Filterkat is the moniker of French-Australian musician, Jeremy Felis, who produces some absolutely amazing electronic music! Notable releases include his mashup bootleg pack, a fantastic remix of Mylo’s Drop The Pressure, and his take on Madeon’s Imperium.
Now, the talented artist is back with a new EP on the Vicious Bitch label!
FS: Hey all! Today, we have quite the treat – an interview with electronic producer, Filterkat! Let’s jump right in, shall we? So, how did you come up with the name Filterkat?
FK: I was actually struggling to find a decent name I liked for awhile when I was younger. I went through so many that didn’t stick. One day, I was on my computer making music, also trying to think of a decent name on the side, and realized in my DAW that I had about 8 filters open on screen.
I really dig filters, so I thought that should be a basis for my name. The kat (cat) basically came from my last name (Felis), which is the scientific name for a house cat, but it looked funny spelt with the C in it, so I changed it to a K.
FS: Fantastic! We always wonder where artists find inspiration for their names. You wouldn’t believe some of the stories we’ve heard! What made you want to produce electronic music?
FK: I got into electronic music at an obscurely young age, I was still in primary school. My dad had taken me to a garage sale, where I found a cardboard box full of CDs. I asked my dad if I could get it. We got it dirt cheap. In the box were a bunch of classic albums from Basement Jaxx, The Prodigy, Groove Armada, Fatboy Slim, and The Chemical Brothers.
I was obsessed with all the awesome sounds I was hearing, which were crazy compared to the sound of most of the commercial music at the time. I wanted to know how to make those sounds.
When I got into high school, at around 14, I heard someone talking about Fruity Loops to make ‘the techno music’ …so, I got it and never turned back. I’ve moved on from FL a long time ago, but it was a great start point.
FS: Latching onto this subject still, how would you describe your own unique sound?
FK: It’s definitely hugely influenced by all my idols… hahaha… If you couldn’t tell, I’m a huge fan of Justice, SebastiAn, Mr. Oizo, Daft Punk, Boys Noize, and a bunch more. Those guys all have such a unique sound to them, and make such great music.
There’s not exactly many tutorials about how to sound like those guys, it’s not easy, and I bet they keep quiet about it. Bu,t they didn’t really have any tutorials to go by either, they just figured it out for themselves, which is why they all sound so distinct and unique.
I guess my sound came about through trial and error, just messing around trying to emulate bits and pieces from all of them, also just figuring stuff out for myself. A lot of things were happy accidents that I liked the sound of, and I saved the patches/channel strips.
I’m still learning new things every day, and improving upon my sound all the time. That’s also what I love about electronic music.
FS: When you’re not producing any sweet tunes, what are you doing in your free time?
FK: I don’t have much free time to be honest… hahaha. If I’m not doing music, it’s most likely because I’m at university, or doing university assignments, or doing a web design or IT job.
The little spare time I do have these days, I like to spend out with friends at a good bar or restaurant (there’s so many here in Melbourne) or playing nerdy computer games.
FS: Right down to business, describe to us what your new EP is like?
FK: I kind of wanted to give people a taste of what I was about, and what I can do for my debut Panther EP. Panther is kind of an all-out aggressive/heavy down-tempo electro track, with a bit of rock/metal influence. Down We Get is not quite as heavy, still a little bit though, and more upbeat and funky, with more of a disco influence.
FS: What do you think Justice’s new album will consist of, do you think it will go in the indie direction like Audio, Video, Disco or do you think that they’re going to go back to their roots?
FK: Honestly, I don’t know, but I’m very excited to see what they do. I really liked both their albums to be honest, so I’m sure whatever they come up with will be great. I would love to see them bring a bit of that cross grit and rawness back, but mixed with the kind of 70’s/indie rock vibe, and awesome melodies and progressions they had going with Audio, Video, Disco.
So, I guess I’m kind of hoping for a half-way point between their two previous albums.
FS: Last question! If you could collaborate with anyone to make a track who would you pick?
FK: That is a tough call… It would probably have to be a 3 way tie between SebastiAn, Boys Noize and Justice. I couldn’t decide. Maybe, if I had to choose out of those 3, SebastiAn, because he has such a wide range of technical skills, music skills and production knowledge. I’d love to pick that dudes brain for a day.
FS: And that’s all folks! Thank you to Filterkat for doing the interview with us! You can check out his new EP, Panther, below: