Kat Says: “Ring Ring! Kat Calls Season 3 Starts Thursday!”
Slumberjack helps me get the season started, and I’ve got some new jams for your ears.
Editor’s note (lol, the editor is me, but doesn’t that sound official?):
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Hey Friends!
Sorry this newsletter is, like, coming on a freakin’ Tuesday. It’s just that I’ve been busy working on something… because…
KAT CALLS IS BACK, Y’ALL!
I took January off to recoup, catch up on YouTube edits and get this newsletter off the ground, but we are official in February, and it is time to get this shitshow back on the road!
As I just said, I spent this weekend catching up on Season 2 YouTube edits. Fun fact: I haven’t been caught up with Kat Calls YouTube uploads since 2020. Next time you’re late on a project, just remind yourself: Kat Bein was late on something for an entire year and nothing that bad happened because of it. You’ll be fine!
That being said, I highly suggest you check my YouTube page and catch the recently-uploaded chats with Pat Lok, Lubelski, Monsieur Frazier and Baby Weight. It was a great string of shows to cap the season. Each of these artists are people I consider friends, and the conversations flowed accordingly.
Pat Lok and I had a lot of fun bitching about EDM subgenres and discussing why Vancouver has the best sushi (and poutine?) outside of Japan. Lubelski got real nerdy about existentialism and absurdism, and told us all about his modular synth album, Happy Accidents, out on Dirtybird.
Monsieur Frazier showed off his encyclopedic knowledge of LA’s dance music scene history, and the history of electronic music in general. Baby Weight and I espoused the merits of pissed-off female powerhouses, and we coined the term “Riot Girl Rave” to describe a lot of what’s bubbling up in the scene right now.
As far as Season 3 is concerned? I’ve got all kinds of fun stuff planned for the month ahead!
I’m kicking things off with Slumberjack, an Australian duo that I have never met personally but whose latest album Dichotomy piqued my interest. They’ve collaborated with fellow Kat Calls guests Apashe and Alison Wonderland, and they’ve got the kind of highly-textured, moody sound that I just can’t resist!
What’s coming up next? I’m still scheduling the second week. I have some great potential guests, but nothing is set in stone, so I don’t wanna speak too soon.
Thursday, Feb. 17, we’re bringing QRTR on the show! We have been scheduling and rescheduling a Kat Calls together since freaking August, and it’s finally happening! I know a lot of you enjoyed her album infina and nausea. She even got a name drop in Kat Calls: Baby Weight. So amped to get her on the program.
Finishing the month, I’ve got Thursday, Feb. 24, with Tennyson! I know this is another one the discord was amped on when I brought it up as a possibility. The duo’s new album Rot is soooo fire, trust me. Pretty sure we’ll have both Luke and Tess on the call, so get your questions ready and be sure to tune in on the fun!
I have even more amazing interviews on the horizon, and while I don’t want to say too much without having things in pen, I have received verbal commitment from one rather oversized and no-longer-living dinosaur—let me know if you can guess who that is!
Make sure you follow me on Twitch and tune in to all the fun. Remember, I stream on Thursdays at 7 pm ET / 4 pm PT. Same Kat time, same Kat channel! <3
Now, on to the tunage!
Absolutely Necessary
(This is the part where I share songs that are so good, they’re absolutely necessary to listen to. That’s it. That’s the bar.)
I made two Spotify playlists for this section that you can follow: one weekly playlist updated with just the new stuff every week, and one cumulative playlist that will host every song I pick ever (until Spotify tells me it's full). Check them out! I made them for you—and me, but mostly you.
This week for Billboard Dance, I wrote about Whipped Cream’s monster of a collab with previous Kat Calls guests Uniiqu3 and Moore Kismet, as well as NoLa Bounce legend Big Freedia! Also wrote about Zedd and Disclosure’s very left-field, very awesome collaboration. Read all about those jams in First Spin!
Away - self:antiself EP
I first met Away in idk what year, because I can’t find the interview we did online right now for some reason. It was a really good one, I’m pissed I can’t link to it. We talked about how much we both love Nine Inch Nails and bloghouse, and I chose this track from his new EP to showcase just how much he’s channeled Trent Reznor. The other three songs on the EP don’t sound like NIN and are very good in their own way. You should listen to the whole thing! Gonna get him on Kat Calls asap, for sure!
