With Year of the Katt (Metropolis Records), her third solo album, electronic musician and vocalist Mari Kattman continues on her path of musical self-discovery, drawing on her influences and extensive experience as a collaborator to further develop her own unique sound. Kattman has been active in electronic music since 2012, working with artists such as Assemblage 23, Mesh, and Mephisto Walz. She began creating music as a solo artist in 2020, providing an outlet for her skills as both a songwriter and producer.
In an email interview, Kattman discussed her creative process and the making of Year of the Katt.
Each of your albums has sounded a bit different from its predecessor, with Year of the Katt seeming to lean more toward heavier electronic elements. Did you have specific ideas or goals in mind going into it? What do you feel influenced your sound this time around?
I started my solo writing journey in 2020, which marks 5 years now since I started taking the reins on the entire process, everything after 2020 was written by me alone. Everything before that time involved another person taking a big chunk of the songwriting process. I always wrote my own vocals and lyrics but I never wrote the music or produced the music before. Not that it was bad, but I really wanted to hear what music sounded like through JUST me. I think solo writing and producing on your own is an incredible journey of self discovery. Within that self discovery I think I found a sound that is uniquely mine. I have heard people remark that they can hear a consistency in what I do, that is a HUGE honor to get that kind of feedback. I think the hallmark of a great musician is a signature sound. So, what you are hearing on Year Of The Katt, is well, ME. Influenced by everything that has ever influenced me which would make this answer far too long to go into at length.
Were there any particular differences in your creative process, approach, or musical tools for this album?
I’m a minimalist when it comes to music meaning that, I’m not a snob when it comes to tools or approach or anything like that. No great synth is going to save a song that doesn’t hook. I have a simple Arturia Keystep and some software, there really is no magic bullet. My inspiration comes from nothing. It comes in the shower, when I’m driving or walking on the treadmill at home. It sometimes comes from conversations I have or things I encounter in life, but mostly it just comes. There is no approach. I’ll literally just hear something, something will come into my mind, like a chorus or a bass line. The songs choose me and I consider myself incredibly lucky to be able to channel the creative process with the tools to bring them into reality.
When creating music entirely on your own, as you did for this album, do you have a general approach to starting the songwriting process? For example, are the electronic parts and atmosphere built around the vocal parts, or do they perhaps influence them?
When I sit down with an idea, I always have to make sure that the bass line can progress to a chorus. There absolutely needs to be a transitional point or else it goes into the scrap pile for me. Vocals are also incredibly important for me, if I can’t come up with something in the verse that will translate into a good chorus hook, it’s done. I will usually start this process very early and record ideas as they come. I don’t waste time with songs. I don’t sit and agonize over it. The best things that come, come quickly and feel the most inspired. I wrote “Ascending” in 2 hours, the words, the music, the sample, heaven sent for me. It was also a dream to produce and mix.
You’ve been involved in many musical projects. Are there particular ideas or sounds you’ve strived to explore in your solo work? Perhaps things you didn’t have an outlet for previously?
I love samples and foley sounds. I love to try and make a snare out of something interesting or throw in a sound to spice up the percussion during a verse buildup. I love IDM and even though Mari Kattman is not IDM, I have a project called “Orphins” that IS and even though Mari Kattman lends itself to more structure I still can’t help but want to experiment with interesting sounds. When I work with others, they usually hire me as a vocalist and in those cases all musical composition control is given to the other. I love having control over all the elements.
Were ‘Anemia’ and ‘Sharp Shooter’ obvious choices for singles?
It was pretty obvious which songs wanted to go as singles but I really love all the tracks very much. It’s hard to pick the two front runners that will have the most crowd appeal. Sometimes you just never know what people will gravitate toward in the end.
What was the overall time frame for making the album? Were you working on other musical projects simultaneously, or did you set aside a specific block of time to focus on this one?
The album took me about a year and a half. Again, my inspiration comes organically so I couldn’t rush this one. Also 10 songs are far more difficult to produce than doing just 2 or 3 at a time. They need to work well together. I was working on a Helix release during my album, but Helix and Mari Kattman are too vastly different projects that involve me getting into an entirely different headspace. So I just worked on what was inspiring me at the moment and both got completed.
Some solo electronic artists I’ve interviewed have talked about the challenge of having powerful tools and no studio constraints, which can make it difficult to decide when something is “done.” Do you ever run into that, and if so, what’s your approach to overcoming it?
Oh yeah! I concur. I have become very good and being like “Listen, most people are NOT musicians and that little thing you are adjusting a million times? Well yeah, no one is going to even pay attention to that.”
Could you comment on the album title?
Honestly, it was just something that came to me. I thought it was kind of cute, like Chinese Zodiac year of the dog, snake, ox…whatever. 😀
Do you perform live as a solo artist? If so, what’s your approach to adapting the material for a live setting?
I do! I have been performing as a solo act for a few years now. Since I do most of my shows with Assemblage 23, I will have Tom or Paul join me during my sets to play keys.
What are your plans now that the album is out? Touring? More singles?
I am playing Terminus Festival in Calgary, Alberta Canada this July on Saturday the 26th. We also have a European Tour lined up for October. I absolutely love getting overseas and experiencing the crowds and culture there. It’s a true joy to be able to travel and do what I love. I have actually already started the next Mari Kattman album, so fans can expect another full length next year.
Year of the Katt can be purchased from https://marikattman.bandcamp.com/.
