Meet Catstem, a 2005-born musician whose music effortlessly traverses genres, blending hardstyle anthems with tender acoustic ballads. In this interview, Catstem shares insights into the creative process, discussing influences from J-core to vaporware. Challenging underground music norms, Catstem embraces analog sounds, creating a distinctive sonic identity.
Described as a rollercoaster of emotions, Catstem's music strikes a balance between simplicity and complexity, offering a unique auditory experience. Aspiring to inspire self-exploration, Catstem shares a vision for the future of music that goes beyond trends, and she delves into all of that with us in today’s interview
INTERVIEWYour music seamlessly blends genres, from hardstyle anthems to tender acoustic ballads. How did you develop this diverse range, and what inspires you to experiment with such varied sonic landscapes?
I was born in 2005, so I grew up alongside the rise of YouTube and also just the Internet becoming a common thing in most households. This helped me have easy access to explore so much art over the years, and suddenly I was listening to tons of J-core and speedcore, but also downtempo, drone, and vaporware.
I'm quite the attentive listener when it comes to music, and try to make sense of everything I'm listening to, so I definitely just ended up taking in so much that ended up influencing my own works...
It's impossible for me to only exist in a small, little bubble when creating. ~(=^‥^)_｡
Your sound design is described as a rollercoaster of emotions. Can you take us through your creative process when crafting a track and how you navigate the complexities of evoking different feelings within a single piece?
One of the most important things that decides what kind of song I'm making is the headspace I'm in while doing so.
Everything is a reflection of something I feel or a very specific thought I have, and my move from there is trying to express that with sound. The interesting thing, however, is perhaps "reflection" isn't even the right word to use there, as I can never 100% translate those thoughts and feelings properly.
They seem to go through some sort of filter that blurs them a little and makes them a bit more broad... It's almost like instead of these songs being ripped straight from my brain, they're coming from my dreams.
Perhaps this subtle vagueness is for the better, as it lets me express myself while allowing me to keep personal things to myself, and allows others to relate to what I feel while also being able to attach it to their own thoughts and feelings, rather than just be stuck with mine.
Additionally, this makes for a avery go-with-the-flow process when making tracks, as instead of trying to somehow perfectly match what I feel, it ends up having a life of its own that still relates to me. ₍ᵔ·͈༝·͈ᵔ₎
The underground scene is known for its unique and diverse sounds. How do you feel your music contributes to or challenges the conventions of the underground music community?
It's a bit tough naming ways to challenge the conventions of the underground scene since it's so diverse and everyone is doing such unique things...
But perhaps if anything, I'd say that the progression of catstem sonically tends to be a bit less "digital" than you'd typically find coming from these communities.
This isn't to knock any of those sounds, of course...
Seeing artists embrace sounds and techniques unique to digital audio workstations has been really cool, for example, in styles like HexD, however, I find myself instead trying to emulate a more analog sound, and pushing towards the slight imperfections you'd hear in synths from older acts like Boards of Canada.
Maybe a good way to put it is that I tend to take influence from very new, online forms of art while also embracing the characteristics of electronic work of the past alongside that. =^._.^= ∫
Your production style is often described as in-your-face and bombastically creative. How do you strike a balance between creating music that demands attention while also maintaining a sense of musicality and cohesion?
I think a way I've been able to create tracks that are both interesting but also maintain a sense of musicality comes from the way I tend to build off of simple ideas and expand those into more interesting worlds.
Much of my sound design comes from simple waveshapes, like squares and sines, but are kind of spammed with extra little parameters and post-processing to give them character.
Additionally, my writing style melodically tends to be more simplistic while still having emotions built into it. This makes for an experience that is accessible and digestible for others, but still, one that isn't generic or "cookie-cutter".
Adding in little imperfections such as finely detuning the pitch of my synths, downsampling or using other means to move away from a clean sound, using convolution reverb with strange impulses, and other specific techniques ends up being crucial to making otherwise simple sounds have a unique essence to them and makes them interesting to listen to.
d(චᆽච)b
Moving between the energy of hardstyle to the intimacy of acoustic ballads requires a unique skill set. Can you share any challenges you face when navigating such extremes in your music, and how do you overcome them?
A big challenge for me personally is I'll find myself in the wrong headspace for the music I feel like making at the moment. I can't simply just sit down randomly and make a catstem song, nor can I suddenly make a cat.flp song.
Perhaps this is the biggest con to making art that is hugely influenced by a deeper sense of self rather than just making art to make art...
Having that sort of disconnect ends up making what I want to do feel nearly impossible. It sucks, but in reality, it's not the end of the world... Moments like this are when I instead focus on experimentation and adding to my palette.
The pause between my most recent release before "cemetery park" and the release of the single ended up being a period where I experimented more with distorted, high-resonance synths... Like 303, acid-inspired sound design.
Totally random and not too related to the music I tend to make, but it's something, at least! Case and point, sometimes the best thing to do when you find yourself in the wrong headspace for the work you want to do is simply to take a step back and take a break until that mindset comes back to you.
