Electric Catnip

Brian Mosley, where did the idea to celebrate the feline face through the psychedelia?

I’ve always tried to capture the psychedelic perspective through abstract art. I love my cats, so I started doing pics of them and Electric Catnip was born. I have a lot of fun exploring cat faces because they can be very expressive and convey a lot of personality. And they can somehow look fun and serious at the same time.

What do you think about the bombardment of cat pictures, especially on the social networks? Is it just a symptom of the indifference of our time?

I think it’s the opposite of indifference, it’s people expressing love for their pets. Cats are the most popular pet in the world, so it makes sense that they’re the most popular pet on the internet. I don’t think it’s a symptom of some social flaw, and I definitely don’t think there are too many cat pictures on the internet!

Something on your method and means:

A lot of people ask how I do my pics and videos, and there’s really nothing secret about what I’m using. I usually use a handful of different Deep Dream/neural network apps and then edit things in Photoshop, where I tweak the colors and touch up the picture until I like the way things look. Then, I take the pics into Plotagraph Pro and After Effects to add movement and sound.

Do you think you’ll try focusing on some other animal species, soon or later?

I don’t think so. Electric Catnip works because everybody knows cats like to trip on catnip, it really couldn’t be the same thing for other animals. Maybe I can inspire somebody else to do something similar with other animals, I’d love for that to happen! As I expand the Electric Catnip universe, I’m sure I’ll end up doing some other animals, but I’m really all about cats.

One of your ordinary day in your country:

An ordinary day for me always starts with cats and coffee. My job takes up a big chunk of every day, but when I get home, I love making art and music. I have a lot of artistic goals, so I try to work at something at least a little bit every night.

The music scene of our days:

The music scene today is incredibly cool, there’s a great DIY music culture. Musicians now have the ability to really explore unique approaches to music with home studios, and it’s easy to share your music to a global audience. People who trash new music are just looking at things from an outdated perspective. The world is big and full of incredibly talented artists and musicians who are sharing ideas at a much faster rate than ever before. A song can be written, recorded, and released with a video in a single day! People embracing things like social media, digital art, and digital recording techniques are really coming up with wild stuff. Just look at the digital art that’s happening on Instagram, or places like BandCamp and SoundCloud. Tons of people are making music that won’t ever be marketable to a mainstream audience, but it can reach like-minded people who dig it, and that is awesome.

Someone seems more and more captured by hypnotic rhythms, anxieties and fears. Someone else seems rather lost in a state of innocence and alienation: What do you think’s the most dangerous way to go on, today?

I think being captured by hypnotic rhythms, anxieties and fears would be the most dangerous way to go on… That sounds like a seriously bad trip, man.

Thanks

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