Kat Ze.
Pressure, groove and feeling.
Kat Ze on versatile sets, classical influences and finding the courage to take the first step in Vienna.
Kat Ze · Katharina Zebura
A dark club does not call for the same music as a day party in the sunshine. Kat Ze enjoys responding to those differences through hardtechno and Schranz, but also hypnotic and groovy tracks. She talks about a spontaneous studio collaboration with Mihulet, a roller-coaster melody from childhood and recording music with her family.
Vienna DJ and producer Kat Ze is part of the Mahlwerk collective. Alongside energy, she values the emotional arc of a set. We received her answers on 2 November 2026; the EP and Herz aus Glas discussed here were still in progress and unreleased respectively.
Reading the room
From groovy day parties to hardtechno and Schranz: how do you find the right musical arc for each occasion?
Of course, it always depends on the club, the time slot and the event, including what kind of sound is wanted. That is what guides how I build my sets. Although I am mainly known for my hardtechno/Schranz sound, I enjoy adapting to the location and the event. At summer outdoor day parties, for example, I like playing groovier, bouncy tracks with a feel-good mood. If I am playing before a hardtechno DJ, I also like to start with hypnotic, dark techno and build the energy from there. I enjoy that versatility and am glad I can move in different musical directions. The variety is great fun, and it also opens up more opportunities than focusing exclusively on hardtechno would. That sound does not suit every situation, and that is completely fine. It can be exactly right in a dark club, whereas at a day party at Gleis 19, with the sun shining in the afternoon, it is much more fun to play groovy, bouncy music with positive energy.
In general, I try to create an arc of tension in my sets rather than playing the biggest bangers right at the start. I prefer to build the energy gradually, although that can change. If I feel I am not reaching the crowd in the way I had hoped, I try a different direction or play a track I know could work well. Responding to people is important to me because every club and every crowd is different.
Following the flow together
You released Beat Back with Mihulet. Which idea only emerged through working together on the track?
Beat Back came about completely spontaneously. We did not have a specific idea of how the finished track should sound. We first agreed on a BPM, then gathered new ideas step by step. Often, we were looking for something particular and discovered something entirely different that we then used. For example, we found a synth sound while looking for the melody, but later used it for call-and-response elements.
We simply followed the flow and saw where the track would go. That was exactly what made it so much fun. Mihulet and I have known each other since school, so working on a project and making something happen together was especially cool.
Responding to people is important to me because every club and every crowd is different.
A melody that stayed
For your Schranz edit of Euromir, you translated an existing piece into your own sound. What did you definitely want to preserve from the original?
Euromir is originally a Eurotrance track called Lift Off, played on the Euro Mir roller coaster at Europa-Park. I first heard it there when I was about twelve, and the melody has stayed in my head ever since.
At some point, I started looking for edits I could play in my sets. But I was not really happy with the versions I found, so I thought I would just make my own. From the outset, I knew the trance melody, the heart of the original, absolutely had to stay.
I changed the arrangement a little, built the percussion myself and used my own effects to give the track my sound. I wanted to preserve the character of the original while changing it in a way that would fit my sets.
Two musical worlds
You grew up in a musical family. Is there something from that time that still shapes the way you listen or make music?
I grew up in a very musical family. Almost my entire family makes or plays classical music, so it was always a big part of my childhood and teenage years. I played piano as a child, but eventually stopped because sport was simply more important to me at the time. The connection to classical music has remained, though, and still shapes my own music.
In my productions, I try to bring those influences in by combining classical instruments with hardtechno and Schranz. I find bringing those two worlds together exciting. One example is my still-unreleased track Herz aus Glas, which I produced with my mum. She played the violin for it. I also like incorporating piano and recordings of my parents into my productions. I am currently working on an EP that will feature some of these tracks.
Emotions also play a big role in DJing for me. I like it when music reaches me emotionally on a night out, and that is exactly what I want to achieve with my sets. It can be pure euphoria and energy, but sometimes something more melancholic or sentimental. Towards the end of a set in particular, if it fits musically, I like showing another emotional side.
Taking the first step
You are active as a DJ in Vienna. What genuinely helped you find your place behind the decks when you were starting out?
At first, I practised at home and also played at a good friend’s place. He helped me a lot and had CDJs at home, whereas I only had a small controller. Eventually, I started writing directly to collectives and clubs. I played my first sets in front of an audience at Donau Techno; later, Push gave me my first club gig. From there, things developed step by step. Especially at the beginning, I was very proactive because I thought: it is nice to have a set on SoundCloud, but if nobody in the scene knows I want to play live, it will not do much for me. So I contacted people myself and saw what came of it.
Mahlwerk, my current collective, was already on my radar, but I did not dare approach them myself. I already knew Max Wagner a little, and at some point I asked whether he could take press photos of me. When we met, we did a bit of DJing at home. Afterwards, he asked whether I would like to become part of Mahlwerk. Naturally, that made me very happy because I had always thought the collective was cool. Joining that way made it even nicer. I am very glad I became part of Mahlwerk and proud of how our collective has developed. Putting on events with this great team is a lot of fun, and it is lovely to help shape the scene a little.
I think that once you are present and playing at events, other promoters and DJs notice you too. Eventually, enquiries start coming in on their own. But especially at the beginning, being proactive and taking the first step definitely helped me.
Kat Ze
Interview by email · Editorial and image art direction: SCENE:ID. Bereitgestellt von Kat Ze