The Girl Behind The Up And Coming ‘Tignesfest’ Event Nestled Up In The French Snowy Alps…
Hello Claudia, thank you for talking to the DMC World, so the next ‘TignesFest’ in April, some big names like Eddy Temple Morris, Kissy Sell Out and The Loose Cannons, but also a lot of up and coming names that a lot of people will be encountering for the first time. What is the ethos behind the festival, it’s free for instance, is this an event that wants to promote new music?
“The event grew from my having an accident and using the compensation money to host a party that got out of hand. This, combined with my best friends in the world who thought I was mental and bailed me out when I got too excited and booked too many acts without having the finances to pay for everything meant that TignesFest took a life of its own. The ethos behind the event is simply to help profile young, up and coming and emerging talent. Because the events are free and we don’t make any money from this we have the beautiful freedom to support acts who are fantastic but not known enough to headline events. Unlike poor promoters who take financial risks and need crowd pullers to make a living, we are just fortunate enough to be able to work with amazing acts across all genres whose talents deserve to be highlighted. Having some of the best radio broadcasters in the UK simply helps us to find fantastic acts in a very real and non political way… do you know any other event where broadcasters from different radio stations work together like this? And this year we have French station Radio FG doing a live broadcast so we are really making this into an international love fest for new talent!”
Have you ever tried Skijoring?
“Im sitting in a hotel room in Switzerland with Kissy Sell Out and neither one of us knows what this is! Clearly we have led sheltered lives… what is it?? Would our mums approve??
Useless, it’s when you get your sled pulled by a horse – something that your resort specialises in! So, how did you get involved in the event and the venue in the first place, the resort is one of the most exclusive in The French Alps?
“My best friend JoJo lives in Tignes and owns a bar, we had too many glasses or Rose one day and were pondering what to do with my facial injuries money. That was how it all started. Then Jojo and Jazz – my other best friend- basically pulled the event into something a little more structured. We make the resort a less exclusive place (in the nicest of ways of course) as we make everyone welcome, place acts in other local venues and in the open air so that everyone feels included in this bizarre but wonderful and exciting concept.”
A question I’ve asked other major female players who are just doing incredible stuff in the music world, did you feel it hard to break through what is mainly a male orientated business, or is the fact that no one messes with Claudia helped?
“Ha ha! That’s not true! It’s not that no-one messes with me, I think because I’m small and quite cheeky and sometimes (just a tiny bit) bossy, people generally like to help me out and work with me. I’ve never seen it as a hindrance being in a male dominated world, in actual fact I can get away with more because I’m a girl and I also think that boys in general have a harder time… they are not allowed to show weakness or fear, and there is always and element of ‘my-willy-is-bigger-than-yours’ in this industry, so thankfully I just behave like a lady and those kind of issues are never a problem for me. Ultimately though, its about being good at what you do, doing things with passion and style and for the right reason s- sex doesn’t come into it for me, and to quote Mao “women hold up half of the world”.”
What artists (other than Eddy Temple Morris and the Loose Cannons obviously) are you looking forward to dancing to?
“I’m excited about all the acts we have booked as every single one of them is totally different musically and stylistically from eachother, so there is a real diversity. On a personal level, I am bursting to showcase Danimal Kingdom as this will be his first live show so as his manager I feel privileged that he’ll perform at an event that is all about buzzing new acts. Danimal Kingdom is a Damon-Albarn-in-waiting… his songwriting and performing is immense.. .you heard it here first. On a professional level I am really looking forward to hearing our opera singer in open air looking out over the snow covered mountains, Im’ getting goose bumps just thinking about it!”
What are the best clubs or bars to hang in Tignes, and what is Val D’Isere like to party at?
“Bagus Bar has the best vibe and sound system, Melting Pot is a little club of filthy joy, Café Arrabas is a real party venue and Grizzly’s is a superb apres ski venue for those of a discerning nature. Val D’isere is like Chelsea on ice, so I rarely venture there as I have too much fun in Tignes however Dick’s tea bar always bring in big name artists and The Morison is good for live music too.”
Who was the best artist at the event last year?
“No-one stood out as they were all genuinely kick-ass performers. It’s worth mentioning that Alex Metric, A Human, Bloody Beetroots, James Yuill, Primary 1, Poney Poney, The Shoes, Boy 8 Bit and the Dark Jedis have gone on to do really well post TignesFest so we have been proud of our involvement in helping to give them a higher profile.”
You are known to like a little party, what are the best Ibiza and Miami parties you’ve shaked your ass at?
“The ones that I have produced of course! Too many to mention (or remember!), however Moby live at Crobar when he was Number 1 in the UK springs to mind, the first DanceStar USA and Kissy Sell Out headlining Amnesia last year for Manumission – people literally bouncing off the walls were particular joys. I love the private rooftop/suite/villa vibes too… special people, incredible music, intimate moments..pure bliss…”
Don’t you just hate mushy boots in your hotel bedroom?
“To quote the great philosopher Bart Simpson: “I don’t know, I didn’t see it, it wasn’t me…”
What is the best kept secret place to go to in Tignes?
“Jojo- who is the authority on all things in Tignes- says there is the ‘Lost Valley’ which is just a real gem location. It’s an off piste frozen mountain stream that takes you through a Narnia-esque rock and cave valley. For food, there is an incredible shop that has a secret bar in the back which contains local produce and savoyard specialities… It’s near the Maison de Tignes and that is all she will say!”
Do you think there are too many festivals on the calendar and it is taking away people from the clubs?
“It’s not for me to judge to be honest. I do think anyone brave enough to take a risk – specially in this financial climate- should be applauded. Anyone who is trying to support the music scene, musicians and artists in general is fine by me… promoting is a really tough and stressful job and I hope that artists we book for TignesFest will help to generate numbers for any venues that book them after… so in a sense I hope that in time TignesFest becomes a feeding ground of talent for other clubs and events.”
Have you ever made a snowman?
“Yes, only once though! The very first time I saw snow, I was 10 and had just arrived in London from Colombia. I will remember the butterflies in my stomach as long as I live – it was a real magical moment. The headmaster gave me special permission to play in the snow as I didn’t want to go back to class after break time. He then started taking lots of photos of me though, which was a little weird…”
Tignes-Fest takes place April 15th – April 18th. Details on http://www.virtualfestivals.com/tignes-fest-2009
