Kati Ran is a Dutch audio producer, lyricist, vocalist and historic sound multi-instrumentalist. 68Livingdoll and Benjamin Zeunen had the opportunity to interview her.
We are happy that you found the time for this written interview, and we are all looking forward to hear more about your life and your music.
Would you as a start tell us a little about yourself?
I am a Dutch artist and release Dark folk music under Kati Rán. I have just released my new Dark Folk , Nordic themed album SÁLA via Svart Records in Finland. I work since the early 2000’s with alternative folk music, bands and several projects that incorporate historic instruments in their music and have several kinds of spiritual foundations related to their art and music.
“Kati Rán” is that your real name?
This is my artist name, under which I have released my music and collaborated in the last decade. Before that time i released under my regular name but at a certain point i felt it necessary to make a distinction between a public artist life and the personal life.
How many years have you been playing and producing music?
I worked since the early 2000’s in the music industry in different roles, mainly being a enthusiastic helping hand for other bands and were touring with them to sell merchandise and help out with artworks, dive into libraries for searching lyrics or the like and had a few first instruments of my own such a Irish Bodhrán, a Munnharpa and a Finnish Kantele, so in a sense, I was already absorbing musical information from all the aspects of a ‘musicians life’ before I actively wanted to learn to play or sing something for myself. Since 2005-2006 I started on Swedish nyckelharpa and like most people, I started with learning Scandinavian traditional tunes on it. It soon became my intention to start making my own melodies or songs instead and form a band that incorporates historic instruments and Scandinavian myths.
I didn’t want to repeat melodies but invent them. When it comes to learning audio production it was a very gradual process.
I felt a need to record my song ideas to remember the melodies i was humming, but using phone voice recordings was not quite capturing the full mood of the song i had already in my mind, it’s also very practical to be able to share demos of your ideas with people, so I was asking trusted friends that already produced their own work how best to learn it, for example; what hard- and software to get, what could be a good first microphone or how to edit your takes. From there i just wanted to develop this all a bit further. As a recording artist being able to deliver your own sounds or vocal comps, or to arrange your songs in a DAW as you prefer them to become, will always have my preference now.
When you start getting into such a new skill or even as a profession you keep learning on your way. Especially when at first it feels difficult and very unnatural still, it can be a bit overwhelming or even intimidating, but it is always good to just keep on going, step by step, because eventually you will get it. For all released music and tracks I still work with other more experienced producers together, who can sometimes show me shortcuts that i wish i had known sooner! – it always gives a good laugh! That is what happens when you go about it with no formal education, but in the end, it doesn’t matter precisely how it was done, as long as it sounds good in the end. As a recording artist for external productions like in tv or film i can deliver professional recordings remotely by now 🙂
What music did you play before you started on the Viking/folk related music that we know you from?
It was around the same time that I worked in the German-Dutch band FOLK NOIR with some members of FAUN (Oliver, Stefan and Alex) and me, as that i started up L.E.A.F, which was my first folk band together with Fieke van den Hurk. The first EP releases of both projects stem from 2010-2011. Folk Noir was more styled like Mumford & Son’s and Nick Drake singer-songwriter and a bit of americana/country folk influences, where L.E.A.F was fully into the more romantic Scandinavian ballads and the like. The focus with going deeper into Nordic mysticism started when guesting occasionally with WARDRUNA in 2013- 2015 and learning some more things there on these subjects. From there i went deep down in that rabbit hole to find out more.
Have you ever played in any bands?
-Yes, as a live guest musician and/or guest vocalist I worked on stages with special performances by Wardruna, Omnia, Myrkur’s Folkesange tour, some appearances with Gaahl’s Wyrd, one time at Faun and Valravn for special festivals, and also have been playing with the sweet guys of Folket Bortafor Nordavinden for the earliest editions of Midgardblot. I recorded and collaborated with several projects or songs by other artists.
Do you play instruments and which ones?
I sing and i play on string instruments such a nyckelharpa, moraharpa, as well as like to use all kinds of percussion, hand drums, hammered dulcimer, overtone flutes or bone flutes or lyra.
Any plans about learning to play a new instrument?
Always 🙂
Did you have any kind of music education, or did you learn by yourself
By myself and by working with friends who already played music longer.
Would you do more collabs.?
Yes, that is my business as a recording artist
Do you have a favorite band or musician that means more to you than others?
All kinds of music move me, i like to listen to a lot of different music from all kinds of genres, but lately i haven’t been listening to a lot of other releases to keep my mind and time free for having my own ideas.
Do you make other kind of music, than what we know you for?
I’m in the process of exploring something for a collab, but i will always want to sound like ‘me’ with the added experience I bring into it and my kind of vocals and sounds, so then it is vital i can feel an energetic match, even if it is for another genre all together
Where do you typically get your inspiration to compose/ produce music?
It can be from anywhere really, from a conversation in a backroom or a sound heard in nature, from old texts, or the inspiration of a single poetic and melodic line that becomes the first thread in your head and then it is a sensitive search to craft the rest of the song built around it…
Are you a believer of the Nordic/old ways or finding the history interesting?
