Project Description

Interview with
KATANAK

(October 2020)

Interviewer – Dave Bruce

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Dylan Cattanach introduces Katanak and takes his writing and performing in a new direction. Fresh, a groove, youthful. Music is an expression for Katanak, he wants his crowd to feel, move and live through his melodies & catchy pop hooks. Katanak has been writing and composing for over 6 years, initially playing acoustically around Brisbane to hone his craft, and now with the addition of a band you’ll get to experience the songs the way they were intended. He takes influence from the creative styles of The Wombats, The 1975, and Two Door Cinema Club who he describes as the most creative artists of our time.

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Have you always wanted to be a musician? When did you get the song writing bug?
I always had an interest in music but more behind the scenes which is why I studied Music Production at TAFE. The first song I wrote, I was kind of thrown into it. I was at a music high school and we had to write something to perform. That song was pretty ordinary but I kept on going and I formed my first band. That went the way of most first bands and didn’t work out the way I thought it would, but I already had the bug by then. I still wanted to play live, so started performing solo acoustic gigs and eventually got a backing band behind me.

How would you describe your sound? Why do you think people resonate with your music?
I always say my genre is indieXalt pop, although each song I write is different and you can find touches of rock & funk as well. My latest track ‘Take Us Back’ is resonating with a lot of people because they are hearing echos of their childhoods sung back to them. It’s been a tough year for everyone and I think a lot of people are wishing they could go back to their childhoods when everything was so much easier. I wrote the song well before covid but it’s certainly struck a chord.

Which artist’s music and/or performance, past or present, inspires you today?
I really, really love the energy that The 1975 bring to their live performances. Every video I’ve seen of their performance is just so incredible and every song they write is very different from the last. I was lucky enough to see them when they came to Brisbane in 2019 and you could feel the energy in the place.
That aspect of song writing is something that I’ve also tried to encapsulate when writing for Katanak. I’m trying to write a song that is different every time. I grew up listening to Australian artist Pete Murray and his writing also covers a wide range of styles. He’s been a massive inspiration for me to get into music. Oz rock will always be one of my favourite styles of music and was what I first drew my inspiration from.

Your new single “Take Us Back” has just been released! Describe its origin and evolution.
‘Take Us Back’ came about because adulting is hard work! I was working, trying to write music, promote my music and pay the bills. I thought how good it would be to go back to when you were a kid and had nothing to do except play with the mates and ride your skateboard.
Once I got started on the track it was finished pretty quickly. I must have just needed to get it out.

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Is there an EP or Album on the drawing board?
At this stage I’m just going single by single. I’m working and funding everything myself so it’s been a very slow process.
I’ve just won the People’s Choice award with QUBE Effect, a program run to mentor emerging artists in Brisbane, and part of that prize is a single recorded and produced by Dr Lachlan “Magoo” Goold. I’m pretty stoked to have the opportunity to get into the studio with a legend like him. It’ll be interesting to see what the final product will turn out like working with someone who has had so much experience.

Any tours or events coming up soon? What are you looking forward to, and what can the fans expect?
I would like to organise my first tour for next year. It’s very early days and I’m still in the learning phase of ‘how to organise a tour 101’ so I have nothing to tell you yet.
Anyone who follows me will automatically find out what’s coming up with new music, gigs, etc. If you hear my music, jump on and follow my socials. A follow helps more than you know!
I’ve been doing some collabs while live music has stopped and I’m really liking what’s coming out of those sessions.  So far I’ve been lucky enough to sit down with Nic from Telescreen, Joolz from Electrik Lemonade & Sam Windley. All very different songs but working with these talented people has just brought out the creativity and I think fans will like them very much.

If you could perform with any music artist, Alive or Dead, who would you choose? And why?
Well, If I got the call to perform with The 1975 there wouldn’t be too much time wasted before yes was out of my mouth. They’d be a great band to learn stage craft from and they inspire the music I’m writing so it would be a match made in heaven.
The ultimate gig for me would be singing alongside Freddie Mercury from Queen on literally any of their songs. Queen were master song writers and he had a voice that can’t be beaten.

Do you have any long-term aspirations as a music artist?
My aspirations are very simple. I would like to have a career in the music industry over the long term.  For me it means being successful enough to work on my music full time, writing, playing and performing the type of music which I am passionate about.

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What is the best thing about performing to a live audience? What’s been the career highlight so far?
The best part about performing in front of people is the energy you can feed off from the crowd. You could be having the worst day but when you step on that stage and you feel the energy in the room it just amplifies.
The highlight of my career so far has been opening for Pete Murray on his summer sessions tour where I was lucky enough to perform in front of 2,500 people at Kingscliff. I was solo at that point and I was pretty nervous at first. By the time I reached my last song and I could see that they wanted more I realised that this is what music all about. For that hour or more that you play you can give people a natural high and some great memories.

Finally, a few questions for some quick answers –
FAVOURITE:
Album –  ‘Feeler’ by Pete Murray
Artist – The 1975
Movie –  Scott Pilgrim vs The World
Place to visit –  Germany
Venue to play – Wembley (thinking ahead of course) but coming back down to earth it’s The Brightside in Brisbane
Food –  wagyu steak
Drink –  lemon lime & bitters
Person in History –  Freddie Mercury
Tattoo – (If you don’t have one, what would you get?) I don’t have one and must admit I haven’t thought about what I would get?

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AMNPLIFY – DB