Kate Simko is an American composer, electronic music producer and founder of her ensemble London Electronic Orchestra. Simko has scored various feature-length films, including "The Atom Smashers" (

Ghostly International Ghostly International is an American independent record label founded in 1999 by Samuel Valenti IV and currently headquartered in Brooklyn, New York City. Chief artists include Matthew Dear, Dabrye (a.k.a. Tadd Mullinix), Com Truise, Tycho, Gol ...

), "We Believe in Dinosaurs" and "Underplayed" (

Lakeshore Records Lakeshore Entertainment Group, LLC is an American independent film production, finance, and former international sales and distribution company founded in 1994 by Tom Rosenberg and Ted Tannebaum (1933–2002). Lakeshore Entertainment is headquart ...

). In 2016, Simko released her self-titled album "Kate Simko & London Electronic Orchestra" on

The Vinyl Factory The Vinyl Factory is a large music company based in London, United Kingdom. It includes a record label, vinyl pressing plant, and a venue space. It also publishes ''Fact'' magazine and owns Phonica Records store. Overview The Vinyl Factory be ...

to critical acclaim. She was the first artist to perform electronic music at the

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director o ...

in London in 2014. Simko is represented by composer agency Manners McDade, having signed a publishing deal in 2022.

Background

Simko spent her childhood years studying piano and music theory. During her teens in Chicago, she fell in love with underground dance music, while also gaining a voracious appetite to hear new sounds. Her passion for electronic music eventually led to her to study music technology and piano at

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

, while also directing the dance and hip-hop format of the respected radio station

WNUR WNUR-FM (89.3 FM) is a 7,200–watt radio station based in Evanston, Illinois that broadcasts to Chicago and its northern suburbs. It is the student radio station of Northwestern University. History WNUR first began broadcasting on May 8, ...

. In 2001, Simko relocated for a music composition program in

Santiago, Chile Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital (political), capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated Regions of Chile, region, t ...

, where she met Andrés Bucci and they recorded their first record together as Detalles. Since then, she has returned to South America for numerous extended trips, recording more music with Bucci and playing shows in cities like Buenos Aires, Punta del Este and Caracas. With roots in

Chicago house Chicago house refers to house music produced during the mid to late 1980s within Chicago. The term is generally used to refer to the first ever house music productions, which were by Chicago-based artists in the 1980s. History and origins Disco ...

and

Detroit techno Detroit techno is a type of techno music that generally includes the first techno productions by Detroit-based artists during the 1980s and early 1990s. Prominent Detroit techno artists include Juan Atkins, Eddie Fowlkes, Derrick May, Jeff Mil ...

, Simko's music maintains a warm, soulful character, full of funky bass lines and driving rhythms. Reflecting her diverse background, her music crosses genre borders, blending rich textures and intricate programming with funky synth lines, thumping bass and groove. Her ever-changing

live PA Live PA (meaning live public address, or live personal appearance) is the act of performing live electronic music in settings typically associated with DJing, such as nightclubs, raves, and more recently dance music festivals. In a performati ...

continues to be a highlight wherever she plays, at home or abroad. She has received press in ''

The Wire ''The Wire'' is an American Crime film, crime drama Television show, television series created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon. The series was broadcast by the cable network HBO in the United States. ''The ...

'', ''

XLR8R ''XLR8R'' (pronounced "accelerator") is a website that covers music, culture, style, and technology. It was originally also a print magazine. History and profile ''XLR8R'' was founded as a newsprint zine in 1993 by publisher Andrew Smith in Sea ...

'', '' de:Bug'', ''

Mixmag ''Mixmag'' is a British electronic dance and clubbing magazine published in London. Launched in 1983 as a print magazine, it has branched into dance events, including festivals and club nights. History The first issue of ''Mixmag'' was prin ...

'', '' BPM'' and ''

Remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

'', and her Detalles project was named one of the "Next 100" artists by '' URB magazine''. A versatile DJ, Simko was named one of the Top 10 DJs in Chicago by ''XLR8R'' magazine. Her work has been released on

Traum Schallplatten Traum Schallplatten ( en, Dream Records) is a Cologne-based which started as a minimal techno record label run by Jacqueline Reinhold (née Klein) and Riley Reinhold (Triple R). but had developed into a melodic techno label. Its sub-labels are ...

and Kupei Musika, and been remixed by

Thomas Brinkmann Thomas Brinkmann (born 1959) is a German producer of experimental minimal techno music. He began experimenting with records in the early eighties and released re-workings of material by fellow artists Mike Ink and Richie Hawtin in the second ha ...

and

Atom Heart Uwe H. Schmidt (born 27 August 1968), also known as Atom™, Atom Heart, or Señor Coconut, is a German composer, musician and producer of electronic music. He is often regarded as the father of electrolatino, electrogospel, and aciton musi ...

