The Reign of Catz ‘n Dogz

Catz 'n Dogz have survived todays highly volatile electronic music scene for more than ten years and the Polish duo have definitely learned a thing or two along the way. We had the opportunity to speak with Greg and Voitek about the difference between European and North American dance music, how they've managed to stay ahead of the curve and what's next for their personal career, Pets Recordings, and their upcoming vinyl label.

Thump: This isn't your first time in Canada, what would you say is the biggest difference between the North American and European music scenes?

Greg: I think even the way people dance is different. In America people are more open and dance a little crazier than in Europe.

Voitek: I think the fundamentals of house and techno are kind of different. Especially in the UK, Canada, and the US; the influence is more soulful and more hip-hop based whereas in Europe the history of club music is more based around techno and electro. European music is more repetitive whereas North American music is more fun and playful. We find ourselves fitting very well in both scenes.

G: We like playing in different countries to get different experiences and inspirations from the different cultures.

You guys started as club promoters. Was a career in production and DJing always the end goal?

W: It was very natural.

G: We both started DJing and at first I was kind of unsure if I wanted to do it. I had my radio show and Wojciech was playing everywhere in the club scene. We teamed up together and found that we worked very well as a team.

W: We are a good team because Gregory always finds the best software and then teaches me how to use it and it works well that way.

Career spanning a decade, what has changed for you guys?

G: We've had a few changes. The biggest one was when we changed from 3channels to Catz 'n Dogz in 2007. Then we decided we did not want to be tacked as a minimal techno act. We were listening to a wider range of genres and wanted to play different music so we changed our name to Catz 'n Dogz. At first it was quite difficult breaking through, but we are really happy that we did it. Now we can play whatever we want.

W: We have survived a number of different musical cycles already. I remember when we played with DJ Sneak he told us something very interesting. He was very chilled about everything because the gig was total crap, but he told us how he survives even though the music is changing by just doing his thing regardless of what's hot or cool. The music goes back and forth and people just put different stickers on it, which is cool for us because we like a wide range of music

Pets Recordings, what's next for that?

G: Right now we are preparing the compilation. It will be out May 5th in vinyl shops. There will be a limited series of USB keys in the shape of bones which will be released in a few shops and it will also be on digital. There are a lot of newer artists on it, it will be very international: UK, US, and Bulgaria.

W: We also have an Axel Bowman EP on Pets, he's a good friend of ours. We will also have a project with Kink and Eats Everything, which is called Catz Eats Kink, which will be the three of us doing a collaborative project together, we are really excited about this one.

Vinyl is making a big comeback and you guys have a new label.

G: It's called Step, it works in a way that every three months a vinyl comes out and then as the second one comes out, the first one comes out on digital. Giving the digital release an almost three-month lag from the vinyl will encourage people to buy the vinyl version.

W: Four releases per year. It will be like it used to be, a four track EP with an A side and B side. The new one is out right now, it's a young guy from Italy and we remixed it under our old name 3channels, since it has quite a techno feel. We like doing some experimental stuff under 3channels.

You guys do a good job blending genres, with all the new sub genres has anything caught your eye? Any new sounds you like?

G: It's hard to say because it's always changing with us. Sometimes we like moody grooves and sometimes we like happy house. We love to mix up what we play and we love to adjust to the different people who come out to our shows.

W: Usually, for 30 minutes we test what they like. Then we try to please people and please ourselves. Then in the second hour when the crowd is going crazy we like to play something that no one would expect to try and catch people off guard. We enjoy taking that risk, and I think the fans enjoy it to. It's like a give and take. I envy DJs that can play the weird shit all the time and people love it. We tried that and it's not working [laughs].