An undisputed classic of the electronic music scene, Steve Bug’s ‘Loverboy’ was released on the first Poker Flat release ever ‘ Double Action’ back in 1999. Over the years it has been reworked only by a few – but the list includes the likes of Josh Wink and Guido Schneider. Now, as part of the 20 years of Poker Flat celebration, more names are added to that remix list with two new superb remixes from Catz ‘n Dogz and Acid Pauli.

Catz ‘n Dogz are a Polish producer duo making big waves in recent years, and their version of ‘Loverboy’ brims with their unmistakable energy – chugging, hypnotic groove and tonnes of effects and melodic twists and turns. We had the chance to talk with the duo about their remix of ‘Loverboy’, their fourth studio album, the label Poker Flat and much more. Enjoy!

WWD: Hi guys, thanks for talking to us. How’s the year started out for you?

Greg: Pleasure 🙂 the year has been amazing so far.We played very good NYE / NYD parties in Bulgaria and Spain plus we work lots in the studio these days, so lots of new music coming soon! I also became a father recently, so definitely a new chapter for me.

WWD: Tell us about one of your favourite artists you discovered last year, and why we should be checking them out?

Greg: Definitely a London producer – Jeigo. His productions are amazing. We asked him for a demo for our label Pets and the will be released later this year. It‘s a perfect combination of music that you can play in the club and also listen at home or in the car. Very spacey, deeper sound of electronic music.

WWD: You first met in Szczecin, which you said at the time didn’t have much of a music scene. Has that changed in the intervening years?

Greg: Unfortunately it hasn’t changed much even though the city has a great potential. Luckily the club scene is pretty good – Local promoters do a  great job with clubs and outdoor parties. We put a bigger event every year in Szczecin too- last year it was Open Air event on the public beach by the river. It was amazing. Newly build Philharmony in Szczecin programs many interesting events – for example there will be Derrick May with full orchestra this summer. As Szczecin is so close to Berlin local government tries to attract people from Germany to come to events in town.

WWD: You released you fourth studio album last year. With electronic music – and certainly club music – dominated by singles and EPs, what role do you think albums have for electronic artists?

 Greg: An album project is always a very adventourous time for us, we put lots of efforts in research and preparation. However when it comes to ‘Friendship’, our latest 4th album we approach it differently. We wanted to tell a story, experiment more with various sounds and techniques – mix club sounds with easy listening vibes. An album represents a specific time in life – at least for us & we express this with music & moods. I hope listeners can feel it.

WWD: Back in 2013 you picked out a record by Maribou State, Mask, that you thought had been unfairly slept on, possibly as it didn’t fit into either pop or house genres. Eight years on, do you think that in general the industry is more receptive to championing records that cross boundaries? If so, why do you think that is?

Greg: One of our main goals as producers and label owners is to cross boundaries and mix genres. We put our hearts & soulds into every project we work on. We really loved the Mask track and we arranged a very good video producer to visualise the mood of the song. For some people it’s still not easy to accept that you can mix house/techno and other genres on the label or when you produce or play a gig. Our big inspiration was always Laurent Garnier who masters genre-crossing and his sets / productions always are very inspiring and interesting.

For us it’s all about good music, that‘s why we have 2 radio residencies where play music that inspire us. Pets Recordings, our label reflects our diverse musical horizons – we like to mix and release music that we’d like to play in our sets, but also music we’d like to listen at home or whilst driving a car. Plus it is simply lots of fun for us to research and discover new music.

WWD: Poker Flat is currently celebrating its 20th anniversary – why do you think the label has stood the test of time?

Voitek: We’ve known Steve for many years and seriously I think it’s his dedication. Another thing is that people really value the impact the label had in building Minimal/House sound. For many many years Pokerflat next to Bpitch, Gigolo & Kompakt was basically influencing labels all over the world with its fresh approach. Haha I don’t want to sound like an advertisment for Pokerflat but – personally for me – it had massive impact.

WWD: We’re really enjoying your Loverboy remix. When it comes to taking on a record with as much heritage as this, do you approach it differently than you would a remix of a more recent track?

Voitek:  First of all, it’s important to say that we already did an edit for personal use. Before we had the remix parts. We wanted to do a version which is basically refreshed original and keeps all the original elements. When it comes to remix a very well known record we really treat it case by case there is no pattern we follow. In case of “ Loverboy” we really wanted to have as many sounds from the original version as possible.

WWD: What are you personal favourite tracks from the Poker Flat catalogue?

Voitek: All the early releases are our favorite lol. Seriously but there are so many. All the early stuff of Guido Schneider, Trentenmoller, Martin Landsky or Steve’s records were always for me like “wow”.

If I would have to point out one secret jam that maybe not everybody knows it would be “All I Need” by Steve Bug – we used to smoke joints and drive around our hometown with this track on loop.

Also we always played a lot Traffic Signs stuff another project of Steve. Also the whole “Unterwegs…” by Guido was like a game changer and the track “Moesko” still makes me feel stuff.

WWD: What has been your personal highlight from the last 12 months?

Voitek: Being able to enjoy music and moments. Being present.

WWD: What can we expect from Catz ‘n Dogz in 2020?

Voitek: Lots of exciting collaborations and a few releases we’re very eager to share with the world. We will release more EPs on different labels than Pets this year and a debut on one of our favourites- but can’t say much more at the moment. It will all come to light very soon. We’ll be celebrating 10 years since Pets Recordings launched – time flies! So we’re working on a very special compilation plus a stream of label showcases across Europe and beyond. 2020 is shaping up to be one of the best years yet.

You can stream or buy the remix of ‘Loverbody’ here.