DOA:
Easy Dan. We got our mitts on Apex's Omega EP, which is definitely a moody affair, on your Katakis imprint. Talk to us about your desire to move on from Trust In Music to Katakis, which we see is you trying to focus on the deeper side of the DnB scene.Dan Ignite: My wish to run a label evolved from being a Drum & Bass DJ. While the scene in the UK was obviously always something very specific, our view on Drum & Bass in Germany was probably very different from the beginning. I always enjoyed Drum & Bass as an entity, it was more about the concept of the accelerated beats in general, while I guess elsewhere there is a need to say you're a jump up DJ, or you play intelligent Drum & Bass while you don’t like the dark and techy stuff at all.
The original intention with Trust in Music was actually to do a Drum & Bass label without limitations to sub genres of Drum & Bass. I insisted that this was a good idea for the first few releases while pretty much everyone around tried to convince me that this was a stupid plan. So Trust in Music simply evolved as a label for neurofunk and techy Drum & Bass because that was my preferred style back then, and actually still is. But Kaktais now gives me more freedom to have a spotlight on a kind of Drum & Bass that I always appreciated just as much, deep atmospheric and also leftfield and experimental Drum & Bass.
DOA:
The first bit on Katakis is from Wintermute, with the aforementioned EP from Apex being #2. Tell us how these releases have helped shape the idea you have outlined for Katakis.
Dan Ignite: Compared to Trust in Music, this time it is not so much about shaping and evolving and the plan is clearer. The first EP had a good mixture of deep and melodic tracks in my opinion, but also dancefloor friendly when I think of "Out of Scale". I really like this kind of ambivalent vibe, a traveler between the worlds of dance and chill out. The Apex EP definitely goes even more into a liquid and partially even happy mood, and that definitely is the intention. The borders of Katakis are sort of set within these styles, while there might be things that are even more "leftfield" in the future, possibly totally ignoring a dancefloor compatibility on purpose.
DOA:
Do you find it difficult establishing an imprint out of Berlin?
Dan Ignite: Well if you ask like that, of course it is. Any place outside of the UK is probably more difficult, because the UK is (still) the main market with 80-90% of sales. But that's just the business side of things, and I've never had any false expectations of the commercial outlook of a Drum & Bass label. That sounds a bit dark but it is my hobby and my love, and not the job that gets the money in. This may sound a bit cliché, but I just wanted to participate and give something back to this music and this scene that has always meant a lot for me in my life.
DOA:
When did you first get into the Drum & Bass scene? What attracted to you to Drum & Bass when you first got wind of it? What is it about DnB that keeps you interested?
Dan Ignite: I actually can't quite pin down what keeps me interested. I guess it must be the initial enthusiasm for Drum & Bass that still lives on. My first exposure with it probably was a lot different to others, most got into it because they went to a rave or something like that. I wasn't born in Berlin, and the small town I come from was absolutely dead in that aspect. The only "thing" we got was LTJ Bukem and Conrad. But even before going out to a night with him, I remember that it was a mate who gave me a few records to play around with. It was a few V Recordings, Under Fire and Ed Rush & Optical tracks. It was just the most alien thing that I had ever come across and the energy I felt in it definitely matched with my quick-tempered character back then.
DOA:
With two releases in the can, where are you trying to take Katakis in the next batch of releases?Dan Ignite: It's exciting as obviously every release will shape the face of the imprint at the moment. It might be silly to say I aim to establish it as a big and respected label by all - but if that wasn't the goal I don’t know what it would be! So we are definitely setting out to conquer the world haha. I also want to avoid a few mistakes that I made with Trust in Music, for example putting out things "too fast" because you feel them initially. Everything on Katakis will be double and triple checked for quality, originality and production.
DOA:
What can the heads who are digging Katakis expect to hear from you in the near future?Dan Ignite: The concept of establishing artists, like we did with Trust in Music is definitely the same for Katakis as well. So for example we have high hopes for our friend from Leipzig, Wintermute. Apart from that I also hope to get some collaborations from established artists that I always adored, like for example Spectrasoul or even dBridge.
DOA:
Any shouts or final thoughts before we wrap this up?Dan Ignite: Definitely lol. When I give an interview once I won’t let that pass
Lots of love and respect to: Apex, Miss Redflower, Cyrilla, Neonlight, Ratrex, Dementia, FD, Mefjus, Wintermute, Wreckage Machinery, Derail Studio, Nursa, Vali NME, Diaz Soto, Kid Atari, Subland Crew[/b], Dominik Fourward, Pris, Allied, Frank Rosis, Mow HAB, Proktah, Groove Attack, Mel Webgiants, Rregula, Incident, Axiom, Kasia, Pier Redrum, Jungweird, László Percy, Kathi, ErnestOr, Audite, Sarah, Epidemic, Küchenpiloten Crew, Disphonia, Kantyze, Maztek, Inside Info, Kaiza, [b]Rido, Morebeat, Malsum, Gonzo Melting Pot, Nevroz Mindtech, Block Dodger, James Overtech, Brandon Icarus, Nphect, Flowpro, Richard Lock, Jen Stiller, HNS, Zero Method, Esion, Giocator and Exorcist.
Tracklist:
1. Mayhem & Logam - "Centuria" [Santoku]
2. Apex - "City Limits" [Katakis 002]
3. Neonlight, SH1 & Wintermute - "Perpetuum Mobile" [C4C dub]
4. Incident - "Indigo Shade" [Fokuz]
5. Apex - "String Theory" [Katakis dub]
6. Kantyze - "Not My God" [Trust in Music dub]
7. D Bridge - "Wonder Where" [Nonplus]
8. Fracture & FD - "No Rest" [Subtitles]
9. Wintermute - "Triad" [Katakis dub]
10. A-Negative & Soundnbeats - "Nine" [dub]
11. Traffic & Kash - "The next chapter" [Katakis dub]
12. Apex - "Surrender" [Katakis 002]
13. Arclight - "Doorways" [Katakis dub]
14. Mefjus - "Far too close " [Neodigital dub]
15. Nphect - "Flash" [Katakis dub]
16. Wreckage Machinery - "Cold Hands (Logam remix)" [Esprit]
17. Apex - "Omega Point" [Katakis 002]
http://content.dogsonacid.com/mixes/Dan_Ignite-Katakis_Promo_Mix-March2012.mp3
www.katakis-recordings.com | www.facebook.com/katakis.recordings | www.facebook.com/ignitednb
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