There’s a specific kind of moment every producer dreams about, the one where a track built alone in a studio ends up in the hands of someone you’ve idolized for years. For DJ Catta, Parma-born producer, that moment came watching a video of Solomun playing “La Isla” — and it hit hard enough to bring him to tears.
Released on Diynamic, “La Isla” wasn’t a happy accident. It was a deliberate attempt to bottle everything he loves about Ibiza, the island he returns to every summer, into one track built around space, groove and a vocal that could carry a dancefloor. It worked. The record has since travelled the world, opened a direct line to the Diynamic camp, and turned what he calls a “breakthrough year” into the foundation for something bigger.
He talks about rediscovering electronic music after years immersed in rock and early synth records, the reality of building an Italian high-energy sound in a scene dominated by house and techno, founding his own travelling concept Parmesan House, and why — AI tools included — he still believes taste and vision can’t be outsourced.
Every producer has that moment when they knew electronic music was their path. What was yours, and how did your Italian roots and exposure to both rock and electronic music shape the sound you’ve developed today?
I’ve actually always been a fan of electronic music. At a certain point, though, I completely stopped listening to it and dedicated myself almost entirely to rock and to the early synth-driven music of the ’70s and ’80s.
That period influenced me a lot, especially in terms of sounds, melodies and the way I approach energy in music. Then I rediscovered electronic music and, for me, it felt like a new beginning. A big turning point was the release of “Everything You Have Done” by GENESI on Meduza’s label AETERNA, which really pushed me to start developing my own electronic sound again.
I think that mix of influences is still very present in what I do today. I don’t like putting myself into one box—I like bringing together energy, emotion, synths and unexpected elements and seeing where they take me.
Your track “La Isla” got released on Diynamic and has been played all around the world. Can you walk us through the creative process behind that track, where did the idea come from?
With “La Isla”, I actually had a very specific idea in my head: I wanted to make an Ibiza hit. I absolutely love Ibiza. I go there every summer and the island has had a huge influence on me, both musically and personally. So that was the starting point.
I wanted to put my entire sound into the track and build something around that vocal that could really work on the dancefloors of the island. The production is quite focused because I wanted the vocal, the synths and the groove to have their own space, without overcomplicating things. The goal was basically to create something that felt like Ibiza to me, but still sounded like me.
What was it like finding out it had caught Solomun’s attention? And how did the collaboration with the Diynamic camp unfold?
It was incredible. The first time I saw the video of Solomun playing “La Isla”, I actually started crying. It was one of those moments where you realize something you created in your studio is suddenly being played by someone you’ve looked up to for years.
I had sent him the track and he played it around a month later, so discovering that was honestly unbelievable. Solomun has been one of the biggest supporters of my music so far, and that moment literally changed my life. It opened so many doors and gave me a completely different level of exposure.
I’m still in contact with the Diynamic team today, and we’re also working towards a future EP together, so it feels like the beginning of a much bigger journey.
You founded and run Parmesan House, a travelling electronic music concept touring Italy. Could you tell us a bit more about it and what are your plans for this year?
Parmesan House was born from the idea of creating something that represents my roots while also bringing my vision of electronic music to different places.
Coming from Parma, the name obviously comes from where I’m from, but the concept is much bigger than that. I want it to be an experience and a community around the music.
I’m always looking to experiment more with the format and make every event different and more distinctive. In the future, I’d also love to bring some great international guests into the project and keep developing it into something that can travel and evolve.
How would you describe the current state of the local electronic music scene in Italy right now, and do you feel it gets the international recognition it deserves?
I think the Italian scene is quite interesting, but for my particular sound, it’s a little complicated. There’s a great scene for techno, house and tech house in Italy, with a lot of talented artists and promoters. But the more electronic, high-energy sound that I make doesn’t really have the same space here.
Because of that, I constantly have to look abroad to find the places where my music can really be appreciated. I’m especially focusing on building relationships in the US and South America, where I feel there’s a very strong connection with this kind of sound. I think Italy has a lot of talent, but sometimes you simply have to look beyond your own market if you want to grow internationally.
Some producers thrive in the studio and treat gigs as secondary, others are DJs first and produce in between. Where do you personally find the most energy, and how do the two sides of your work feed into each other?
I was actually a DJ first and became a producer afterwards. My original idea was basically: “Okay, I’m going to become a producer so that one day I can travel the world as a DJ.”
I’ve always loved DJing, but over time I’ve also become a huge fan of being a producer. I think the two things work perfectly together.
Being a DJ gave me years of experience understanding crowds, energy and what can actually work on a dancefloor. I think that experience has helped me a lot as a producer, because when I’m making music I already have an idea of how it could feel in a club.
At the same time, producing has given me my own identity as a DJ. So for me, they’re completely connected.
Building an artist profile today almost requires a constant social media presence. How do you approach that, and do you think platforms have genuinely changed how music reaches people?
Social media is fundamental today because it allows you to reach people almost anywhere in the world. It’s our shop window, but also our CV as artists.
That means your profiles need to look professional and constantly have content, because that’s simply what the market expects today.
The downside is that sometimes music itself can almost become secondary. You can be an amazing producer, but if you don’t have a strong presence online, it can be much harder for people to discover you.
I think the key is finding the balance: using social media as a tool to support your music and your identity, without letting it completely take over the artistic side.
AI tools are increasingly entering the production world. Do you see that as a threat to artistic identity, a useful resource, or something else entirely and has it influenced how you think about your own creative process?
I see AI as a tool. I think it’s wrong to abuse it, but I also think it’s wrong to completely ignore it, because it can be extremely useful.
Personally, I use it mainly for vocals, and I have to say it has really changed the way I work in that area. It allows me to experiment much more quickly and explore ideas that would otherwise be much harder to develop.
Of course, I still believe the artistic direction has to come from the producer. The technology can help you get somewhere, but you still need the taste and the vision to know where you actually want to go.
For a young producer or DJ just starting out today, what’s the one thing you wish someone had told you early on?
Well, I’m still a young producer myself, haha, so I’m not sure I’m the best person to give advice!
But from my personal experience, I would say: make music, make more music, and then make even more music.
Experiment until you really start developing your own sound. You’ll make a lot of bad tracks, but that’s part of the process. Eventually you might become technically better, you might have an idea that really works, or you might simply make the right track at the right time.
The important thing is to keep experimenting and not stop before you find your own sound.
What does 2026 look like for you in terms of releases, touring and any new directions you want to explore?
2026 has really been my breakthrough year. Before “La Isla”, it felt like nobody was really listening to my music. Now I actually have people reaching out to me asking for my tracks, and that’s something I never took for granted.
I’ve done a lot of collaborations and I have many releases coming, so I definitely want to keep aiming higher. For now, though, I’m mainly focusing on production and on making the music as strong as possible.
For 2027, if everything goes well, I’d love to take the next step and start doing more shows abroad, bringing my sound to international dancefloors and continuing to build on everything that happened with “La Isla”.