Parisian artist Carla Schmitt shares her early inspirations, working with EXHALE, and contemporary dance.
Techno may arguably be the most unique music made in modern times. It possesses a certain gravitas that cant be explained in words. Unlike other styles of music, to truly appreciate it requires physical activity. It cannot be fully understood by listening to it in isolation. It is a music that requires participation and collaboration to be enjoyed to its fullest.
The intersubjectivity of dance music, in general, is something that has been studied in the past, but without digging through stuffy scientific papers, evidence of this is found in its history. No matter where you are, the story of its roots in every city are the same. Strange, futuristic, alien sounds that brought people from all walks of life together and allowed them to coexist in one space, peacefully, through a shared love of the music. If only for a moment. It is possible that these intersubjective experiences are the key to understanding why this music is so infectious despite its compositional monotony. Maybe electronic music isn’t supposed to be listened to, its supposed to be felt?
Whilst many of the punters who enjoy the rave scene may not contemplate the philosophy of why they party and the effect it has on them, there are those who do. Cinema has tried to capture the experience of the rave scene in the past with films such as Human Traffic, and Groove to name a few, but we are now starting to see techno incorporated into the multidisciplinary art scene to be examined through other forms of performance, and in this case particularly, contemporary dance.
French artist Gisele Vienne’s Crowd, is an account of Gisele’s own experiences of rave culture in Berlin, and showcases the different emotional and perceptual states that clubbers exhibit on the dancefloor. Showcased at London’s Dance Umbrella Festival in 2019, the performance features music from Detroit techno artists such as Jeff Mills and Derrick May. In 2021, Berlin-based dance troupe KDV Dance Ensemble linked up with Boiler Room to host an online performance during the lockdown. Streamed via Zoom, the performance featured an incredible mix from Floating Points.
Finally, inspired by the opera ‘Don Juan’, Don Juan Techno Club reimagines this classic opus to show the story of a group of ravers looking for a fun night out. The night out ultimately ends in chaos as each of the characters personalities and emotions begin to clash. The soundtrack was curated by electronic musician Frieder Nagel and composer Daniel Brandt.
Although the electronic music scene and the contemporary dance scene seemingly exist as separate entities, the link between them is closer than you think, and some artists are attempting to fuse the two together in more cohesive way. Carla Schmitt is one of those artists.
Based in Paris, Carla Schmitt is a professional dancer, choreographer, producer, and DJ. Her music has been featured on the likes of EXHALE and KR Records, and she has played her thunderous techno sets to crowds at Rex Club and Centrale93 to name a few. In 2021, she collaborated with Shotgun to produce a livestream event that mixed techno and contemporary dance. Much like the examples above, the performance brought an interesting angle to techno which could be considered a sometimes oversaturated and creatively stale landscape. Inspired by the likes of Eric Prydz, Anyma, and Afterlife, Carla plans to use audio visual technology to breathe new life into the techno scene.
What were some of your earliest inspirations growing up?
My first inspirations were in dance with my dance teacher. Through her I discovered artists like Laurent Garnier, Ellen Allien, Moderat, Olafur Arnalds, Moderat, Kangding Ray. I was only ten years old. Because of her I developed my ear at a young age. It was only afterwards, when I discovered the clubs, that I realised that I knew this music, this atmosphere, but I was discovering it in a different way.
When did you decide that you were going to start taking music seriously?
I started mixing when I was 17. I had another alias XOXI (aha) because I didn’t want people to know it was a woman behind the decks. At the time, it was still quite criticised. I think from a young age I wanted to do that. Then I came across a video of Amelie on Facebook. It was at the Labyrinth Club, and she was playing her track ‘Contradiction’ released on Second State. I was amazed by her energy and wisdom behind the decks, and it was this video that made me say: “Ok I want to do this”. I had a career as a dancer that started at a young age. After arriving in Paris at 18, I wanted to continue my training and join the Crazy Horse, which is a famous cabaret in Paris, before getting back into music.
When the lockdown came, I learned that I had to stop my career for health reasons. I was devastated and quite lost as to what I was going to do. That’s where I drew all my energy from. I trained myself in production and that’s when my first EP ‘My Fears’ was born. It was released in 2021 with remixes by Felicie and Charlie Sparks, and now here I am on stage!
For your quarantine livestream mix back in 2021, you combined your passions for dance and music together to create an interesting audio-visual project. We are starting to see techno appear in many multidisciplinary art projects (such as Don Juan’s Techno Club). Is this fusion between dance and techno something you intend to build on?
Of course! And that’s why I’m working on projects where I’m presenting myself as an AD, scriptwriter, and choreographer as well! I’d like to push this more in this field. Clips are not very present, but there are magnificent things to do! Like with dance, painting, etc..
I’m very happy to see that Vjing is spreading more with the evolution of technologies. Artists like Eric Prydz and Anyma, and events like Afterlife have embraced this technology already. I know that later on, as soon as I can, I will also propose immersive shows by mixing it with dance.
Can you give us some insight into your creative process? What do you like to do in the studio to find inspiration?
So, I think I have a rather different process. I don’t make music just to make music. I usually listen to different styles of music before I compose according to my state of mind. All my tracks trace a passage in my life. I also think about the movement of the body, about what I could do as a dance on this track. I dream about the track before I compose it (aha). I write notes and make little drawings that only I can understand of the notes I would like to make, what vibe etc..
The most important thing for me is that I have a theme before I produce. You can also see that I create progressive and very personal tracks.
Let’s talk about your upcoming release on the Exhale VA. How did your relationship begin with Exhale, and what is the story behind your contribution to the release?
Quite a funny story indeed! I remember the first time I met Amelie. It was seven years ago, in a small club in my town called Parallel in Bordeaux. I had exchanged my Soundcloud and told her that my name was XOXI. When I think about it, the scene was quite hilarious. I remember saying: “One day I will release on your label”, even before she created LENSKE and Exhale. Not sure she remembers (aha)!
After that, I released my first EP ‘My Fears’ in July 2021. She supported the track ‘My Mind’ remixed by Charlie Sparks, and that’s how we started to get in touch. Following that, in March 2022, I had travelled with a group of friends to an Exhale event in Antwerp for her 9 hour set. I was in the audience, and she recognised me from afar. A few hours later, I was backstage with the whole team, and Amelie played the track. It was impressive because I had never been on such a big stage, and to see the reaction of the public was magical.
After that I sent her my promos. We met again during the Neopop festival in Portugal in August 2022, where she had played my track Unexploited. I continued to send promos. It was one of my big goals to appear on a VA Exhale. I gave myself the means, and here I am today.
When I think about it, it’s crazy how far I’ve come. Amelie was one of the first to support me in this industry, and I will always be grateful to her. Thanks to her and her team for their kindness and above all, for believing in my projects.
The life of a DJ can be an intense one. What do you like to do to wind down?
You should know that I am a basic anxious person, and I tend to put a lot of pressure on myself! It gets better with time and with experience. I am very well surrounded, so it calms me down. Otherwise, to calm down or relax, I rest a lot, I listen to classical music, and dance. I also eat healthily, I very rarely drink during events, and my best friend is the banana when I chain the weekends, and that’s it. 🙂
What have you got planned for the rest of the year?
I have a tour in North America at the end of May and one in South America for the end of the year. I have three other tracks coming out in the coming months on great labels. I also have a new visual project coming, which I wrote the story and choreographed the dance for. It will be a video project for the release of my track on Exhale.
I have dates everywhere in France and abroad, as well as the launch of my events in Paris next September 🙂
EXHALE’s fourth compliation releases on the 5th may. Pre-order here.
Follow Carla Schmitt here.