Originally from San Francisco, Alley Cat first moved to London nearly a decade ago to work closer with Skunkrock and take up a position as A&R. The label was among the first to give releases to Konflict, Beta 2, Zero Tolerance and Outlook among others and helped to build relationships across the drum & bass scene by linking new artists with higher-profile remixers. After a six-year run, featuring label highlights from Calibre, A-Sides and Dom & Roland, Skunkrock closed it’s doors having made an impact on the drum & bass scene and left with a reputation for quality over quantity.
As the label’s main tour DJ, Alley Cat represented with regular internet radio shows on Groovetech and Life FM in between gigs across the USA and Europe. She also mixed and compiled the ‘No Formalities’ (2001) and ‘Crowd Control’ (2003) mix CDs for Skunkrock, which helped build further support for the label as well as demonstrate her skills on the decks.
First moving into production in 1999 alongside German duo Tha Countamen, Alley Cat’s early tracks set her apart as an artist striving for her own sound who’s not interested in following the rest. “Captive” alongside Daniel Savine followed in 2001 and won the support of Fabio amongst others, bringing together soulful vocals and a Detroit vibe. Her next single, “Dreams,” was for the legendary Reinforced label together with Native Minds.
After becoming a parent, Alley Cat stepped back from production duties for a while to focus on other obvious priorities although continued to build a solid reputation with DJ appearances across the UK and Europe. She began working for ESP International full-time in 2003 and soon took on a critical role, looking after artists across a busy and expanding roster. Now as co-director she has helped drive ESP forward, her wealth of experience in two complimentary careers being mutually beneficial, with a professional yet friendly approach reflected in her work for the agency as well as her DJ sets.
Alley Cat has represented for ESP at several agency showcases for some of Europe’s biggest promoters, including Star Warz in Ghent and Essence of Chi in London. To celebrate the agency’s 10th anniversary in 2006, Alley Cat put together a cover-mount mix CD for Knowledge Magazine, featuring music from artists across the roster alongside the vocal talents of MC DRS.
Alley Cat is also at the heart of the Feline collective, an all-female team dedicated to promoting the best in quality-controlled beats across drum & bass, dubstep and other styles. Alongside DJ’s Storm, Flight and Miss Pink plus MCs Chickaboo and Deeizm, Alley Cat has played at Feline nights in Austria, Germany, Romania and Russia to name a few as well as playing frequently with the crew in London and Cardiff. Having proved that the Feline formula is no gimmick with a successful stint spanning 5 years at Herbal, the crew look set to open another chapter with a London residency at a new home opening in 2009.
Her first solo release is due on New York’s style leading Offshore imprint, matched with a b-side supplied by Vaccine. “Sweet Spot” has had support from the likes of Blame, Presha and Clever, with a positive K-Mag review describing it as “an experimental track, broadly fitting the minimal mould but with a more distant, hopeful sound.” This will be followed in summer 2009 by “Drum ‘n’ Lace” and “Ice Box”, making the first release on her new label Kokeshi.
Much more than a home for Alley Cat’s own music, Kokeshi will be focusing on fresh talent too and aims to become a platform for up-and-coming producers. Future releases are already confirmed for Singapore’s Kiat, who has been fast gaining attention with releases on Soul:r and Hospital, and Cardiff-based newcomer Lung. By nurturing new producers in drum & bass and dubstep, Alley Cat hopes to make a positive contribution to the future development both scenes and help others find their own sound.