Do some side quests...（ФоФ)
Surprise and delight seem to be integral to your artistic philosophy. How do you approach keeping your audience on their toes while maintaining a cohesive identity as an artist?
I feel an important thing is to let yourself evolve but also establish a unique sound to yourself at the same time. There are so many little things you can do that makes the music you create have a piece of you in it that people can recognize...
It can be anything from the way you write melodies to the types of drums you use to even just the "vibe" of the tracks you're making.
I guess I realized I had developed some sort of identity music-wise once people started sending me songs specifically because it reminded them of me... I had a close friend message me immediately after hearing "Perpetual Bloom" off the new G Jones album, which was super cool.
I think what I'm getting at is that if you can express a bit of yourself in your art, your character will shine no matter what. =^∇^*=
In the ever-evolving landscape of the underground scene, how do you stay true to your artistic vision while also adapting to changing trends and influences?
Don't let yourself feel pressure due to trends or new releases in the underground scene...
This is something I see a lot of people stress out over, and I've for sure had my moments of it too. Feeling like you're working too slow to keep up with everyone else... Hearing something new and feeling like you have to change everything you're doing to emulate that...
Feelings like these suck.
They're especially frustrating because what you might not realize in the moment is certain musicians are doing certain things differently simply because you are different artists and different people.
Everyone creates at different paces... Everyone creates for different reasons... Everyone creates in different ways...
It's just not worth getting yourself into such a negative hole like that, and it's not realistic either. The better option is to take influence from new and exciting art and apply that to your own artistic vision rather than letting the ideas of others overshadow yours.
Plus, that's kind of how new trends and influential works come up anyway... Unique takes on other exciting ideas and trends. ( =ω= )
Are there specific artists or genres that have had a profound impact on your music, and how do you incorporate those influences into your own distinct style?
A really eye-opening moment for me was discovering Yume Nikki as a kid alongside other adjacent fan games.
The original game's soundtrack, composed by Kikiyama, had this unique ability to attach itself to me and some of my deepest thoughts and most personal memories... But most of the songs are just a few seconds long, on loop, made from sounds from the Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth...
It's really bare-bones computer music at a technical level, but something about its simplistic nature and its repetitive structure results in a really neat piece of music you can make so many meanings out of. It's not really songs with a start and end, it's more like the sound of stopping in your tracks, thinking about the setting surrounding you, and trying to find symbolism in it...
Where you just stand there and wonder, "what does all of this mean to me?"
This theme of being vague and up to interpretation ended up having a very big role in my music as catstem... It's evoking really specific thoughts and feelings of mine, but at the same time, it isn't, and it can be anything for anyone.
Outside of Kikiyama, another notable artist for me as an ambient musician is Mizuhiro, or more specifically his project, "25,000 Kittens"... The bittersweet pads and overall meaning behind this EP will forever hold a special place for me... Also, Ana Roxanne is such a wonderful energy.
Her cover of Whitney Houston's "I'm Every Woman" on her "~~~" EP is such a beautiful palette of sound... Her synths are so full of character and have had a huge influence on my own sound. (⌯’▾’⌯) ∫
As a rising producer and artist, what are your aspirations for the future, both in terms of your own artistic evolution and your impact on the music scene?
For aspiration, I don't think my goals exactly aim to drastically change the music scene in a sonic way, but perhaps be more important to individuals on a personal level.
I've never really felt tasked with putting drone music 'on the radar', or something like that... I've always just created soundscapes that relate to different parts of myself, partly in hopes of allowing me to better understand myself, but also in hopes of giving others the chance to do so too.
Perhaps if anything, I hope to inspire more people to explore and express themselves in a more spiritual sense. I want people to have some sort of outlet for that either through my work, the work of others, or their own music.
After releasing my debut project, "boxes for missing cats", I was really happy to receive messages and comments from peers and fans who found that the album meant something to them...
Maybe it's not some big impact on the underground scene at large yet, if that ever does happen, but knowing it can impact a few people and help them in some way has made this all worth it.
˓˓ฅ₍˄ุ.͡ ̫.˄ุ₎ฅ˒˒
Your technical mastery is evident in your music. Can you share any tips or insights for emerging producers looking to enhance their skills and develop a signature sound of their own?
I think the best thing you can do as a producer is understand what you want to make. Analyze what you enjoy about music...
Take note of specific chords and progressions you love, specific types of drums that speak to you, and different kinds of structures that stand out to you... Et cetera. Try to make a palette of everything you enjoy, everything that means something to you, and let everything else fall into place.
I didn't go into projects like "cemetery park" thinking, "I wanna process a soundfont... I wanna have my lead be a sine wave..." I had a soundscape in mind, a feeling I wanted to express, a world I wanted to create, and all the other technical stuff came into play simply as an exploration of that.
The neat thing is that, honestly, you don't even have to think too deeply about it...
But having a bit of a vision in the back of your head and applying some of your most cherished inspirations and elements of music will put you on a wonderfully crafted path.
These characteristics of you are what make your art sound like you, and people will recognize it. (=^–^)
~