Artist Highlight: Kate Simko
Kate Simko is a pianist, electronic music producer and DJ. Combining her musical training with her love for electronic music, Kate is continually exploring a dialogue between the classical tradition and electronic music – her two strongest musical influences. Kate studied Music Technology and Piano at Northwestern University, which gave her access to cutting edge production technology while she advanced her formal musical training. Reflecting her musical background, Kate’s music possesses a unique harmonic, structural and spatial depth.
Kate released her first electronic music album on Traum (Germany) in 2003 (as Detalles with Chilean producer Andres Bucci), which led to various performances in South America, including the 2004 MUTEK Chile festival. In 2005, Kate was commissioned to create a remix for Philip Glass, which was released as part of the Glasscuts remix album on his label, Orange Mountain Music. The record release party was part of the 2005 CMJ Festival (New York) and Kate’s remix was featured on classical radio stations throughout the United States. The song was then chosen as one of fourteen finalists in the Dance/Electronica category of the International Songwriting Competition. In 2006, Kate released her first solo record, worked on new remixes and saw the release of two new Detalles records as well.
Throughout her career, Kate has received national and international press in publications such as the L.A Times, The Wire, Art Papers, Grooves Magazine, The Chicago Tribune, URB, de:Bug and XLR8R and has performed her music throughout the United States, South America and Europe.
Women in techno have always been second-guessed. Initial reviews called Kate Simko’s tracks “light”, which made it apparent that they hadn’t listened to them at all. Propulsive, groovy and hypnotic, Kate’s music occupies the space between techno and house with an international voice that sets it apart. The artist in question is something of a complete package, a classically trained pianist who found herself at Techno’s doorstep during Midwest rave’s heyday in the mid 90’s. A student in music technology at Northwestern, Kate later ventured out to continue her studies in Santiago, Chile and a start a successful project with Andres Bucci under the name Detalles, marking her entrance into the emerging new techno scene. Playing events such as Detroit’s Movement Festival, Decibel, and MUTEK have steadily built Kate’s reputation and her Chicago night Wake Up! has hosted everyone from John Tejada to Mikael Stavostrand, earning a “best regular club night” nod in the weekly publication New City. Kate is a music lifer, committed to the craft and impressing the more savvy critics one record at a time.
Kate Simko is playing at the next Essential on Saturday October 17, 2009.