CHLOÉ is in Her Own Orbit
French DJ and producer CHLOÉ has spent decades exploring the spaces between club culture and electronic experimentation. On her new album Shape of the Unknown, she takes a more personal route, embracing tension, unexpected turns and the beauty of not knowing exactly where the music will lead.
ANOMIE: Hey Chloé! We spoke back in February, when you described Distorted Dance as the closing of one chapter and the beginning of another. You'd already started working on new music, and now Shape of the Unknown is almost here. How did the album grow out of that period, and did it go where you expected?
How did the album grow out of that, and did it go where you expected?
CHLOÉ: Happy to be back on Anomie! Thanks for making the connection with ‘Distorted Dance’ last time we had a chat. Actually, when I made that EP, I knew those tracks belonged together. I was also finishing my album at the time, and I knew it was a different project. I felt I needed to focus on something more personal. In the end, I'm really happy I took the time to finish. It’s a very personal accomplishment for me.
ANOMIE: The album is described as veering off course, with unsettling atmospheres and
iridescent melodies. What draws you to the unsettling in music, and how do you get there without losing the emotional side?
CHLOÉ: I’m always playing with tension in my music, in my DJ sets or productions, and this feeling of something elusive. I like playing with contrasts between familiar and strange sounds, harmonies and more unsettling textures. For me, that's what creates emotion. I like leaving something unresolved rather than making everything too obvious. It allows the listener to imagine their own world within the music. In a way, I think my track “Repeating the Obvious” echoes this idea quite well.
ANOMIE: Between your single releases and now Shape of the Unknown, theres a thread of movement and transformation. Was that a conscious concept, or something you only noticed once the pieces were together?
CHLOÉ: Actually, these tracks are all part of the album, I revealed them gradually to create a certain mood and prepare the ground for the album. I like this idea of movement and transformation, of something that keeps evolving without necessarily knowing where it will end up, leaving a bit of room for the unexpected. That's also what my album ‘Shape Of the Unknown’ is about : following a direction without knowing exactly what shape it will take.
ANOMIE: The Distorted Dance EP was built to “hit the body directly”. Does this album ask
for a different kind of listening, and did you sequence this one differently?
CHLOÉ: ‘Distorted Dance’ is kind of an acid minimal techno track, while ‘Shape Of The Unknown’ leaves more room for exploration. I like this idea of gradually drawing the listener into a track, sometimes without them even noticing how far it's taken them.
ANOMIE: You’ve said you often test unfinished tracks in your sets, and you play live regularly. Did any of these tracks get their first outing on a dancefloor before you finished them, and did the crowd change anything?
CHLOÉ: I tend to make lots of demos, whether it's during a soundcheck for a live show, an idea I've been working on with my laptop on the couch, or a jam with my hardware in the studio. Sometimes one of these ideas ends up becoming a track for an EP or my own album. That's actually how ‘Shape Of the Unknown’ came together. I followed different ideas along the way, and the thread gradually emerged, almost by chance, through all these musical explorations. I rarely play my own tracks in my DJ sets once they've been released.
ANOMIE: Ben Shemie, Miss Kittin, and Olivia Merilahti all appear on the album. How did
each collaboration start, and how did working with distinct voices change the way you write?
CHLOÉ: Ben is a friend, and we'd already worked together on my previous album, on the track 'Recall'. We also made an album together, ‘The Call’ under the name High Season. I love his ability to constantly reinvent himself, which I find really cool. When we play live together, there's also quite a lot of improvisation. It's fun, so it felt quite natural to invite him to collaborate again.
Kittin is a longtime friend and an artist I'e always had a lot of respect for. We've played together many times over the years, and I had wanted to make music with her for a long time. In a way, the lyrics reflect that connection between us, this feeling of coming from the same world, sharing something even when we don't need to say it out loud. I'm honoured we finally made it happen.
As for Olivia, I've always loved her approach to melodies. Besides being a really talented producer, she has a voice that brings something very special to the music. I was curious to see where our two musical worlds could meet. I had this idea of making something like a futuristic pop song, but with a really weird, unexpected side to it. Each person brings their own sensibility, and you have to allow the music to go somewhere you wouldn't necessarily have taken it on your own.
