TF Archives

Tuning in to Katy K

Author: michelle pirovich
Wednesday, November 27, 2002
Katy K loves techno… off beat kooky ass shaking techno, techno that's ambient, techno that's laced with acid, techno that has a fucked up edge, but most of all Katy K loves her techno loud…seriously loud. Be it behind the decks, at St Kilda's Earwax, as a TechnOlympic DJ, or on her radio show 'Bionik', Katy K is doing her bit to further the techno movement.

Katy K is no stranger behind the decks, with many having experienced her onslaught of funk driven, bass laden techno. 'I remember playing at Earthcore and Every Picture years ago and I loved it, playing to thousands of people on systems louder than I had ever heard before, it shook the ground and people were going mad. I also enjoy the smaller events, especially when I know half the people there, and the growing trend is towards the smaller more intimate nights, either way I can find a common musical ground for the crowd before me.'

Katy's efforts behind the decks have not been restricted to the club scene either, belonging to a band that went by the name Phoenix they played regularly at St Kilda's Espy, and needless to say the experience was an interesting one. 'I hadn't thought much about playing in a band before this opportunity came up, and it had its' moments. We fought about our positions on stage, everyone drank the rider long before the set was finished, there were the usual on-stage miscommunications, and it was really difficult working with records when band members were jumping up and down on stage!' If given the chance to do it all again… Katy would 'I learnt a lot from working with 'the guys' about how to work a crowd and how a band works - the dynamics between people on stage. It was also interesting to hear what they had learnt from working with a DJ, some band members didn't actually know what it meant to play records.' The crossover between bands and DJs is more commonplace these days and if there's a next time Katy will be going for a harder edged approach. 'It would be fun to play hardcore acid techno with a heavy metal band.'

With techno having waned in popularity of late Katy has found it vital to keep the sound alive. Enter 'Bionik,' Katy's radio show on PBS FM, where she exposes listeners to the many dimensions of techno. 'Radio shows like 'Bionik' are important, especially now with it being hard to go out and hear a lot of techno and PBS FM is a unique station. I try to source music that is under-represented and/or not played anywhere else - this includes local and international promo material that I get sent and may never get released.' In having no set play list Katy is able to keep the spirit of the show open and instinctual. 'I was into offbeat music and weird radio shows as a kid as were many of my listeners and with techno comprising so much, I try to keep what I play fairly broad.'

'When most of us were listening to Madonna, INXS and Culture Club, Katy was listening to the whacked out underground sounds of 'Electronic Influence.' 'I grew up listening to radio late at night, and would spend all my pocket money on records much to my parents despair, but my family is passionate about music too, my sister although more conservative plays cello with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and my dad used to be in a seventies folk band!'

Of course having your own radio show means being able to talk to your idols, Patrick Lindsay, Monika Kruse, Dave Tarrida, Tobias Schmidt, Thomas Heckmann and Michael Forshaw have all joined Katy for a chat, as have local DJs Simon Coyle, Zanna, Mike Acid and Robert Anthony for a live spin. 'Patrick Lindsay and Corrado, were deadly serious for a while until I asked them what they were doing after Hardware at Kryal Castle and they replied in their thick accents 'We're going out to the sticks to drink the stubbies!' and they lost it, rolling around laughing for ages. It may seem a bit nerdy but talking to Jammin Unit about the first synthesiser ever made was a highlight too.'

Whilst much of the world wer
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