Whatever the Dutch do in drum & bass, they do it big and they in do it in style; and Caitlin Celie aka CaitC is the prime example of this thought.
Hailing from Breda in The Netherlands, CaitC’s euphoric style of drum & bass music is steadily making its way as one of the best in up and coming Dutch talents. Starting her journey as an ardent DnB head attending parties in her city, CaitC decided to take her love for the genre to the next level by making gateway into the scene as a DJ and a producer.
So far, she has supported heavyweights of the genre like Fox Stevenson, Camo & Krooked and Black Sun Empire to name a few. Her debut as a producer came recently on Onyx Recordings when she released ‘Everything You Say’ as part of the label’s ‘Balance’ EP in collaboration with The House Of Hi-Fi, which is an initiative that pushes the careers of female and non-binary drum & bass artists.
Following her release, we caught up with CaitC to know more about her gateway into drum & bass, her style of music, her plans for the future and lots more.
Netherlands is a country that is never short on DnB talent, inspirations, and an endless supply of DnB parties on offer. Having such an enviable access to the scene, we were keen to know where CaitC’s influences came from and what was her defining moment of getting into the scene as an artist.
“It all started when I got a job at a local supermarket in my city and I made a few friends there. One of them, who I didn’t really know that well back then asked me, Hey, do you want to come along to a party in Amsterdam with Delta heavy? Since I didn’t know him well, so I passed on it. But he asked me again and that’s when I attended a party where Netsky was playing. That was the moment that I came in contact with DnB and I have never stopped loving the genre since.
Talking about how my CaitC journey; it began with the same friend who first introduced me to drum & bass. He bought a pair of turntables and started spinning some tunes. I was fascinated and I grabbed a pair of relatively cheap turntables to kick things off with to hone my craft. After a year, I bought myself the DDJ-400 because I saw how happy my friend was behind the decks and how happy all the artists were when they would play drum & bass. I wanted to experience the same feeling and that is when the CaitC journey began.”
CaitC’s tune on Onyx Recordings is just a replication of her journey as a listener, then a DJ and then finally a producer which started with names like Delta Heavy and Netsky. We asked the Breda-based producer how the sound that she likes to champion, came together in her music.
“I think it was one of the Liquicity parties that I would usually attend when I got a chance to attend Maduk’s shows. His sound really attracted me and I learned more about his productions. I liked the anthemic tunes he and guys like Netsky and Andromedik made.
That inspired me to make drum & bass was euphoric and happy because I feel, drum & bass with vocals in it has an unmatched energy and euphoria. That’s when I made up my mind that I wanted to make music that made me and made others happy as well.”
CaitC’s take on the ‘Balance’ EP is a straight up banger, and we asked her how the experience was while writing the tune.
“It’s actually a funny story because the track I sent to on its recordings was a different one, and by the time the EP was about to be released, my sound grew in stature and I asked the label if I could share another track instead of the one I had shared earlier, and they were kind to bring the tune on board.
The fact that everything you say will be released as part of the ‘Balance EP’ made me really happy because I want to make something with the guitar and a lot of euphorics. The track epitomizes my DJ sets which are more hard hitting than melodic and I wanted to bring the best of both world on the table.”
CaitC’s music is a culmination of many genres and styles that she would listen to while growing up. She listed some of her influences, and isn’t hard to see where the infectious energy in her music comes from.
“So, to begin with, I never really had a major influence until I got into drum & bass. It just the usual pop music that I would listen to before getting into DnB. When I got into it, Maduk, Netsky and Andromedik became my biggest influences. Koven has been another big influence not just for their music but their DJ sets as well, because they are so rapturous and powerful.
Coming to the end of our conversation, we asked CaitC about genres she would like to produce other than drum & bass and how does the rest of the year look like her with her music.
“Dubstep is a genre that I would like to make other than drum & bass. I have also been listening to a lot of EDM other than bass music, so that is something I would like to explore in the future. Talking about my releases I release my first EP on LUX music which is Dutch label and I have a couple of remixes coming up from artists who are going to make their debut on the label.
I have also worked on VIP from the same EP of ‘Reaching’, which will be released as part of the remix EP. I am not sure when the tracks are coming out, but they should ideally be released in the next couple of months.”
Listen to CaitC’s ‘Everything You Say’ here:
Buy/Stream the ‘Balance’ EP by Onyx Recordings – HERE