, while she has remixed

Philip Glass Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimal music, minimalism, being built up fr ...

and Aeroc. In 2009, Simko released ''Music from The Atom Smashers'', the soundtrack to a documentary about physicists at

Fermilab Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab), located just outside Batavia, Illinois, near Chicago, is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory specializing in high-energy particle physics. Since 2007, Fermilab has been operat ...

. Simko's highly anticipated debut solo album ''Lights Out'' was released on Hello? Repeat records in June 2011. Her song "Go On Then feat. Jem Cooke" topped deep house charts in 2012. In 2013 the song was licensed to the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

television show ''Lucky 7'' and

Richie Hawtin Richard "Richie" Hawtin (born June 4, 1970) is a British-Canadian electronic musician and DJ. He became involved with Detroit techno's second wave in the early 1990s, and has been a leading exponent of minimal techno since the mid-1990s. He becam ...

's Enter.Ibiza 2013 compilation. Simko has established her reputation as a performer with interactive audiovisual live sets and cutting-edge DJ mixes. She has played clubs and festivals around the world. Simko was the first to perform electronic music at the

in London, in May 2013. She created original music inspired by the paintings in Room 34. In June 2014, she created custom compositions for Room 41. Simko graduated with a master's in Composition for Screen from the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music is a music school, conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the Undergraduate education, undergraduate to the Doctorate, doctoral level in a ...

. In 2014, she debuted her project ''London Electronic Orchestra'', which meshed her two major musical influences: live orchestra and electronic music. Simko is currently based in London.

Discography

*''Kate Simko & London Electronic Orchestra'' 2xLP, CD, digital,

w/ London Electronic Orchestra (2016) *''Tilted'' EP, 12",

w/ London Electronic Orchestra (2016) *''Waiting Games Remix'' EP, 12",

w/ London Electronic Orchestra (2016) *''One Time Game,'' 12", w/ Jamie Jones, London Electronic Orchestra, Jem Cooke (2015) * ''Theme Track'' EP, 12", digital, Last Night On Earth w/ Tevo Howard (2015) * ''Your Love'' EP, 12", digital, No. 19 Music (2013) * ''Lost in London'' EP, 12", digital, Get Physical Music (2013) * ''Kabuki Drop'' EP, 12", digital, Leftroom Records (2012) * ''Same Page'' EP, digital, Leftroom Records (2012) * ''Lights Out'' LP, CD, digital, Hello? Repeat Records (2011) * ''Mind On You'', digital, Hello? Repeat Records (2011) * ''Take You There'', digital,

(2009) * ''Lost In Time'' 12", digital, Eklo Records (2009) * ''Zhivago'' 12", digital,

Spectral Sound Ghostly International is an American independent record label founded in 1999 by Samuel Valenti IV and currently headquartered in Brooklyn, New York City. Chief artists include Matthew Dear, Dabrye (a.k.a. Tadd Mullinix), Com Truise, Tycho, Gol ...

(2009) * ''Music from the Atom Smashers'', digital-only soundtrack album, Ghostly International (2009) * ''Gamelan / Margie's Groove'', digital, Spectral Sound (2008) * ''She Said'' EP, 12"/digital, Spectral Sound (2008) * ''Cityscape'' 12"/EP, Kupei Musika w/

Jonas Bering Jonas Bering (born 9 November 1975) is a French electronic music songwriter, from Lille, France. Jonas Bering emerged from the techno scene of Cologne, Germany, through his works released on the German label Kompakt, run by Wolfgang Voigt, Michae ...

(2007) * ''Strumm'' 12"/EP, Kupei Musika (2006)

With Detalles

* ''Micros Morning'' CD/LP, Kupei Musika (2007) * ''Hello Donee'' 12"/EP, Kupei Musika (2007) * ''Shapes of Summer'' CD/LP, Traum (2003)

Appears on

* ''Cucusonic'', 2xLP,

(2021) * ''Defected Presents Most Rated 2013'', digital, mix, ITH Records (2012) * ''Richie Hawtin - Enter.Ibiza 2013'', 4xCD, M_nus (2013) * ''Death Is Nothing To Fear 3'' 12"/digital Spectral Sound (2008) * ''Death Is Nothing To Fear'' EP, digital, Spectral Sound (2008)

References

* Holland, Bill
"Ableton Live With Kate Simko At Mosaic Music Studios In Chicago"
Gearwire.com August 14, 2007. * Andrew, H
"Tastemaker: Kate Simko"
mmmChicago.com December 5, 2005.

External links

KateSimko.comKate Simko BBC biographyKate Simko Facebook fan pageKate Simko on SoundCloudKate Simko RA Residentadvisor pageKate Simko Beatport profileKate Simko at DiscogsKate Simko @ Ghostly.comKate Simko MySpace PageKate Simko Live At Fabric London Podcast @ URB Magazine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simko, Kate Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people) Bienen School of Music alumni American electronic musicians American techno musicians Club DJs Musicians from Chicago American women in electronic music 21st-century American women