Cosmicat: The rising talent of Saudi’s electronic music scene
DJ, producer, and change maker, Cosmicat, is part of a new wave of artists emerging from Saudi Arabia. Her blend of genres has captivated music lovers worldwide, from performing for an audience of 130,000 at Soundstorm to taking prominent international stages, including Exit Festival, Tomorrowland, and Ultra.
Photo credit: Cosmicat – Official
Born and raised in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Cosmicat started her music journey when access to records and production equipment was limited. She balanced her dental studies with playing at underground parties, being a self-taught musician. Starting from the local Saudi scene, she has inspired other local female musicians to emerge.
As a self-taught artist, Cosmicat had the freedom to experiment and forge her own approach to traditional electronic music. She developed a distinct sound that seamlessly merges elements of melodic house and techno.
Since 2018, she has shared stages with music giants like R3HAB, Steve Aoki, and Martin Garrix. Her artist journey, featured in Hypebeast Diaries, has garnered over a million views. She’s also been featured in Vogue Arabia and collaborated with brands like Adidas and Pepsi.
In this interview, EG delves into Cosmicat’s recent releases and future plans. The conversation includes an insightful discussion about her remix for Camelphat’s ‘Running Man,’ the recent release of her documentary film ‘Underground,’ and her thoughts on the future of electronic dance music.
EG: Hi, Cosmicat! Welcome to EG. It’s a pleasure to have you here with us again. Where are you at right now? How have you been?
Cosmicat: Hello Electronic Groove! Always a pleasure to chat, I’m currently back home in Jeddah, taking some time off after my last release on Mahool Records, an official remix for Camelphat’s ‘Running Man.’
EG: First of all, thank you for your contribution to our EG Spotlight series! Tell us, what can fans of the series expect to find in this installment? How do you usually go about crafting recorded mixes?
Cosmicat: I simply like to stitch together tracks I personally enjoy, this time we are diving into a more energetic spot in melodic house with records from artists such as Lane 8, Franky Wah, Zlata, Ben Bohmer, and many others.
EG: On another note, congratulations on the release of your new remix for CamelPhat! You must be very excited to be able to share this one with everyone. What has the initial reception been like so far?
Cosmicat: Thank you so much! Camelphat have always been on my top favorite artists, and so far, it has been a great release. I’m happy to see people tuning in.
EG: So, what was it about ‘Running Man’ that drew you to remixing it? What was the process for this one like?
Cosmicat: Of course my appreciation for Camelphat’s artistry and that tempo change on the arpeggio that sounded very unique.
“I simply like to stitch together tracks I personally enjoy”
EG: By the way, just a few weeks ago, you had the premiere of your documentary film ‘Underground’. Again, congratulations! What was the experience like?
Cosmicat: We shot this documentary about two years ago, I never thought that it would make it to a big film festival such as the Saudi Film Festival on its 10th anniversary. I was watching it for the first time with the production team, and the artists featured, and we were so happy to be awarded a golden palm.
EG: Can you tell our readers what ‘Underground’ is all about? Will it be available to steam soon?
Cosmicat: ‘Underground’ is a documentary of the emerging of the music industry from the point of view of different artists who represent different genres, such as metal, R&B, electronic, and experimental. The documentary had its first public screening on June 7th at Hay Jameel Theater in Jeddah Saudi Arabia. Hopefully, we will hear news about it being available to stream online.
EG: What do you think the future of electronic dance music looks like? Are all these innovations and big-screen festival performances bringing us closer or farther away from the music? Have we lost something along the way?
Cosmicat: Well, everywhere in the world has a different rhythm, right now in Saudi this industry is blooming and growing rapidly with larger crowds and more fans exploring it every day. It’s still fresh and new in Saudi compared to the rest of the world. Right here larger music festivals and events are contributing positively to the growth of this type of music.
EG: It being such a hot topic, how do you feel about the recent implementation of AI in the creative side of music? Have you explored any form of AI recently? What’s your relationship with that like?
Cosmicat: I personally would like AI to be doing my laundry and washing the dishes instead of creative work, creative work is my job, but laundry isn’t.
“I personally would like AI to be doing my laundry and washing the dishes instead of creative work”
EG: Finally, can you provide some insights into what’s next for Cosmicat? What can we expect from you in the coming months? Where can your fans catch you next?
Cosmicat: I’m taking a long break, I’m running off to Africa in the next couple of days and getting rid of my phone, I’ll go off the radar while I connect with music on a deeper level and try to find my way back to that place that got me into making music in the first place. I have been working super hard with no real breaks for the past two years, I think it’s time to go back and have a different perspective on music.
EG: Thank you so much for your time, Cosmicat! See you on the dancefloor!
Cosmicat: My pleasure! See you on the other side of the dancefloor.
‘Running Man (Cosmicat Running Woman Remix)’ is now available on Mahool Records. Stream and download here.
Follow Cosmicat: Spotify | SoundCloud | Instagram | Website
