dot: Producer, Writer, Performer

Kate Ellwanger does it all; she is a DJ, producer, songwriter, live performer, label owner, and music instructor.

Ellwanger got her start as a classical musician, but fell in love with music production upon moving to Los Angeles and starting college. “Discovering that creative freedom and unlimited sonic possibilities was really inspiring to me, so it just felt natural to head in a new direction,” she tells Status Magazine. She soon entered the DJing scene in Los Angeles, performing under the stage name “dot,” and has been spinning out experimental ambient tracks ever since — each representative of her versatile influences and inspirations. Her discography includes a recent single, “Silence is Golden,” alongside a 2017 album, Retrofuture, and four previous EPs. Aside from her own music, she has produced for greats like SZA and Teri GenderBender.

In 2014, upon continuously feeling the lack of fellow women in her field, Ellwanger founded Unspeakable Records; a label aimed at lifting up women in the music industry by centering female artists and facilitating their growth as musicians. The label connects these artists to opportunities like live performances, educational programs, music releases, and chances for networking and exposure.

Ellwanger also recently jumpstarted Sonic Identity, a music training program for woman-identifying musicians to build skills and explore their passions for music. She had previously spent time working as a composition and music production instructor at schools and colleges, but remembers feeling limited by the curricula. “These institutions were great at showing artists the technical aspects of music production,” she tells Status, “but didn’t provide much support for them to discover their own unique sound.” With Sonic Identity, Ellwanger aims to create an affordable, accessible, and provocative platform for women to develop their musical abilities while simultaneously expanding and exploring their relationships with their own musical intuition.

Keep up with Ellwanger (dot) on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, and give her work a listen on Soundcloud and Bandcamp.