A new sensation has landed. The remix genius explodes with ‘Siren’ – dancefloor chaos warning
Interview : Dan Prince
Kat welcome to DMCWORLD, where in the world are you right now?
“Hey Dan, relaxing in the south of France, tucking into a batch of fresh croissants on holiday…”
Well what a year you are having, massive remixes, huge production and now yet another killer Kat Krazy tune – ‘Siren’ feat. Elkka. Talk us through the tune…
” ‘Siren’ for me is something out of the ordinary, which I like to call a juxtaposition track. I wanted to have something that stretches its appeal with the sparse, haunting verses / breakdowns and then hit you in the face with the impactful drop of Bass infused, electronic madness! It sounds very cliché, but it was one of those tracks you have so much enjoyment creating under no timing / pressure constraints, which came together very naturally. I released Siren on my ‘Katnip Records’ imprint, which found itself in the top 10 on US and Canadian iTunes dance chart within the first 2 days. I have since licensed the track to the almighty ‘Armada Music’ and also signing Siren to Ministry of Sound for the UK. The music video is also not far off, so keep watching…”
https://soundcloud.com/armadamusicofficial/kat-krazy-feat-elkka-siren)
The tune is out on your own Katnip imprint, what are the next plans for the label…?
“I started Katnip Records only recently with the main focus on Kat Krazy releases. ‘Siren’ is the first release, which has been a real success to date, so I want to keep this momentum and plan each release carefully to help this happen. It’s about quality control for Katnip over quantity”
‘Siren’ has smashed charts all over Europe, the US and Canada. Where did you know this tune was going to go down an absolute treat?
“Well I always thought the sound of ‘Siren’ would lend itself well to the American market in particular, especially after seeing the success of Zedd recently. I luckily had a great deal of support from many of the American blogs and channels (Earmilk, Kick Kick Snare, Poponandon, Proximity) which also helped to build recognition of the single in the US and Canada. Based on the reactions generated from the blogs and the feedback I received on Soundcloud / Youtube, I started to see the real future potential for the record. The track has also had some great support on BBC Radio 1 in the UK, which I hope will continue to grow.”
Did you know you had created something a bit special on completion of the record?
“During the actual song writing process with the talented Elkka and Eddie Kid was that ‘wow’ moment of hearing how the music and vocals would gel, and knew then that it was something very special indeed…”
You had everyone jumping around to your remix of Natalia Kills’ ‘Problem’ last month, what are your next remix projects coming up – One Direction, Armin Van Buuren rumours abound?
“Rumour has it! Correct. I am currently remixing Armin’s next single ‘Beautiful Life’, which is a joy to work with, as I love the original. It’s a huge privilege to be remixing the worlds no.1 DJ! I have also been on rmx duties for Emeli Sande and Naughty Boy’s forthcoming single, which is massive! Always been a big fan of Emeli. I have Foxes in the pipeline for the next Kat Krazy.”
You are being billed as the hottest remixer in the world right now. You take on such a huge variety of different artists and their own music genre, what is your remix process in the studio?
“That’s very nice to hear! I wanted to make a stamp on the remix world and not conform to what I was hearing as a pretty predictable process in remixing and producing. I’ve always been about the unexpected and wanting to go against the norm. This can work but sometimes I take things too far, which can be the other extreme. Some of my remixes and originals have scared various record labels at first, as they are pushed outside their comfort zone, but then more often than not translate well in this field. I will not confine to one particular style of artist either. I have been happy to remix bands like Coldplay, Bastille, Foster the People to remixing the likes of Olly Murs, One Direction, Far East Movement and Rihanna. This is because I love the challenge of trying to turn any of these songs into my very own. I don’t want to stay too narrowly focused on certain artists and bands just to retain a sense of credibility. I like to rebel against what people expect, but at the same time don’t take things too far as I have to really love the track I am working on.”
Who are some of the producers from around the world you are giving high fives to at the moment?
“Elevated High 5’s to the likes of BT, Feed Me, Zedd, Mord Fustang and Lazy Rich, as with these guys, it’s a mixture of having such a distinctive and creative sound to incredible production, which I 100% look up to.”
You have worked with some mighty artists including Coldplay, Nicole Scherzinger, Stooshe, Olly Murs and Professor Green – what one piece of production are you most proudest of?
“It really has to be the first of the 2 official Coldplay remixes (I love saying ‘official’ – a guilty pleasure!), which was the remix of Coldplay and Rihanna’s ‘Princess of China’. For me personally this was a real milestone to reach as Coldplay have been a band I have largely looked up to and followed as a young teenager. To have the feedback and approval on the remix from Chris and the band saying they really loved the mix was a big moment!`’
Be a devil, who have you turned down?
“Haha! Ahem…I turned down a KK remix for ‘One Pound Fish’. Amen.”
Who are some of the artists you grew up listening to that have influenced you?
“Here goes! The influences are a mixture of Jamiroquai, Crowded House, The Beatles, Zero 7, Goldfrapp, Groove Armada, Basement Jaxx, David Bowie, Bonobo, Moby, Coldplay (the wonder years), Portishead, Pendulum and Radiohead…to name a good handful.”
Not many people know this, but Kat Krazy is really good at…
“Growing and maintaining gooseberries…yep…that just happened here on DMCWORLD…”
Who is the person from history you would most like to have a pint with and why?
“Henry VIII…I have a ridiculous love for medieval history, so sharing a tankard with this old chap would do wonders. I don’t intend to gain another 5 or so wives and behead the lot, but Henry to me is iconic of this era.”
What was the last GREAT club you went to?
“Sankeys Manchester…sadly no more…”
The film you can watch over and over…?
“As typical as it may sound, it really has to be The Matrix! I know, I know….”
Why all the mystery surrounding the man behind Kat Krazy?
“It remains a mystery…”
And finally dude. Gotta ask, how many cats roam around the Kat Krazy crib…?
“Still counting Dan, still counting…”
www.armadamusic.com