Notes:
This article was originally published in HuffPost (2017)
Watergate will close after 22 years at the end of 2024
Watergate is a special place. There’s not much that can beat dancing all night to great music, then watching the sunrise sitting on a wooden deck directly at the river Spree. The club isn’t too big or too small, and on any given night the line up is insane.
Catz 'N Dogz have been playing at Watergate for many years, setting out to recreate their experience within the club on the mix compilation Watergate 22, which is out today. As producers and label owners, Grzegorz and Wojciech have been working together since 2003. In addition to making some very catchy tracks (including Me Feat. Pol_On), they are also dedicated to supporting upcoming artists from Poland. Stream the compilation and read the interview with Catz 'N Dogz below.
How did you meet?
Grzegorz: We met in Poland, in our hometown of Szczecin. I had a radio show. When Wojciech and I met we started to make some parties in Poland. We started to invite people from Berlin.
Wojciech: There were a few groups that were inviting people and a lot of big dj’s were playing. Like in the beginning, Ben Klock played in a coffee shop in our hometown.
How did you discover dance music?
W: I was singing in the choir and I had a friend in this choir and we would exchange music. There was also a radio program between 1994 and 1998 called Technikum Mechanizacji Muzyki that we would listen to.
G: Mainly because of the parties in Poland and the radio show Technikum Mechanizacji Muzyki. At the beginning, I liked harder stuff like Chis Liebing, mostly because this radio station was mostly focused on techno. I didn’t really know much about deep house until I went to L.A. They had this radio station, Groove Radio 103.1 FM.
W: I was researching a lot on the internet, and I was also getting music from friends who dj and converting it to CD. We were exchanging CD’s by post around the world.
Any early inspirations?
G & W: WMF Club, Laurent Garnier, and Dixon.
How do you approach a production?
W: It really depends on the project. The track “Blakkatt” was a collaboration via the internet. But when we worked with Eats Everything, for example, we went into the studio. We prefer to have this human connection.
G: This compilation was a long process. We select music everyday, and we have a special folder where we put everything. We had a lot of good tracks that we wanted to use.
We also play Wednesdays at Watergate. We play upstairs and downstairs. We like both rooms. Upstairs we play darker and more hypnotic. Sometimes we play hard and sometimes more techno, so it’s really hard to put it all on one CD. But I think we managed.
What makes Watergate so special?
W: There is a lot of competition. Berlin is like the Hollywood for dj’s right now. And for all these years, Watergate has been really stable to work with. They are very easy to work with, and that’s hard to find in the music business.
G: They support us and we support them. We play for their festivals and open airs. We do Sónar together from time to time. Every track is a different memory, each is personal. “Vibration” by Stashrider is a track we were playing when we started to dj in our hometown.
W: “In The Heat Of The Night” by Da Posse is there because I remember I was dancing with friends. Andy Butler played it and it was a special moment.
What else are you working on?
W: We are getting ready to start touring. We are starting in March in London, and then before Summer we are planning to release another compilation that will be purely Polish artists.
G: We’re always supporting the Polish scene. The country is really big and there is a lot of potential. We found a lot of good tracks.
What is the scene like in Poland?
G: The festival scene is really good, including Audioriver Festival. There are really good lineups, definitely worth checking out. The clubbing scene, there’s not that many clubs. The main clubs are in Warsaw, Krakow, Sopot, and Poznan.
Any challenges you see facing the dance scene?
W: I see only challenges. Maybe this is a topic for another interview. There is a huge problem moneywise in the club scene. If you are famous you get money, it’s like being an actor. But when you have only one record out, no one wants to pay you more than 50 euros.
If you want to promote a new artist it’s really difficult. There are not many clubs that want to take that risk. The music business is so popular, it’s hard to be in the middle. Also (sound wise), there’s nothing in the middle. There’s either obscure or commercial.
We were lucky. We started many years ago so our name is already established. I was talking to a record shop owner and they said they have 150 new vinyls every week. How many records can you actually buy? It’s really difficult for people to hear your music if no one knows your name.
G: Unless you’re super good.
Any advice for upcoming artists/producers?
W: If you want to put out music, you should not only want to take, but also want to give to the club scene. You have to give a lot for many years.
We are huge fans of the motto - music matters, people matter, and friends matter.
G: Be patient and don’t give up. It's hard for people to notice you because there’s so much information. There are a lot of producers, a lot of good music, and lot of bad music.
