CALLmeKAT Interview: SXSW 2010

Posted on Feb 17th 2010 11:05AM by Caroline Collier
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Denmark's CALLmeKAT, aka Katrine Ottosen, finds a thousand and one ways to put old keyboards to use, as she shows in her 2008 release, 'Fall Down.' Ottosen will return to the States for her first SXSW appearance and hopes to draw more listeners into the fold with her expressive, earthy voice. Spinner recently spoke with Ottosen about her keyboard mania and the journey of this one-woman band from Copenhagen.

What drove you to make music?

There was always music around when I grew up, so that came pretty natural to me. Later, I thought I had something musical on my mind that was worth investigating, and so I am here now. Four to five years ago, I was on my way with sketches of recordings. I was not in a hurry -- just playing around with songs and sounds. But when I stumbled upon some of those '80s sampling keyboards, I really felt that it was an eye-opener to me. The possibilities of sounds I could make and the combination of those sounds really took me somewhere. I adore all sorts of keyboards, but especially cheap, old analog ones. The individual sounds are so helpless, but when you put them into a context they have potential to sound really good.

Describe your sound.

I always try not to do this. I think it's one of the hardest things. I can of course say that there are keyboards, and my voice, and my voice sampled into the keyboards. They are fun little keyboards from the '80s that I love to work with, because they give this very organic yet electronic feel. I think that the important thing in the end is the sum of the whole thing. Really, it is up to each listener to form an opinion.

What are your musical influences?

I think I may possibly have many more un-music influences than other bands. I guess it's always about what mood I am in that day. I really find the combination of visual art and music inspiring -- pictures and music, movies, photography, words and books. And I always feel inspired about everyday sounds, too. You can hear that on my EP, where I used a digital Dictaphone to record real-life sounds.

What is the music experience like for a woman playing solo?

On a musical level, I don't think that it's any different for a woman than a man. It's music. But the whole business part may be a bit tough on you from time to time, I think. Again, that's not about the gender. There is so much macho stuff going on – on all levels. But for the most part I've been lucky to work with people who are cool and respectful.

What's your biggest vice?

Bags of salty, spicy licorice – impossible to find in America.

What is unique about the music scene in Denmark?

On a musical level, one unique thing is probably that it is so tiny -- for better and worse. A totally other thing, which is really cool for a young, independent artist, is that there are music export programs existing there where you can apply for support for your tours and other career plans -- a huge privilege. Both the Danish Arts Council and the Music Export Denmark do really cool things to help artists with international potential and ambitions.

Caroline Collier is a contributor from Seed.com. Learn how you can contribute here.