ANOMIE: In February you discussed enjoying new tools and rediscovering old plugins. Did any of that end up on the record, or was this one more about going back to your core gear?
CHLOÉ: Some of those tools probably ended up on the record, maybe just once, while others didn't. Looking back, I couldn't really tell you exactly what I used on each track. I was experimenting with quite a lot of new gear during that period, and that's probably what I remember most. I tend to focus more on the sounds I get than on the tools I used to create them.
ANOMIE: Speaking of new tools, everyone in music seems to have a take on AI right now.
As a producer and DJ, where do you land: useful tool, threat, or just noise?
CHLOÉ: It's interesting to see what's happening with AI and where it might lead. Electronic music has always been connected to technology and the exploration of new tools, so it's quite natural to be curious about it.
Personally, I really enjoy the creative process itself. Producing isn't just about generating sounds or ideas, it's about experimenting, making choices, transforming things and sometimes discovering something unexpected along the way. I'm not particularly excited about using AI to generate music. I sometimes use it more as an assistant, for example to help me figure out effect routings or technical solutions.
ANOMIE: You've worked with Hermès and the Tate Modern, and with film, including La Montagne. How much of that cinematic side found its way into this album?
CHLOÉ: I composed the music for Hermès' Barénia perfume in 2024. I've also collaborated with visual artist Noémie Goudal, whose work has been exhibited at Tate Modern, and composed the soundtrack for the feature film La Montagne.
These very different projects required me to respond to specific briefs, creating music that follows the rhythm of the images and the stories they tell. When I'm working on my own album, there's no brief to follow, but these experiences have definitely opened up other ways of approaching composition.
Sometimes an idea or a piece of music starts in one context, and I realise it could become part of something else, like my album. I like keeping that possibility open, allowing things I've created to resonate with each other, to be reused or transformed. In a way, I try to keep everything in a state of constant evolution.
ANOMIE: You also recently composed the music for the Women in Science ceremony, held by UNESCO and the L'Oréal Foundation. Composing for an occasion with that kind of meaning must be different from writing your own music. How did you approach it?
CHLOÉ: For this ceremony, I actually revisited my track "The Dawn” and adapted it for the
opening of the event. It was a meaningful occasion, celebrating women scientists and
their contributions to research, while also highlighting the importance of giving women greater visibility and recognition in science. I was honored to contribute to an event with such an important message, and to give this piece of music a new life in a different context.
ANOMIE: You've announced a brand-new live show at Olympia in Paris on March 18th. How do you go about turning club energy into something fit for a concert hall?
CHLOÉ: I'll be playing a few live shows featuring tracks from my new album alongside some older material, including a show at L'Olympia in Paris on March 18th. It's a bit of a special moment for me, as the live format allows me to explore something different from what I usually do in my DJ sets. The idea isn't necessarily to recreate the club experience, but also to bring the more intimate and experimental side of the album into the live show, while keeping some of that energy.
Dune Lunel Studio and Neurotypique are working together on the visual art direction of the show, creating visuals synchronized with the music. The visuals will also help us build a world around the music. We’re really looking forward to sharing it.
ANOMIE: Is there a city or venue you haven't played yet that's still on your list?
CHLOÉ: After all these years of travelling and playing in so many different places, I don't really have a particular city or venue on my list. What still excites me is finding places with their own identity. Sometimes the most memorable nights happen somewhere you would never have expected.
ANOMIE: You said in February that you love the idea of finding an optimistic way to exist in a saturated world. Now that the album is finished and almost out in the world, what do you hope someone feels the first time they hear it all the way through?
CHLOÉ: Proposing an album is something that asks the listeners to take time, which is becoming less common these days. I like the idea of inviting people to slow down, listen to one track after another, and gradually get into a different world. Maybe it takes a few listens to really get into it, and you start noticing little details you didn't catch the first time. I hope it's the kind of album that grows on you the more you listen to it. Thank you !
Give Chloé's new album 'Shape of the Unkown', out October 30, a listen here.
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