PORTISHEAD – THE RIP (HIDDEN CAT REMIX) (320 kbps)

MONARCHY – GOLD IN THE FIRE (HIDDEN CAT REMIX) (320 kbps)

I recently had a wee chat with a buddy of mine Madison Bullard also known as Hidden Cat about what he’s been up to lately. Some of you may know him, some of you may not, but one thing is for certain his fan base is about to grow ten-fold in the months to come. He is sitting on so many gems at the moment and it frustrates me that everyone just has to wait to hear them. I guess that’s the nature of the music industry! I myself happen to be lucky enough to have had these tracks for a long time and can safely tell you that they have aged very well. Guess it’s a good indicator that they are ‘timeless’ tracks huh! Whenever I find I’m a bit highly strung or stressed out I just chuck on one of his slow euphoric ‘sappy’ disco infused tunes, light one up and I’m good to go again. If I was you I would email the kid and offer some amazing gifts in return for some of his promos. Send him a box of Waffle Crisp and he may feel inclined to do so. I’m sure we’ll be seeing/hearing a lot more from Hidden Cat this year. For now, download the tracks that Madison gave us to share and be sure to give him some love if ya dig!

What’s the story behind the name? Madison: Sadly enough I came up with “Hidden Cat” as a name before I even made electronic music. I thought it would be a cool name to make stickers and t-shirts for, like all black with two cat eyes. So when I started making tunes in 10th grade the name was already on my mind. But a little while later a buddy reminded me that my t-shirt idea was pretty much exactly what Cats: The Musical used on their posters. So that plan went sort of down the drain. I’d definitely pick something else if I could do it again, but it’s all good. Just a name anyway, right?
I remember trawling through the ‘Your Music’ section on the Erol Alkan Forum a long time ago when I happened to stumble across some of your tunes. I knew right then and there that you were very talented, your sound seems to have changed a lot though! What would you say has influenced this? Yeah man, whatever success I’ve had I owe entirely to that forum. For a while it was one of the few places I relied on to hear or hear about new electronic music, so I really appreciated and trusted the feedback I got. The Superfuture (source) got a pretty nice reception when I first put it up there, that track just came out on Boxon Records this month. I agree that my sound has changed a lot since then, but I don’t really like the idea of having a specific sound all that much. With my remixes I try to let the original mix dictate how the remix will turn out. I like to make my original stuff as club-friendly as possible, but that still leaves the slate wide open in regards to what the final product sounds like. Genre names are my worst enemy.
What do you use to produce etc? A lot of your stuff sounds very ‘real,’ are you recording with live instruments or is it just midi etc? The “real” sound is very intentional. I like noises that sound like they could come from some crazy alien instrument, like that scene in Star Wars at the cantina or something. That might not make much sense, because at the same time it’s all very digital sounding, but I try really hard to never let the instruments I create sound the same from one measure to the next. Often it’s hard to tell, but there’s always some parameter getting tweaked, even if only a little. I think that probably contributes to a more natural sound. I use Reason for all my synth work, and rewire into Cubase. The only physical instruments I’ve recorded for a track were the violins in my Portishead remix, but I had a lot of fun orchestrating that so it’ll probably happen again.
What would you say your biggest success to date has been? Your wonderful cover of Bag Raiders seems to have really turned some heads! Had any interest from any big names? That Bag Raiders cover probably got more coverage than all my other tracks combined, which is fine, but I just hope it translates into more listens for my other stuff. It definitely seems to be doing that. I’ve had a few music people I really admire tell me they want me to keep them posted on my productions, so that’s been really encouraging. Now all I need to do is keep putting out tracks! Sometimes that’s harder than I’d like it to be.

Tell us a little bit about what you’ve got coming up? An edit of my Bag Raiders track is coming out April 23 on a Ministry of Sound Australia compilation of cover tracks called Uncovered 2. There are some really good covers on that comp from some big names, and it’s a double CD, so I hope a lot of folks pick it up. I’ve also got a slew of remixes waiting in the wings for a release. I’ve done a remix for Angel Deradoorian, who is one of the vocalists in the Dirty Projectors. Their LP from last year and her solo EP were two of my favorite releases last year so getting to do a remix for her was a treat for me. That one will be coming out along with a Tanlines remix sometime. The Deradoorian remix got me in touch with HEALTH, who are on the same label. I’ve done a remix for them for their upcoming remix LP, and it’s been in a couple of mixes that are online now. I remixed a track for RipTidE that will be out on Boemklatsch Records soon, and one for NT89 & Savile that will be out on Southern Fried in August. I’m really excited about a remix I’ve done for Kym Brown, who is an indie artist from Vancouver. It’s like 77bpm or something slow like that, so I’m interested to see what people think. Not sure when that one will be around. I’ve got an original lined up for release too with a tasty remix package!
You seem to be a pretty busy man these days! You have a radio show and appear to be doing a bit of promotion, is music a full time thing for you or are you working/studying? I keep pretty busy, but generally I’m doing things I like, so it’s all good. I’m a sophomore in college, and I have a weekly show on the campus station, WXYC (www.wxyc.org). It’s a pretty amazing group of DJs, and the station is freeform, so you hear all sorts of music over the course of one set. One Sunday a month I do the electronic music show where I do a 2-hour mixed set. Its somewhere in between the stuff I play in my weekly show and what I play in the club. Music is definitely not a full-time thing at this point, even if I want it to be eventually. I have a good deal of class work that isn’t always easy, so music stuff sometimes has to take a backseat. I’ve had time to start a club night in the area though, and that’s been going really well. Currently the scene around here (Chapel Hill/Raleigh, North Carolina) is a little weak, especially considering the absurd number of 20-somethings living in the area. I’m working with a few other guys around here to get the scene moving, and so far everything we’ve put on has been really encouraging. Talk to me in a few months and I think we’ll be in a nice spot.
Best and worst gigs you’ve played? Oh man, my favorite gig was probably my night last month. I had my buddy George Brazil in town from Charlotte and he tore the place down. I love the crowd at my night because everyone comes 100% for the music, there’s not much of a see-and-be-seen element to it. That means lots of dancing. Worst gig is easy too: New Years Eve a couple of years ago outdoors. It was like 20 degrees (F). Worst idea ever.
And finally just something for fun, what are some of your all time favourite snacks? I asked Screendeath the same thing simply because I’m super fascinated with the amazing selection you yanks and brits seem to have! Here in NZ we have a pretty limited selection, especially things like cereal etc… Well, if you’re limited in cereal selection then you’ve probably never heard of Waffle Crisp, but it’s a crunchy syrup-flavored concoction that’s hard to find even in the US. I got a case of the stuff (as in 12 boxes) as a gift this Christmas. I’m down to the last box already.
Mmmm, they sound pretty incredible. Send us a few boxes buddy! Thanks for taking the time to have a chat! ?