Parisienne DJ/Producer, Chloé Caillet, recently dropped her latest single, ‘NYWTF‘, a deep, synthy groove with producer Mikhail Beltran that says what everyone really thinks about NYC. Having played clubs all over the world, Chloé currently has a residency at Ibiza’s Circoloco.  We caught up with Chloé to talk Triphop, Queer clubs and Art Vs. Commerce.

Chloé, set the scene for us, where are you right now and what can you see? Is there a tune playing too? Personally I cannot write with music on!
Hello hello!I am currently in Acapulco, and I can see the ocean from my hotel room. There is no music. Actually my ears need a little break from this weekend.

Loving the vibe of ‘NYWTF’ – was there a moment that inspired it?
The story was really to write a track about what you feel when you first go to NY. Mikhail is from New Jersey and I’m from NY so we thought it would be interesting to share both our points of views.

How did you come to work with Mikhail on the track?
We were put in touch through my manager and hit it off right away. This was the first track we ever worked on. 

‘NYWTF’ oozes New York energy. What kind of sounds do you associate with the main boroughs of NYC?
NY has a real heartbeat, it’s full of vibrant energy and power. I’ve always associated NY with this vibe and with glamour. Everything from Disco to House to Hip Hop. Anything with a driving beat.

We both spent time working at Universal Music. It definitely made me see music as more of a marketable product. How did that time change your relationship with music? Definitely, it made me realize the exact same thing. It also made me realize all the different sides of the music business and how the whole system works. It really takes an army to get a project off the ground!

How do you find the balance between Art and Business?
It’s super hard. I constantly have to remind myself to switch that business aspect off and to focus on my creative side – if not, it’s easy to get the two mixed up.

You also spent time living in Bristol, which has really produced so many iconic artists. Who are your favourites and what element of that scene do you carry with you when making music now?
My two favourite artists who have emerged from the scene are Portishead & Massive Attack. I love the way both of them combine elements of electronic music layered within roots of soul, jazz and progressive house. I always try to combine different elements in my music. I have a background in Jazz, so I love working with melodies.

If you were to take us on a tour of your favourite LGBT parties around the world, where would we be going?
There are some incredible queer parties in the world right now! I would say Barcelona has an amazing one called Maricas. Then in London, Adonis is a great vibe. In LA, I would be going to Never Forget and in Berlin, Cocktail D’Amore, then lastly my newly created party XTRA based in Ibiza.

How has queer visibility changed for you, from being a younger fan of music to now being a DJ on the scene?
It’s really changed a lot! I barely used to own up to my queerness. I felt like the world was not as accepting. Today I feel celebrated and that there is real room for me to be who I am fully. It’s also been amazing to see so many talented artists from the queer community come up and shine as well as parties emerge with real safe spaces. It’s a really amazing time to be working in this industry that is evolving quickly!

Which has been the most important show to you that you’ve played across your career?
There have been so many! I would say some of my highlights of this past year were playing at Kaiku in Helsinki and Bar Americas in Guadalajara. It’s also been so much fun to play at all of the CircoLoco parties. From Ibiza all the way to Mexico City! There is always such a great vibe and the best dancefloor. They are always so different based on where we are.

Loverboy is named after the biggest selling single of 2001 and so we always ask what is your favourite Mariah song?
For me, it would have to be ‘Always Be My Baby’. It’s an obvious one, but this song was just there in so many different times in my life and is still played. Haha…