Dr Reanne Crane and Roberto Godinez make up the electronic music duo known as GOLDICAT, and their most recent single ‘Show U More’ was a tune that we at Mesmerized simply couldn’t get enough of! Deeply immersive, hypnotic, and infectious, it had a futuristic and dark edge to it that was too unique and inventive to ignore.
Interested to learn more about the talented duo and their artistry, I was thrilled when Dr Reanne agreed to chat with us! Taking us through some of her favourite descriptions of GOLDICAT’s sound, the inspiration behind ‘Show U More,’ and her thoughts on the music industry of today, please give a warm welcome to our new friend Dr Reanne Crane of GOLDICAT!
Well hey there Reanne! Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us! I can’t wait to introduce you to our ever-expanding audience! Before we get into the nitty-gritty, could you tell us more about GOLDICAT and how would you describe your sound to those who have yet to discover it?
Hi! So, we are an electronic duo, and GOLDICAT is a (somewhat sideways!) portmanteau of our names, Godinez and Cat (my middle name). We’re from Jalisco, Mexico, and Manchester, UK, respectively, and I think this fusion really comes through in our sound. Godinez has been playing music of all genres professionally for over three decades, so while I’m the main songwriter/beatmaker, he’ll fashion the ideas into something more coherent and elegant.
I think we’re a great combination – he’s classically trained and brilliant with harmony, and I’m self-taught and fearless with experimentation. We exist in this really fertile creative tension where he’ll often be pushing for heavier, harder dance music while I’m centralizing these dramatic piano parts and nostalgic, vulnerable vocals. I think of our sound as “Disco but with a smattering of gloom.” I’d like to sonically capture that moment when people notice the profound melancholy of Abba’s ‘Dancing Queen.’
People seem to have quite differing interpretations of our sound. Some of my favorite descriptions have been: “Abba Trance,” “Tropical Darkwave,” and “Like if Cyndi Lauper and Daft Punk had a pet chameleon.”
GOLDICAT debuted in 2022 with ‘Pharaoh,’ a tune that I’ve come to know and love. What does the song mean to you and how did the creative process unfold?
That’s an unusual story, actually. In 2022, I was in the final year of my PhD and really struggling to finish the thesis – 80,000 words on Psychedelics and Semantics! I was getting stuck in these relentless cycles of editing and tweaking – perfectionism was driving me to madness. I’d been dabbling with electronic music production for a little while at that point, and I told myself that if I could put a complete song out into the world, which would inevitably be imperfect and unfinished, then I would also be able to finally submit my PhD.
It actually worked! I’ve played it to a few people, but I’ve never tried to promote it.
Now, the creative process for that song is a little embarrassing. There are 27 tracks in ‘Pharaoh,’ and every instrument sound is based on a stock Logic preset, mostly from Alchemy, the first letters of which spell Godinez’s full name: R-O-B-E-R-T-O — C-A-R-L-O-S — G-O-D-I-N-E-Z — Z-U-B-I-E-T-A. It’s probably the most romantic gesture I’ve ever made. We’d only just started dating as well – I’m amazed he didn’t run a mile!
I considered taking it down in the run-up to the most recent release, but it’s such an important symbol for me in several ways: in terms of overcoming stagnation and perfectionism, the richness of creative limitations (they HAD to be presets and their names HAD to correspond to the correct letters), and then also the outlandish romance of it!
Now, onto your smashing and deeply infectious new single ‘Show U More’. You’ve described the track as being inspired by Sayulita, “a cosmic vortex that disguises itself as a surf town on the Pacific Coast of Mexico”. Please tell us more 😃
Ah, how do I explain Sayulita? It’s theoretically a small tourist town on the Pacific Coast of Mexico. It’s beautiful: beach, mountains, jungle – a melting pot of travelers and artists from many places. Tons of live music, artists, and artisans. Wonderful food, interesting wildlife – and a rhythm that seems to resist fixed social plans. Of course, with spontaneity often comes an uptick in synchronicities. It’s very enchanting!
For all these reasons, it can feel like being at a festival, all the time.
Personally, I do my best work when there’s a party on my doorstep – it helps me to focus because external noise means I’m less likely to distract myself…I couldn’t have it any other way! But some people really lose their minds here. We were trying to capture the spirit of that in ‘Show U More’.
Who would you put down as some of your biggest musical influences and who would you ultimately credit for helping shape and mould your overall sound?
We’ve taken a lot of inspiration from Crazy P. In fact, I credit Crazy P as the reason why I started making electronic music in the first place.
Godinez is a huge fan of Depeche Mode. Then we’re also surrounded by lots of regional Mexican music…Sometimes a car will drive by with some ranchera song at full volume, and it’ll give me a totally unexpected idea. ‘Show U More’ definitely has organized chaos that I later realized reminded me of some of the more frenetic elements of Mexican banda and norteño music.
I think it’s easy to underestimate how much our general soundscape bleeds into the music we make!
If you were allowed to “steal” one song in the world and claim it as your own, what would it be and why?
That’s a tough one! Maybe Stravinsky’s ‘Rite of Spring’ – the audacity and courage it takes to make something that remains accessible but also radically subverts genre or form (or both!) and then stand behind it. I have so much respect for that.
Godinez: ‘Thriller,’ because it’s a masterpiece in composition!
What are your thoughts regarding the music industry of today? And, if you could, what changes would you make to it?
Related to the previous question, I think it’s unfortunate that making music that’s easily categorized by genre often gives artists such an advantage. But it’s not fair to call that a music industry issue specifically – it’s just a reflection of broader patterns in all forms of art and culture.
Of course, most people, most of the time, gravitate towards predictability and familiarity, but I wonder how much the forces of marketing – digital marketing in particular – might be exacerbating this.
Then again, I’m probably saying this because I’m totally complicit in it. Very occasionally, I’ll make the time to go and explore new or underground artists – maybe a few times per year…Why don’t I do it more?! It’s an incredible way to spend an evening. I have great respect for people like you guys who do this as a natural instinct!
German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche said, “Without music, life would be a mistake.” What would your life look like without music and what fills your days when you’re not busy creating?
Right! As far as I know, art/music is a fundamental aspect of human existence and always has been. I think it’s tragic that modern education relegates the arts to something vocational or trivial. What would happen if we couldn’t recognize parts of ourselves in anything external? It’s not just humans either. Probably my favorite thing about social media is the animals…People sharing videos of their pets or wild animals being creative or showing aesthetic preferences.
And let’s not even start with how the mathematical relationships in harmonics mirror the natural order of physics and how all existence is built on vibration. If music is an expression of aspects of the underlying structure of the universe, then perhaps life without music is impossible?
In more day-to-day terms, I also co-run a platform called Semantrix, which is all about exploring the relationships between language, perception, and reality. I enjoy making videos too! Oh, and I try to go outside and talk to people at least once a day as well – I’m naturally quite introverted, so I think it’s an important practice for me.
Thanks again for chatting with us Reanne! It’s been an absolute pleasure having you here! Before we say farewell, what comes next for GOLDICAT?
We’re fortunate to have received funding to support our first album, so ‘Show U More’ is just the first of 10 songs we’ll be releasing over the next 6 months or so. We’re about halfway through production and can’t wait to share what we’ve been working on!
