dot – September 11 (Sound Nightclub, Los Angeles) + Interview
dot will be taking over mau5trap’s We Are Friends residency tomorrow night Thursday September 11 at Sound Nightclub in Los Angeles. The Idaho based DJ and producer first caught my attention last year with her impressive “Begin Again” EP from mau5trap. More recently, she put out a highly energetic track called “Manic Panic” from deadmau5’s record label a couple weeks ago.
Originally from Olympia, Washington, Kate Ellwanger has some local connections as she moved to Orange County to attend the Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music at Chapman University in Orange where she earned her B.A. in Music, then headed across the country to Berklee College of Music in Boston and earned her Master’s Degree in Music Production, Technology, and Innovation.
Read on for an interview with dot as she talks about how she would describe her sound in three animals, what fans can expect to hear from her tomorrow night, artists she’d like to work with, and more!
Hey dot, thanks for taking the time to chat today! How was your summer?
My summer has been great – just stayed busy working on a ton of new music, and spent most of it on the road in my Delica.
How would you describe your sound in three animals, and why those animals?
Oh that’s a fun question! I think my animals would be a snow leopard, a hummingbird, and an octopus. I spend a lot of time in the mountains during the winter, and snow leopards match the energy of my sound – it can be calm and graceful at times, and then suddenly fierce and driving. Hummingbirds are one of my favorite species of birds, and I love the way they create trance-like drone sounds with their wings. The octopus is highly intelligent and adaptable to different surroundings – it can change colors and shapes depending on its environment, and I think my music has similar adaptability across genres as well.
Tomorrow night you’ll be playing at Sound Nightclub in Los Angeles to take over mau5trap’s We Are Friends residency. What can fans expect to hear from you that night?
I’m most excited to be sharing a lot of the new music I’ve been working on this summer – there will be a ton of house, UKG, and 140 bpm cuts, but I also want to take time tomorrow night to share a lot of the music that got me into producing in the first place. While I’m not originally from LA, I lived here for almost ten years of my career, and was a part of the beat scene / Low End Theory family before I ever entered the dance music world. So there will be plenty of deep cuts from the 2010’s LA scene as well.
I saw you’ll be bringing in a few special guests for some b2bs, anything you can share on that?
Ahh I can’t share too much yet, but there may be some guest appearances from friends who were in TeamSupreme back in the day! I’ve also got a new song with vocalist Sara Phillips, who may be dropping by as well, along with a few other LA producer legends who I’ll just let everyone be surprised by 🙂
Lastly, I have to ask about Tonka, your 1992 Mitsubishi Delica Chamonix L300 4WD Van you got last year. What’s been your favorite experience with your van so far? Any chance of an afters at Tonka tomorrow night?
Owning this van has definitely been a journey so far – the amount of maintenance and work that’s required to keep a 30-year-old vehicle running smoothly is way different then your typical sprinter van experience. But she’s a beast, and having a 4WD turbo-diesel vehicle means she’s able to access a lot of locations that most vehicles can’t. I’d love to do an afters somewhere if we could find a last-minute location! I just don’t know where we could pull up in the city that wouldn’t immediately get shut down haha.
Favorite song of 2025:
Ugh this is an impossible question, but right now I’d say it’s Sammy Virji and Skepta’s track “Cops & Robbers”. It just lifts my mood every time I hear it, and the sample is so great.
Best track to play at peak time:
Not to toot my own horn, but I have a new remix of “Creator” by Santigold that goes kinda hard.
Producer(s) and/or vocalist(s) you’d most like to work with:
Another impossible question, because it’s so hard to narrow down my list! For producers, I’d love to one day work on something with Alison Wonderland, deadmau5, Skrillex, Disclosure, Alix Perez, Hannah Wants, Chris Lake, LYNY, Flume, Ninajirachi, Lane 8… the list goes on! On the vocalist side, I love Shygirl, Kimbra, PinkPantheress… a RÜFÜS DU SOL collab would be insane too.
Upcoming artist(s) to watch for in 2025:
Ninajirachi is on a crazy path right now that I love to see, as well as Klo! Also love Pauline Herr’s new tracks this year, and Shosh from the UK.
Be sure to check out dot and friends tomorrow night Thursday September 11 at Sound Nightclub in Los Angeles!
dot – Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / SoundCloud