PinkPantheress - “Passion” Sam Gellaitry Remix)
I am ashamed to say I have not listened to enough PinkPantheress yet. I freaking LOVE everything I’ve ever heard, so it’s time I listen to everything she’s ever released. Maybe I get her on Kat Calls? I can’t stop thinking about it hahaha. Speaking of Kat Calls, my Sam Gellaitry video is still getting a bunch of views all the time. This remix is fucking fire.
Eden Prince x Alex Mills - “This Feeling”
Ey, who’s ready for some fucking discoooo? Don’t fight “This Feeling,” just let it slide all over your body like eco-friendly glitter and dance like the drinks just kicked in.
Uffie - “Dominoes”
Bow to your bloghouse princess. Uffie is on a bit of a streak right now. Her song “Cool” is so good, and this is such perfectly punky and poppy, without actually being a pop-punk song or some rehash on hyperpop. I wanna get Uffie on Kat Calls, I bet I can! (Also, if you don’t know Uffie, go study her.)
Kidswaste - “Let Go”
Kidswaste is a skinny minnie lil pal of mine who hails from northern France, and I am so proud to hear him singing on his new song! He’s been holed up working on new music, and there’s a lot to come. Also super proud of him for releasing on Counter. It’s like, one of my favorite labels. This song is serving hella Phoenix, YeahYeahYeahs circa ‘08, ‘09 vibes. Here for it!
Hermitude - “Promises” Feat. Andie
Australian future bass babes Hermitude are back, and the duo is serving sauce extra funky. “Promises” is a bright and bubbly bit of breakbeat with synth-pop bleep bloops and a delightful little vocal from fellow Aussie Andie. It’s the first single from Hermitude’s forthcoming album, Mirror Mountain, and we’re now on notice.
Astrolith - “Yo Ma” Feat. Cakes Da Killa, Leikeli47
Shout out Magic City Records. The label’s latest is a big club stomper with growling verses from Cakes Da Killa and Leikeli47—who you might remember put out the first certified banger of 2022, highlighted in that week’s newsletter.
DJ Fresh x Buunshin - “Dancing in the Dark”
Now it’s time to switch it up. Dark is the right adjective. These drum’n’bass beats will bloody your face, courtesy of the “Gold Dust” man himself. DJ Fresh revives his label with this one. Breakbeat Kaos helped launch the careers of Pendulum and Nero, so long live the beats.
Nitepunk - “Grounded”
While we’re going hard, this tune Brooklyn-based bass beast Nitepunk is a total slaughterhouse—in the best way. Turns out the screeching vocal comes courtesy of Lenval Laird, a fellow dance music journalist who I was recently turned on to with his own incredible interview series. His passion is instantly lovable. Please give him a follow.
Poolside x Brijean – “Better When We're Close”
Okay, let’s cool it back down with a sultry dip into the smooth sounds of Poolside with Brijean. This a hazy-day, space-age, mid-century modern moon. If you’re a fan of Khruangbin, you’ll dig this jazzy, synth-laced sex.
Denzel Curry - “Walkin”
Damn, Denzel Curry did one for the old heads. This is some real Q-Tip, ‘90s era hip-hop throwback—at least for the first part. He hits you with the modern half beat, but his flow stays majestic. S/O a Miami rapper earning his legendary status.
Here’s what’s coming up:
Wednesday, Feb. 2:
Cutie Club: Pony Play
Y’all realize how many songs there are that fit into this ridiculous category? SOPHIE’s “Pony Boy.” Deftones “White Pony.” Patti Smith’s “Horses.” Yes, we’re playing a bunch of songs that have to do with equines, and we’re gonna make weird sex jokes while we do it.
7 pm ET / 4 pm PT
twitch.tv/katbein
Thursday, Feb. 3:
Kat Calls: Slumberjack
If you read the newsletter, you know this Australian duo just put out a dank album called Dichotomy. We’re going to explore its layers and get to know the guys better!
7 pm ET / 4 pm PT
twitch.tv/katbein
Thanks for tuning into my newsletter. Listen to the playlists on Spotify. One is updated weekly with all the songs from each edition. The other is cumulative with all the updates ever!