Terminal V Podcast 039 || Felicie

 

Parisian techno dame Felicie may look demure but do not let that sweet exterior lure you false sense of security as her sets are amongst the most breakneck you will hear on this podcast series. In typically French fashion her hard and fast style is always tempered with tight transitions and just the right amount of funk.

As well as pummelling warehouse and main rooms around Europe and further afield on a regular basis Felicie can also be found squeezing out some damn fine techno of her own. Having launched her production career on none other than Soma Recordings she has crafted a style that is all of her own. Her touring schedule is beginning to blossom so there is a high chance that you will soon bear witness to one of her high paced performances.

 

Welcome to Terminal V Felicie, how has 2022 began for you?

Hey guys, thanks for having me. 2022 has been great to me so far! I had the chance to play the closing of a great New Year Eve event in Paris, and I’m recently coming back from my debut in Bulgaria. Lots of gigs are getting postponed or cancelled, but we’re all in the same boat and hopefully this situation doesn’t last for too much longer.

2021 was a clearly a tough year for live events what were your highlights?

I feel grateful for all the gigs I was able to do during these hard times, but playing Boiler Room and my first Colombia tour were big personal highlights. These two specifically had been some of my goals since I first started DJing, so they were what stand out for me.

Going back to your beginning what was your entry into techno? Was there a particular artist or event that sparked your love?

I developed a love for harder techno while attending events in Paris and Berlin about 6/7 years ago. I used to go with my brother’s friends, because at this time, very few of my close circle liked this type of industrial and distorted style. I started digging for more music from artists that I’d seen live, such as Ansome, Ossian or Bas Mooy, and then production and DJing developed from that early passion.

Would you say that these early influences still impact your sound?

I’ve always liked harder and darker stuff when it comes to electronic music, so I definitely keep an influence from these early days, but I think my sound has evolved throughout the years. Nowadays, I play some faster and groovier techno that still has a dark edge to it. More recently I’ve been digging the oldschool hardgroove stuff.

One of your first releases was on Scottish label Soma, tell us how the release on such an influential came about?

I entered their producer challenge about two years ago. My track ended up coming second of the competition, and since then we always kept in touch. I kept sending them some more music and we slowly built up my first EP 🙂

Can you give us an insight in to your writing process for tracks such as the ‘Daddy Issues’ EP?

For this EP, I had ideas in mind for each track and what I wanted them to sound like and to represent. I wanted each track to reflect different influences that I like in techno. For example, ‘Camgirlz’ leans to a more EBM style while ‘First Date’ has more melodic elements. I always start a track with building the foundations such as the kicks and other percussions. Once I’m happy with a drum loop, I move on with the more creative side of things and add any leads etc. Then finally I do the arrangement with multiple variations and automations in the sound design.

Is there particular piece of gear or plugin that gives your tracks the ‘Felicie sound’?

I love to use the Decapitator VST by Soundtoys. It’s prominently a distortion plugin that can give a certain warmth to the sound and add more texture and grit to the sound.

Your track ‘Tower of Silence’ has just dropped on Rebekah’s Elements, how has the reaction been when you have dropped it in your sets? Any standout moments when playing it?

I played it a few times, and the crowd seems to enjoy it, particularly on the longest breakdown, where I got the best reactions!

What other tracks and tour dates do you have coming up?

I’m currently working on my second EP, which is inspired from a groovier style, but still leaning to the harder side of things. My next gig is in Paris for Dystopia (RAW) on January 28, and I cross my fingers for both me and everyone else round, that the future dates don’t get affected too much by the current situation. I will stay positive and excited for what’s to come in the future.

Can you sum up your mix in a few sentences please? Perhaps thought process when planning and recording the mix, emotions that you try to convey, music included.

I tried to approach this mix with the same attitude of what I would play in a club; An energetic yet groovy experience to keep the crowd locked into a vibe where all they just want to dance. This is something I always try to achieve while playing in a club or festival.

 

Interview by Stu Todd