Meet the pulsating heartbeat behind the decks, Katharine! With an insatiable passion for electronic soundscapes, Katharine has been crafting sonic journeys that captivate and elevate the senses.
From raising two boys, co-founding a record label, and sharing stages with industry heavyweights. Katherine has forged a path illuminated by innovation and rhythm. As a DJ she has woven her unique cross-genre magic into the music landscape, creating an unforgettable blend that defies boundaries. We are stoked to have her for episode 77, she was also kind enough to answer some questions about life, music & 333 EP 077, scroll down to have a read. Enjoy!
1. What was the creative spark or concept behind this mix, what emotions or atmosphere were you aiming to convey to the listeners?
I have been experiencing an intense flow of curating and mixing this year, mostly spontaneous, so it was a little different for me to ponder planning this set. I delved into a longer ambient introduction in order to then flip into my minimal groove one third of the way through. This way I have the listener in a beautiful relaxed and appreciative state of mind before delivering some stimulating tracks which I have sourced from around the world – from inspired producers who make the unusual minimal sound I play. I’ve been focussing on this sound for over a decade now, so my way with the pieces I pick has become second nature. I like to play minimal that’s thought provoking, euphoric, deep and fun. The atmosphere created is like stepping into another dimension, perhaps providing a glimpse of a parallel universe, yet amidst the strangeness, there’s a most desireable warmth and familiarity. It’s nourishing and reassuring.
2. Can you walk us through your track curation process for a mix that reflects your unique style and sound?
After years of digging for music with records and digital wavs I can tell very quickly what I like and don’t like, so upon picking new music, I don’t like to listen to it too much, instead I trust my intuition and combine them with older favourite pieces that I adore and rarely listen to, having saved them for extremely special moments only. I launch in with a favourite piece and then select the music as I mix. I may have four pieces I want to play and the rest fall into place around them. It’s storytelling with a minimal infectious groove.
3. Which artists or record labels have significantly influenced and shaped your style, and how have they impacted your approach to music?
I find this question hard to answer as I have looked at so many labels and artists over the last 20 years djing. My musical partner Ben Abrahams and I were part of the West Coast house scene, playing tracks from that movement at Elsewhere Bar on the Gold Coast, where we made a pledge to only delivery underground music to their Saturday night – our Motion:Theory:Music club night, a commitment which helped them win Best Music for a Club in Australia at the Sydney Bar Music Awards. Ben played for 5 hours every Saturday night for 8 years with not a night off, and I before him. They were amazing times of incredibly fresh music, and he was a profound influencer of the underground scene on the East Coast. Over time I would seek the most unusual music I could find that still made me dance, and that became known as minimal techno. There is no one label that influenced me more than others, although being asked to make a mix for Mesa Music was a defining moment for me – being appreciated by great musicians from Santa Fe who run parties in the desert. I select music from many different places, and that’s what caught the eye of the Microtechno Podcast series, Feeder Sound and other early Ro-minimal influenced series that reached out to me, like Art E. The mix I made for them is experiencing a revival right now, as the subtle minimal session I created from Romanian influenced music 9 years ago is still most desireable, especially with those newly discovering the groove. I made mixes for our own Motion:Theory:Music series on Soundcloud, and those mixes are filled with music I still rate most highly. I am now sent unreleased music from leading minimal labels and their artists, but am very selective about what I include…it’s just got to sound fresh and make me feel good. Jules David and I connect deeply over the sound, and I have played one of his tracks in nearly every mix I’ve made going back many years.
4. In your view, how is the electronic music scene evolving, and what do you believe are the most exciting developments or trends to watch for?
I was extremely happy to record a session for a minimal Columbian series called A:ritmi:a – they host some of the best producers and djs in the minimal scene. I deeply pondered how minimal had changed over the last decade before jumping in and mixing my session, which they then called the most dynamic on their series – a huge compliment! I had noticed a lot of dark minimal prevailing, and also a quite clubby house style – which I had been through in the 2000s, so I really wanted to represent my own take on minimal, which is what I did. The success of that mix showed me that trusting yourself to play what feels just right, truly following your intuition, is the way to really make a mark. There’s a huge rehash of 90s/early 2000 music happening right now with the younger clubbers, and that’s quite strange for those of us who lived through it, it’s like travelling back in time, so I personally like to play more recent developments, but understand that if it’s the first time around for people to hear those techno, acid and trance sounds, then I’m glad they’re getting to do so. Ben mixed an Earthcore cd release on our vintage autopsy table in our Richmond warehouse in 2000 – onto minidisk, and that made waves at the time. The cd was in everyone’s car stereos for years. Please go and listen to that on Soundcloud, and like Cameron Coley Smith the owner of Killing Time said: “Ben, you could still drop this on many floors to this date!!! So ahead of your time!” So our Motion:Theory posse have always been advocates of turning people onto new sound: watch this space! We laugh that it’s a kind of Aus:minimal.
5. Could you share a memorable moment or a particularly challenging obstacle you encountered during the creation of this mix, and how did it shape the final outcome?
I mixed this session in my living room with my cats and 2 boys aged 6 and 13 who I homeschool. I love that years ago, this trippy music I adore, was mostly expressed in the middle of the night in a club, forest or warehouse, but now I am so familiar playing it within the most domestic of settings which makes me grin – the psychedelic dance floor experience is wherever we want it to be!! I often have to run around the house and cook food, hang out washing and attend to my children during mixing…they’re used to me dashing around, dancing and dashing. Very often I listen back and laugh as I recall sprinting back to the mixer just in time after sorting out an urgent household incident; the multi-tasking magic of motherhood. Right now I have our bearded dragon on my lap. When I listen back, usually after the submission, I often spin myself out as I can’t recall the moment of choosing the music as I had to be so in the moment to make it happen, there’s not much time for planning in my life, but this means the session remains a fresh experience for me, something I want to listen to, a feeling which hopefully comes through.
6. What upcoming projects or releases can your fans look forward to, and how do you plan to continue sharing your music with your audience?
We created our Motion:Theory:Music label to express our excitement for new sounds that make the dance floor ignite with an undeniable charge. We release local artists such as the incredible Jules David and Timmus, remixed by world class Internationals. Our first Ep is Vincent Casanova, and we have Herck, Jay Tripwire and Terry Francis up next. This year I have made mixes for over 19 series so far – collectives and labels from around the world who passionately advocate for the minimal sound. I’m pretty sure that’s a large number of mix sessions, possibly more than anyone in Australia, and they’re nearly all spontaneously curated – it’s been wild! This is how I’ve become known, through the mixes I’ve recorded for a decade now; I’m compelled to source and mix sublime sounds. I’ve also been stoked to play for 9 different crews this year, and supported Silat Beksi at the amazing Killing Time Bar for Eau de Groove on Friday night. I had to play at the same time as him which is never an easy task, but both rooms were vibing indeed. Next weekend I’m playing on the final Sunday of the beautiful Comfort Zone festival, and I aim to create an extremely lush vibration for everyone who has been partying for the 3 days!
7. Is there a special message or something specific you’d like to share with the fans who have supported your journey?
I have made so many friends with long time listeners and also the producers whose music I play. When I hear something amazing, I immediately reach out to the creator, thank them, and usually we become buddies. What a way to connect! Never be shy to say when a bit of music blows you away….
