Sonic Summit: Live Event and Album Campaign

About The Artist

My name is Kate Ellwanger, and I create music as Dot. I’ve been producing music for my own projects as well as for other artists for over a decade, and have played instruments since I was a kid. Music is the most important thing in my life -- it gives me a sense of freedom and purpose during challenging times, and helps me to feel more connected with the people around me.

I got my start in the LA Beat Scene -- I would go to an underground night in LA called Low End Theory every single Wednesday, and also worked as an intern at Alpha Pup Records before ultimately releasing music on the label. I also was a member of production collective TeamSupreme, making music for weekly beat cyphers alongside Mr. Carmack, Djemba Djemba, Promnite, Great Dane, and a dozen or so more producers. While I loved our friendships and being able to learn so much from one another, it was tough being the only woman in the collective and I missed having a sense of connection with other women and non-binary artists in the scene. I founded Unspeakable Records in 2014, which started as an all-female label and eventually grew to become a production company and education platform.

In addition to my solo releases, I’ve had the huge honor of producing music for artists including SZA, Hazel Rose, Nora Rothman, collaborating with Tsu Nami, and working with companies like Nike and Laura Mercier on product campaigns. I’m also so grateful to be able to share my music on festival stages and in support of some of incredible artists, including Zedd, David Guetta, Dillon Francis, Flosstradamus, and at festivals including EDC Las Vegas, HARD Summer Music Festival, Audiotistic, Countdown NYE, and more.

I entered the Web3 space by minting some of my first music NFTs on Catalog at the top of 2022, and have completely falling in love with this new medium ever since. I feel a tremendous amount of creative freedom and inspiration when creating music within the context of Web3, and it reminds me of some of the early SoundCloud days when innovation and community were at the forefront of internet music. Since then I’ve also done two releases on Sound.xyz, as well as numerous NFT series on Catalog, and am eager to continue building in this space.

If you’d like to discover more about the music, you can check out some interviews and videos below:

Album Mission

I’m very excited to announce that I’ve began writing and production on my next album, and I have some huge visions and goals for this music that I know I cannot execute on my own. After ten years of producing and building relationships with musicians and artists in the community around Los Angeles, I’m eager to finish creating this body of work that draws from both my technical experience and life lessons, and release it in late 2022 or early 2023.

The album is a mix of both instrumentals and songs with vocals, and deals with themes of modern femininity, and of finding one’s own voice, freedom, and autonomy. I feel this work is especially important at this time in our society, and I intend to use the music as a vessel to create positive change and raise awareness for women’s rights, human rights, and climate change.

photo credit: DNZ Media

Sonic Summit: Destination Retreat and Live Performance

For collectors and supporters who are willing to travel, I’m also hosting the very first Sonic Summit in Sun Valley, Idaho from August 19-21. This three-day retreat includes hiking, mindfulness practices, and a live outdoor concert on the final day of the experience. I’ll be debuting a few new songs from the album, as well as recording and filming the performance for later release/minting in conjunction with the project.

I’m excited to create a concert experience that is more intimate and immersed in nature — it gives me a chance to write and perform music that wouldn’t make sense to play on a huge festival stage or in a club, but is music that I am so passionate about creating and performing live. While I’ve previously used my NFT utility to give collectors guest list access to my shows and festivals, this unlocks a whole new kind of experience and opportunity for both artist and collector. To be able to write for performance and distribution contexts of my own creation is exactly why I was drawn to Web3 in the first place, and is very important to me as an artist.

Creating meaningful experiences for others through music and performances is my absolute greatest joy in life, and is something I'm excited to be further integrating in my Web3 ecosystem this year. While I maintain the position that my music NFTs hold value without any utility needing to be attached, I'm eager to use this medium as a way to build stronger relationships with my community, and invite collectors into my world of experiences and influences that shape the music they end up collecting.

photo credit: DNZ Media

Use of Funds

Funding will be allocated to these areas of the project:

• Production, filming and recording costs of the Sonic Summit live performances
• Mixing and mastering of the album
• Session fees and travel costs for other musicians and collaborators on the album
• Marketing and tour support
• Merchandise production costs

Benefits For Supporters

Tier One: Everyone

• Access to the collector’s channel on the Dot Connect Discord server
• Exclusive First Listen Invitation to stream the album before the official release date
• A Dot Adventure Pass NFT to attend the first annual Sonic Summit, August 19-21 in Sun Valley, Idaho (minimum donation .08 ETH)

Tier Two: 1 ETH +

All of the above, plus…

• A customized merchandise package and vinyl signed by Dot
• Guest list for any Dot show (first come first serve, festivals excluded)
• Invitation to the VIP Collectors Dinner at Sonic Summit on Saturday, August 20th

Tier Three: 3 ETH +

All of the above, plus…

• Executive production credits on the album
• A 1/1 NFT airdropped to the supporter on album release day
• Two passes to one festival that Dot is playing in 2023 or 2024 of the supporter’s choosing
• A one-on-one meet and greet with Dot, either virtual or in-person