History has much to teach us, we can learn from our forefathers and foremothers what to do, or even what best not to do, and i find it interesting to learn from different cultures too. Everything is already a mash up of so much, but there is the red thread in my music as was stated in my first band’s mission already, and that is ‘to reconnect people back to nature, to history and to each other’, which has been my mantra since i started. So even in my solo releases that will always be the foundation. It always had very direct, obvious ties to the North, but as of now, my compass is undetermined where it will navigate toward.
Do you find it challenging times in the music industry with YT and other streaming places?
(Other musicians are saying that)
I think platforms as these helps us be heard & streamed by many people all over the world. The internet has connected us all and this is something which has given many opportunities and gifts that we didn’t have before, including of our remote music collaborations. And I still find it incredible to get messages from people from all over the world who have found my music through these streaming mediums.
When you talk on how the music industry has changed since the rise of subscription services for all media and music, we see that, just like with streaming your favorite tv series or films, we now consume all music that is published on these platforms as good as ‘for free’; we take the content for granted and can find almost every artist’s full music catalogue on there. It however doesn’t very much compensate these artists, songwriters and producers who actually made it, because with one fixed monthly subscription there is unlimited access to the full music library of the World, with very little revenue going to their content providers. Of course, this has implications for all artists on how to make their profession sustainable to produce and put out there. A lot of people are completely unaware of the high production costs that are involved with quality music albums and the added time investment to make it too. We should look into this more when see the current trend when artists will financially collapse while music streaming CEO’s become billionaires. However, if you still have the will and passion to make and invest in releasing the music regardless, and if you still got ‘something to say’ through your art, then you will.
Can it be hard to find time for the music and the balance between music/family life and other things in life? (many feel they have to little time to make their music)
I personally haven’t toured in a long time and feel quite content with the way I make music and give this to the world remotely. But it can be difficult to find a good work/life balance and that also goes for other professions. Balance is key to do this long term for your physical and mental health. Especially long and extended touring can be taxing on families, especially for young children if you have them. It can potentially affect any artist’s character in subtle ways, even with the very best ones, it is a fact that our human psyche and internal neural system are not made for continuous outside praise and such a lifestyle without needing to check in with yourself to keep your feet and head firmly on the ground. The adrenaline spikes from performing, the high and lows of releases and special treatment from others around you can become very addictive. Any good and experienced artist knows it is vital that a good team is kept around them that keeps checking in to help each other navigate all the absurdities that come with something a difficult as a sense of ‘fame’ in your life. Nature and nature walks help to ground yourself as well. When a person is very successful, for example in music or film and needs to tour or be away from home a lot that sacrifice of their time and ‘presence’ with the mundane extends to the family of that artist too and this topic i feel is not enough explored to give out helpful tools and professional guidance.
Are you a big family person?
Family is important for anyone; humans don’t dwell well in long extended periods of isolation. We need hugs, physical touch and people to talk, laugh and cry with around us. We still have it deep ingrained in our psyche to want to be part of something, i guess for survival purposes from ancient times. I do pretty ok with longer periods on my own creatively, but I thrive when i have a good person around to bounce ideas off with.
Any new releases of tracks or album soon?
I just released my new Nordic dark folk album SÁLA in May 2024, the title is Old Norse for both ‘sea’ and ‘soul’. This was a 78-minute-long themed audio work with many special recordings done abroad and travels made to capture the true essence of the North. I am still promoting my latest album SÁLA and give interviews etc. for it, so I’m not immediately releasing more. My music and way of working with music as a medium to transport something bigger than ourselves, has altogether a different character and cadence of output; other than like for example a techno DJ that releases sample-based singles every three weeks. My songs are really captured with body, mind and soul and with sometimes academic, psychological,
lyrically poetic and audio research made before we even begin with recording. It’s not made for fast consumption either, because the more time you will spend with these sorts of ambient based songs, their lyric references and hidden layers, then the more you will discover in them. Hopefully people can take a moment to let a song fully breathe in the Mind’s Eye, to absorb its density and let it fully unfold so it can whisper its riddles and secrets in your ears.
Do you think it’s harder to be a woman in the music business? when you’re not in a band with others?
Yes, this is still a process that takes its time to shift. We have a lot of unconscious stigmas still running amok when working ‘with the guys’. Not all guys, but certainly a few…I don’t think all music colleagues need to deal professionally with big clients also trying to get into your panties, but female artists somehow always do. I continue with just the good ones.
Do you have other interest like crafting, painting or carving?
I do, I like all kinds of art or classic painters for example, and those things i gladly keep private. With my music i already give so much of myself out there, so it’s good to have boundaries on what parts we share publicly and what we don’t. It’s all about the music that already speaks for itself and actually not me as a person. Besides, it is always good to keep a bit of mysticism 😉
we would like to thank you for answering our questions about your music, and glad we could
do this written interview, we are sure many are happy to get to know you better….
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