SPOTLIGHT: METACAT COLLECTIVE
Published May 23, 2022
The ever interesting Danish scene for electronic music is thriving because of passion and dedication from all its various actors: artists, promoters, crews, audience, venues etc. Metacat Collective has definitely caught our attention with their musical skills and clever attitudes and approaches to their craft and the scene. Friday 27 May they host Red Box. A night set to be truly special.
How do the ten of you know each other, and what brought you together as a crew?
It was kind of serendipitous how we all came together, somehow at the right place at the right time. Around the beginning of 2021, some mutual friendships and common creative interests brought us together at our community studio out on Refshaleøen and at our art collective up in Saltrup. It was during the lockdown, and we had some intimate gatherings together where a natural bond started to form with this passion and curiosity around sharing diverse styles of electronic music and our own style of partying together, including our studio gatherings, weekend programs at the art farm, Sunday rave concepts and DIY open airs. We had many special, transformative moments together. A few different creative projects started to form among us during this time, it was kind of an incubation period. Some from our crew have been both DJing and producing different styles of music for many years, being involved with several different sub cultures and scenes, primarily in the trance and ambient communities. And some others had just started to develop a drive to play and mix music, curate lineups and make DIY raves and intimate parties. So we decided to become a collective because we felt we had something special to create and share with the world and add to the underground electronic music scene in Copenhagen. We had too much fun so it needed to spill over.
Can you describe the Metacat Collective project for us?
Right now it’s very natural, it’s friendship and passion for electronic music – how it elevates our expression as individuals and as a community. We come together, play and share our favourite music, and appreciate and support each other. It’s that simple. We are family. As individuals we are exploring and growing our own projects, tastes and sounds, and the collective supports that process and makes it more fulfilling.
Our sound is eclectic, with some underlying characteristics. We all love music with soul. Whether it’s hard and gritty, or soft and vulnerable, we share music that carries its own thing in some way, with something that resonates at deeper levels inside. As a crew, we’ve all spent plenty of time on dance floors and we’ve acquired some sort of understanding of what truly moves us and now we feel a need to embody that and share it with the world. We share a deep love for immersing ourselves in music, entering trance through it. And we all understand the value of safe, comfortable and supportive dance floor environments.
We have plans and ambitions of sharing our vibe, the spaces we create and the red thread of the eclectic sounds we share. And will later start to make our first Metacat Parties, that’s still being shaped. For now we are sharing our sounds and vibe in external settings, and continue working on articulating ourselves in the scene.
Why have you chosen the name ‘Metacat Collective’?
The name is a funny old story, like an old wives tale, and has morphed and evolved with us over time in proper Meta fashion. One of our former members started an art project many years ago with the name and shared stories and poems about Metacat. Another one of our founding members inherited a metre tall wooden cat statue, who became the real life honourable Metacat totem of our crew. At our parties we had some funny and ritualistic traditions around including our Metacat totem in the deco and program. This naturally became the name of our collective, we felt like some of its meaning represented some of our characteristics and values. Meta – as in, self referential and infinite – denoting a change of position or condition (as it evolves with us). And we always resonate with cats. They do everything with style and always land on their feet #PerrosNo
It’s more like Metacat chose us. Not the other way around.
What can you expect from a party hosted by Metacat Collective?
Energetic, hypnotic, cinematic yet healing atmospheres. We have a diverse range of genre interests – from ambient, house, breakbeat, techno, bass and trance and much in between – that somehow weave together with the warm, adventurous, bass-loving bottom line that represents the vibe we express and create.
Safer-spaces, uplifting dance floors, conscious celebration, authentic expression & connection, and selectors delivering sounds with respect and intention.
When we host our own parties, 15 hour long raves on impossibly far out islands, or intimate parties in our studio, we try to design cohesive, well-programmed lineups. Since we are such a close crew, our chemistry is felt and when we play together there’s a synergy between our sets, although genre styles might differ. We compliment each other and love the challenge of piecing together on a journey, each of us offering a different piece of the puzzle. A consistently energetic and uplifted attitude can be felt as we move through acts.
Another unique component of our parties is that we take the heat up and back down… we believe lower bpm music and chill-out atmospheres are necessary when opening and closing a party. Some of our crew both produce and mix ambient and chill-out music, which is something we always include in our own private events. We like to take care of dancers by meeting them where they are, taking them up and then bringing them down well. That’s our style. At the height of our parties, our selections and energies are vibrant and unrelenting. We always bring the big feeling. We have fun and we think it’s contagious.
What motivates you to work with electronic music?
The rave scenes and movements around electronic music are very powerful spaces… and the transformative influence and cultural relevance of these micro cultures comes with a responsibility of scene actors to create safer, more inclusive and sustainable environments, values and politics. Ones that liberate, uplift, include and inspire both the consumers and creators of these cultures. Music is a conduit for culture to evolve. If we align the magic that can be created and experienced on dance floors with our ambitions for the kinds of communities and futures we want to have, we can elevate the societal importance of sharing art, which has the potential to influence our wider cultures for the better.
And in more simple regards – electronic music provides a haven for passion, creativity, expression, connection. We value having this and want to be part of creating this for others in a way that is safe and sustainable.
Can you tell us about your inspirations and influences as musicians and a collective?
Of course, there are many artists and crews which influence us and give us a baseline of inspiration, but since we all hail from various niches, there’s too many to name! So I would say any artists, labels and crews that dare to challenge the musical schematics – both in terms of genres and in terms of melodies and harmonies. While we have deep love for the repetitive nature of electronic dance music, nothing truly moves us like surprise, dynamism, playfulness and fullness of sound. Edgy rhythmic changes, weird synthpads thrown in from the left, disharmonious vocals. We like to play and we like fun. Artists that innovate inspire us. We love fresh takes.
However, I have to say, the best part about our collective is the infinite inspiration coming from inside. The individuals of Metacat are both collectors and producers of music, so when we meet up, it is likely to share music and what makes us tick. Nothing feels better than sharing music with the people who really listen and are attuned to your taste. That is what we in Metacat can give each other, because we are all each other’s true fans. Big cheerleader vibes.
Do you have any good advice for Culture Box in regards to the future of electronic music in Denmark?
Keep up the high quality and diversity of artists you are inviting into your space. We love to see your initiatives to expand and represent fresh, new crews and sounds. Continue with inclusive bookings – representing all ethnicities, sexualities, genders, and backgrounds. We encourage you to take a big focus on protecting the audience and community, the values, the attitude code, and promote safe spaces and more conscious club environments. We need this. Enforce it in your spaces and book crews and acts that represent strong values around safety, inclusion, respect and consciousness on dance floors and in booths. Elevate these individuals and projects.
You are hosting Red Box Friday 27 May. What’s your expectations?
Big vibes! We plan to bring the heat, mama cat style. Let’s get cute and sweaty. Meow!
Anything else you wish to share with us?
A big thank you to the Culture Box team for inviting us take the reigns on the Red Box on the 27th and for the opportunity to platform us and share our voice in this Spotlight special <3
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