down this path. I’d love
to work on a seamless set that’s even more of a bridge between
classical and electronic music—like an electroacoustic set that
could work in a club context. I also have plans to start a label
along these lines, but I won’t disclose the details yet as I’m still
finalizing the first release. That and continuing to hone my skills
as a composer, especially for multiple voices and instruments, is in
my immediate plans! I’m working with a composition teacher at the
moment and we’re learning more avant-garde electroacoustic
techniques.
A.M.:
Thank you very much for the interview. I wish you the best of luck
with your plans.
Ch.L.: Thank you so much for inviting me!