
Laissez-Faire Podcast
Laissez-Fairecast #66 - Catatonique
Dear Laissiez today we welcome a guest from Mexico: Phonsey aka @catatonique, taking us on a 90-minute slow rave at the bottom of the ocean. Immersive downtempo techno structures, built for deep focus, night drives and slow-motion dancefloors. Initiate descent. ⚓️ Welcome Phonsey! What can we imagine when you describe your sound as “Deep Focus Techno”? It's downtempo techno. It's basically techno slowed down and deepened, rather than the ambient or trip-hop style people usually associate with 'downtempo'. I've gotten so many messages from listeners saying it helps them work long hours, deal with anxiety, insomnia, etc. That's really become the purpose of it. You describe your set as “a slow rave at the bottom of the ocean.” What does that place look and feel like to you? I've always thought of Catatonique's "animal" as an anglerfish, something that survives in total darkness and crushing pressure by making its own light. That's exactly how the music feels to me: dark, heavy, pressurized, but never threatening. More like a shelter than a void. This mix features several live mashups. How did you approach recording the set, and what was your technical setup like? I mapped a full 4-deck CDJ console across an Arturia KeyLab, an Akai MPK Mini, and a Novation Launchpad Mini. I recorded it live for my YouTube channel. You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2mw2gEvMDg You are running your own label, Subnautique Records. What was the idea behind starting the label, and what kind of music do you want to give a home to? Catatonique already had the anglerfish lore, so it made sense for the label to live in that same world and Subnautique felt perfect. The anglerfish attracts with light, so I like to think we do something similar with artists. We pull them out of the same darkness we're all swimming in and help them actually thrive. Subnautique is looking to give a home to downtempo techno, and to promote it and grow the genre as much as possible. What’s next for you musically? I'm always making new music. I was drawn to this downtempo sound before I even knew it had a name, I just wanted to make something I hadn't heard yet. I'm forever chasing the "perfect Catatonique track" and I'll never stop. I started a separate techno project, Belov, because I love it too but didn't want to blur it into Catatonique's identity. On the label side, Subnautique has grown into more of a music company than just a label. I launched Xenophy Records for dubstep/DnB/bass, and I'm planning another imprint for house and techno. Is there anything you would like to tell the listeners? I've only ever created and signed music I genuinely love. If you love it too, that's the best outcome I could ask for. Finding people who resonate with that is the best reward possible. Thank you for listening! TRACKLIST 1. Catatonique - Nadir (Original Mix) 2. Daniel Hokum - Day in Day Out (Sergey Nomad, Ian Hansen Remix) 3. DC Salas - Liquid Perception (Original Mix) 4. BRN - TDB (Extended Mix) 5. Catatonique - Passerine (Fernn Remix) 6. thea & schtu - No, What? (Sydka Remix) w/ The Chemical Brothers - Go 7. Alina K - Eternity (Catatonique Remix) 8. SVNR (RU) - Mood (Catatonique Remix) 9. Fernn - Cry of the Planet (Catatonique Remix) 10. Fernn - Majkel (Catatonique Remix) 11. Catatonique - Illicium (Original Mix) 12. Catatonique - Halocline (Original Mix) 13. Oondza, Catatonique - Ideogram (Original Mix) 14. Catatonique - Wake Up! (Original Mix) 15. Carla Valenti, Nadav Dagon - Egypcia (Catatonique Remix) 16. Ooshmann - Matuya (Catatonique Remix) 17. Discip - The Way I Like It (Original Mix) w/ Adam Sellouk, Doriann (IL) - Nocturnal (Extended Mix) 18. Carbon, Lampe - Never Alone (Original Mix) 19. GENESI (ITA) - Push Me (Extended) 20. ÜNAM - Fly feat. Valameyali (Catatonique Remix) 21. Don Son - Back to My Roots (Kapoor & Fernn Remix) 22. Odd Mob, Sofi Tukker - Bread (Odd Mob Extended Remix)





