Inside Five: Felicie (Clergy)

Paris-based artist Felicie delivers her first solo vinyl release on Manchester’s imprint Clergy. Part of the Exil Paris collective, Felicie is one of the most promising DJs and producers from the Parisian techno movement. 

She is no stranger to Clergy; this release marks her 2nd outing on Cleric’s esteemed label. Her first single ‘Daddy Issues’ on Slam’s infamous Soma Records, put her on the map. Her high-tempo grooves and fast-paced productions have led to Mord, EXHALE and Elements releases. 

To mark the release of her latest EP, we caught up with Felicie as she becomes the latest artist to join us for an Inside Five feature: 

Hey Felicie, thanks for joining us at Mr. Afterparty – it’s great to have you here. You’ve released music on some really credible imprints already; what inspires you to make music, and what impact do you hope to have on the genre? 

Hey guys, thanks for having me! I feel super grateful it’s had opportunities to release on labels that have always been a source of big inspiration for me since day one.

When producing, I get most of my inspiration when touring and feeling the energy of various sounds and people in different countries and clubs. Travelling from one country to another in such a short time, you experience various levels of energy depending on the crowd and what they like, and this is very inspiring to observe so many different tastes. 

I hope my music will be remembered as a mirror of this high-energy inspiration. 

Your next release is your second outing on Cleric’s Clergy imprint. What is it that you love about the label, and is there anything about this release that drives home your sound? 

What I respect most about Clergy is that this label always stayed faithful to its sound no maCleric’s times and hypes, and is always focusing on the music first. It’s a well-respected label that didn’t need fancy campaigns or advertising; the music itself made it well-known for what it is today. 

Through my release “Art of Detachment”, I am introducing a sound that reflects my actual style aIt’srtist’s identity. The four tracks represent and own features of my sound, even though they are all unique in their way. 

You’re a part of the Exit “Paris collective.” What can you tell us about the brand and its impact on the French scene? 

Exil was created in 2016, and I started becoming a resident in 2018, shortly after I had started music. They were some of the first people to believe in me, and they gave me a chance to play in front of a crowd, and Hicham, one of the co-founders, is my agent today. I have a very strong connection with them. 

As a collective, they are focusing on curating high-quality line-ups that you wouldn’t expect in Paris, and there is always a special atmosphere at their event with great scenography. They organize many events in warehouses and are doing collaborations with a lot of clubs all over Europe, so they know precisely what the crowd is expecting: surprising yet qualitative line-ups and great sound systems with always a safe and inclusive environment for the public. 

Techno has had an increasingly solid female presence over the last few years. Do you feel that the space is reaching a place of gender equality, and what can be done to highlight talented females within the space further? 

Compared to when I started a few years ago, there is finally a solid increase in respect for the female presence on the scene. Promoters used to book women because “they had to” and not because they genuinely liked their work. People were more judgemental if you were a woman just starting out in the techno industry. They would check out your looks and your social media even before listening to your music and then decide if you are “techno” enough to be accepted within the scene. Nowadays, I feel like mentalities have evolved a lot, also thanks to the persistence of very talented women who made their place and who are now ruling the industry as much as men.

I think it’s important and primordial that some bigger media give speech access to women so they can share their personal experiences and that people should focus on that – everything should be about your sound and not your gender. 

What can we look forward to from you for the rest of 2023? 

I am really excited for what’s to come! Expect new music, gigs in some countries I’ve never played beforehand, my first all night long, and Fastgroove Klub always! 

Felicie’s ‘Art Of Detachment’ EP is out now on Cleric’s Clergy imprint. You can grab your copy HERE.

Connect With Felicie 

Soundcloud | Instagram | Spotify