A new face becoming a force to reckon with in the techno scene is the Polish-born Paris-based artist GIGEE. She debuted on Mobilee with her latest offering last month, and now the rising powerhouse makes her return to where it all began for her last year – the highly regarded Katermukke.
Today via the Berlin imprint, GIGEE has released her monstrous new EP Minotaur. This skillful two-tracker will immediately grip you with its dark, driving bass, hypnotic synths, and doses of ethereal vocals.
Leading up to the release, GIGEE talked with RaverRafting about Minotaur, returning to Katermukke, her female DJ and producer inspiration, and more. Check out the interview below:
Thanks so much, GIGEE, for taking the time to chat with RR! First off, how are you doing during these crazy times and what have you been doing to keep yourself busy?
GIGEE: Hi there, thank you! I’m happy to be chatting with you:)
Excellent! I’m stuck in Warsaw as the lockdown got me half – packed on my way to Paris, but I’m in my hometown with family, dog and beautiful garden so I cannot complain. We all needed some quality time with our closest ones during the crazy schedules we’ve had for the last few years. I’ve also been finishing some tracks that have been waiting so long for me to get back and just spending some ‘me myself and I’ time. Again – I cannot complain – I can entertain myself and people around me easily!
You’ve just released your Minotaur EP on Katermukke and the sounds of this two-tracker on both the title-track and “Hall of Gods” are as beastly and otherworldly feeling as its theme. What was your inspiration and motivation for both tracks and the EP as a whole?
GIGEE: The inspiration comes from most of the time in my everyday life. The track had different titles at the beginning like ‘blah blah version 1’ / ‘blah blah version 09’ as I just put some random title while producing! Then I started to think about it as a whole, adding some additional layers to it. Suddenly the titles came up very naturally.
Does the Greek-mythological theme have any specific significance?
GIGEE: I always was a big dreamer, spending hours reading and watching books and movies. Mythology from ancient epochs, the collections of stories which deal with various aspects of the human condition, often include very interesting versions of sacred tales or fables of a particular culture. We also see many contrasts in them: like good/evil, moon/sunset, heroes /humans. I found it very inspirational for my creative process. According to psychiatrist Carl Jung – “myth is a necessary aspect of the human psyche which needs to find meaning and order in a world which often presents itself as chaotic and meaningless.”
This EP marks your return to Katermukke after making your debut on the label back in October 2019 with Reborn Pulse. Any differences releasing with them this second time around?
GIGEE: I’m super excited to be back! The whole team is very supportive and it’s an amazing feeling when you know that the label boss – Dirty Doering just loves this release as well. We get along a bit more, know each other better and are starting to think about every release from this one to the next as a whole picture and as a process, bigger concept, not just a single project.
With releases on two Berlin labels, having spent time emerging yourself in Parisian culture and touring Asia, which country’s underground music scenes have influenced the style of your music and recent EP’s most?
GIGEE: Well, it’s kinda hard to pick only one as I believe I got influenced by each of them. There are many layers or super tiny details that might have been totally unnoticed or unnecessary for many people but very significant for me at the same time, i.e. bass layering is slightly different when it comes to underground Berlin vibes and having Parisian open air venue’s vibes on the other hand. I’m just picking what I like and what I feel sounds good together.
What female DJs and producers in the industry do you look up to for either production and technique insight, career guidance or both?
GIGEE: I have tons of respect for many of them but I would love to have a chat one day with Monika Kruse regarding her amazing career for some guidance. She seems to be very wise and strategical with everything she’s doing and creating. For production, I’d love to make a track with Charlotte de Witte, I’m a big fan of her productions and play them frequently. It could be a super fun and interesting collabo.. Hopefully in the near future 🙂
Once the world properly opens back up again, where are you looking forward to playing a set at most?
GIGEE: I had amazing gigs planned on Ibiza this year and I’m dyyyying to be able to play there but yeah, safety and health go first. Today – I just really miss the people and the energy that comes along while playing. So I would say – no matter where, with who – that’s what matters.
Listen to GIGEE’s Minotaur EP on Katermukke on SoundCloud, Spotify, and other music platforms here.
Connect with GIGEE:
https://www.facebook.com/gigee6
https://www.soundcloud.com/gigee6
https://www.instagram.com/gigee6
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