In this episode of Track ID Mexico, hosts Pepe Camille and Mapu sit down with Christina, aka 40 Cats — Russian DJ, progressive house producer, and founder of Perfection Records. She shares her journey from a remote military city near Murmansk, Russia, to becoming an international artist touring Mexico and beyond. We talk about how she discovered DJing at 16, her roots in trance music (Armin van Buuren, Paul Van Dyk, In Search of Sunrise), her evolution into progressive and melodic techno, and how she runs her own independent label focused on quality over big names. 💡 In this episode: – Her origins in Murmansk and the polar night that shaped her sound – How her father (a seaman & music lover) inspired her musical taste – Working with s****y club equipment as a teen resident DJ – Trance vs Progressive House: what's really the difference? – Her production setup: Ableton, Micro Korg, Roland, Pigments plugin – Why she doesn't master her own tracks (and why you shouldn't either) – Running Perfection Records and discovering new talent – Her advice for emerging producers: be yourself, create, keep going – Her desert island tracks and musical influences (Max Cooper and more) – The meaning behind the name "40 Cats" – Exclusive in-studio track previews: "Escalera" and "Vacuum" 🎵 Follow 40 Cats: Instagram: @fortycatsmusic SoundCloud / Bandcamp / Spotify: search "40 Cats" SUBSCRIBE and hit the bell 🔔 so you never miss an episode @trkidemexico in all platforms: FB, Instagram, Tik Tok, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podbean, etcétera. If this episode moved you, please SHARE IT with someone who truly loves electronic music. That's what keeps this project alive. Want to SPONSOR TRKID Mexico? Connect your brand with a passionate global electronic music audience. Reach out our producer: Rafa Delgado: trkid.mexico@gmail.com 00:00 – Intro: "Music is not for women" — breaking the myth 00:22 – Welcome to Track ID Mexico 00:41 – Introducing 40 Cats (Christina), first woman on the show 01:32 – Her label merch T-shirt 02:24 – Who is 40 Cats? Starting the interview 02:44 – Her beginnings: from trance to progressive 03:03 – Growing up in Murmansk, Russia (military city) 04:29 – Polar nights and the nature that inspired her sound 05:29 – Dreaming of being a DJ on the bus to college 06:07 – Dream come true: 20 years later she's touring Mexico 06:35 – How hard was it to develop music in a small city? 07:31 – Working as a teen resident DJ with "s****y equipment" 08:00 – The electronic scene in Murmansk: Nick Warren, Above & Beyond 08:52 – Family background: her father was a DJ and seaman 09:25 – No formal music education, but always listening and learning 10:45 – Trance roots: Armin van Buuren, Paul Van Dyk, In Search of Sunrise 13:22 – The moment she decided to produce music (FL Studio & Ableton) 18:21 – First exclusive track preview: "Escalera" (out on Perfection Records) 20:02 – Trance vs Progressive: the crossover conversation 21:05 – What she loves from both genres and how she combines them 22:56 – The power and beauty of trance music 25:27 – Her production setup: Ableton, Micro Korg, Roland drum machine 33:00 – Favorite plugins: Pigments (Arturia), Serum (sometimes) 35:27 – Mixing & mastering advice: why less is more 38:25 – Use native Ableton plugins — they're enough 42:10 – About Perfection Records: her independent label philosophy 43:54 – Finding and supporting new talent in the underground scene 51:32 – Second exclusive track preview: "Vacuum" and its remix 53:15 – Advice for emerging producers: be yourself, create, use social media 54:48 – Message to big labels: listen to your demos inbox 1:00:05 – Labels she admires: Balance, Bedrock, and others 1:02:35 – Fun segment begins: desert island tracks 1:03:18 – Her desert island picks: States of Trance 2007, In Search of Sunrise, Max Cooper 1:19:13 – Surprise in-studio moment: she plays a track live! 1:20:04 – Follow 40 Cats on social media 1:20:38 – Why the name "40 Cats"? (Finally explained!) 1:21:17 – Closing thanks and farewell 1:24:04 – Final call to subscribe to Track ID Mexico
