Our story

TUATARA was founded by Lucie Jacquemet in March 2024. Born in Saint-Etienne, France, Lucie started to work in the cultural sector during her Political Science and Journalism studies, between Lyon and Brussels. After travelling a lot and spending 10 years in Brussels, she decided to come back to her hometown to launch her own company, convinced by the values of authenticity and creativity that she has always seen here.

A few words about me

Passionate about the cultural sector with an appetite for the music industry and the independent world, I started learning music when I was 5 through piano practice and music theory.

At 15, I found in love with electronic music and started music production with an analogic set-up and got a first gig with a live act in my hometown.

Since then, I have never stopped exploring music, from Hip-hop, Bass music, to Techno and Psytrance, being a producer, a DJ, a volunteer for events organisation or a marketing promoter for parties.

I have evolved in the cultural world where each discipline regularly intersects, music and street art, circus and dance, visual art and writing, and much more.

After developing my professional skills and network through working experiences at the French, Belgian, and European levels, I wanted to put my own vision into action by integrating my activism as the foundation of my professional activities.

Professional experiences

IMPALA, the independent music companies association. I started as Project and Network Assistant, and I ended up as Membership and Project Manager. IMPALA’s mission is to grow the independent music sector sustainably, return more value to artists, promote diversity and entrepreneurship, improve political access, inspire change and increase access to finance.

See key projects I worked on with IMPALA here.

DIVERCITIES, the Brussels-based startup which developed an “alternative cultural guide” to discover cities through independent digital content. Powered by the French cooperative company 1D Lab and supported by Creatis incubator and ING Art Center. I worked as Business Developer and Editorial Manager.

See key projects I worked on with DIVERCITIES here.

1D LAB is a French cooperative society of collective interest (Scic) that aims, through digital services and resources, to enhance the dissemination and remuneration of independent creations (music, video games, children resources, theater, documentaries). Built with the collective energy of a multitude of actors (federations, labels, artists, local authorities, community radios, concert halls, etc.), the cooperative has been conceived as a territory for collaborative experiments, advocating for shared governance of the projects undertaken.

See key projects I worked on with 1D Lab here.

Artistic career

Serotonine (2014 to now)

Dancing both in front of the speakers and behind the decks, Serotonine began her journey in hip-hop before delving into electronic music over a decade ago. Since her very first analog live act in 2008, even before reaching adulthood, she has been delivering sets that “won’t give you a chance to take a bathroom break”. From Techno to Psytrance, she also loves UK Bass and all kinds of groovy and intense electronic music.

She is a member of the NCTRN Records family and she joined the Brussels’ radio show PROUG on Radio Panik back in 2016, as co- host. In 2022 she joined the roster of Lab’Elles Events and Booking agency, focusing on female artists. Early 2023, she joined AlpaKa Muzik as a resident DJ and she started spreading the Canadian record label’s music all across Europe.

Barbara Novak (2008 to 2014)

Barbara Novak went on stage for the first time in 2008 when she was 15 years old. She worked for a few years with Face B prod (home of l’Entourloop). She made her very first artist residency at Le Fil (Saint-Etienne, France) for the programme “Bold Session” where she produced her first track “Mahjong” in 2011. She also produced some instrumental tracks for local MCs and was able to share the line up with artists like Manu Le Malin, Stupeflip, Dj Fly, Dope D.O.D, Maniacx, Djedjotronic, and more.

Cultural activism

Lab’Elles Events and Booking Agency is an association founded in 2015 by Delphine Lafrange, with the aim of promoting female artists from all parts of the world. Lab’Elles develops multidisciplinary artistic projects in electronic music and digital arts in South-East France.

I became part of their roster as a DJ and producer in 2022. Since then, I have been invited to play at Le Petit Salon and Péniche Loupika (Lyon), VEX and La Barrack (Valence), Hangar 2A (Ajaccio, Corsica), and there are more gigs to come.

Radio Panik is a Brussels-based free radio station that defines itself as an associative radio of expression and creation, as well as a multi- and intercultural radio. It was created in 1983 at the initiative of a group of individuals advocating against racism and for human rights.

For almost 8 years, I took part in the radio show ‘PROUG,’ which focuses on underground and psychedelic music.

I’m a member of Connect’HER, an association that promotes the accessibility of electronic music to artists from gender minorities. The project revolves around a website, a media outlet covering artists’ news on social networks, radio shows, music events, and DJing and music production training.

In 2013, I participated in Femcees Fest (Saint-Etienne, France), a hip-hop festival highlighting women’s talent in hip-hop. I led a workshop on beatmaking and performed a set. This festival aimed to celebrate women by providing them with the chance to share the stage, as well as engage in exchanges during workshops covering all Hip Hop disciplines: graffiti, DJing, rapping, breakdancing (and other dance styles).

I am a member of Café Rosa and supported its creation. Café Rosa is a committed, cultural, mixed, and inclusive space based in Lyon (France), aiming to promote and contribute to the dissemination of information and knowledge related to the rights of women and minorities, from an intersectional perspective.