Introduce Yourself... Alley Cat (Kokeshi)

Kokeshi owner Alley Cat has a lot of strings to her bow. With a dayjob in the music industry, a passion for production and a label to run it’s a surprise she manages to get anything done but the strength of her label’s first compilation, Kompilation, proves the strength of her convictions. It’s not the first full length project she’s release but as a thirteen track compendium that features previous Kokeshi artists Lung, Bulb and Irrelevant alongside new producers Box Mouse, Nanobyte, Odyssia, TheSubDivision and drum & bass stalwarts, Black Sun Empire, it’s just as big an undertaking. So it’s no surprise that she wants to let off some steam to celebrate its release – something she’s doing in Room Three this Friday night. Ahead of the event we caught up with her to get a better idea of where she is coming from - considering that we’ve covered her artists here before it seemed only right that we learn a little more about her background - and she went on and made us an exclusive mix later on in the bargain. Download: Alley Cat - FABRICLIVE x Kokeshi Mix No tracklist given. We’ve spoken to a lot of your artists before, but never to you; so, tell us how you got into the business of releasing other people’s records… what does Kokeshi mean to you? Why did you start the label? What is it you are trying to say? I used to co-run a d&b label many moons ago. A few years back I wanted to start my own project to have a platform to release my own music if I wanted to, rather than worrying about getting myself signed to another label or getting someone else's approval. I wanted to be able to make my own choices. I started it very DIY style: I designed the logo, Lung did the artwork on my first release then I did all the rest of the artwork up until last year on my own. I started out just releasing on Beatport and then things escalated when I linked up with Lung and Irrelevant. A few years ago the music seemed to shift a bit , I think the whole Autonomic movement and what was going on in dubstep at the time helped because I love the deep stuff and people seemed to open up to that more. The timing seemed right for what I wanted to put out there. I think if I would have tried that 5 or 6 years ago it wouldn't have been the right moment. I guess I'm just trying to build the name up slowly. People might not know all the artists on this label but hopefully by now I've proven that there's something on offer in each release, regardless of BPM or who the artist is. I also try and do something cool with each release like coloured vinyl or custom sleeves. What do you think it is that you look for in the music you release? It's just what moves me really. I listen back to 'Tenderness' by Bulb which came out last year or Irrelevant's album or 'Afterlife' by Lung and I still get an emotional reaction when I hear them. I want to feel that for every tune I sign even if I listen to the tunes 100 times. I don't really care about BPMs too much but I do think about getting a mixture of stuff I just want to listen to when I'm running around London listening on my headphones and stuff that works in a DJ set. I want to offer both because being a DJ is a huge part of who I am. You produce yourself too… how did you get into that? There’s a certain dedication required to sit in front of a computer 10 hours a day trying to painstakingly EQ a hi-hat so it sits snug but still powers through the end mix; what drives you to do it? I got into production when I first came to London 13 years ago. I felt a bit pressured to do it and I collaborated with my label mates at the time. To be honest it put me off for a few years. When I had had enough of a break I signed a tune called 'Sweet Spot' to one of my fave labels, Offshore. Vaccine had a track was on the flip side and she's such an inspiration to me. That motivated me to get more into it. I think I have to do something creative so if I'm not DJing I like to make music when I can. I have other work I do full time so I can't sit and do it 10 hours a day but rather squeeze it in at night or on the weekends. I'm just trying to have fun with it and go with the flow. I have a project called Widow I'm working on which I hope to have out next year on Kokeshi. You announced your label’s first compilation recently; what was the thinking behind it? I always had a bunch of tunes sitting around that I wanted to put out but wasn't sure of the timing or what format to do. The Box Mouse tunes and Lung's 'Broken' were always on my list. They were on the early Kokeshi ((pod)) kasts and I needed to decide how to showcase them and other music I had earmarked. It took me a while to get it together because I wanted it to flow like a DJ set or a mix would flow, so I really thought a lot about which tracks to put on there and what order. I'm really inspired by compilations from the 90s like Warp's 'Blech' series, of course the Metalheadz sets, K7!’s DJ Kicks, The Protype Years, and a CD called Future Groove. I still listen to those albums today! Hopefully 'Kompilation' stands the test of time for those who check it out. What else can we expect from the label in the future? Irrelevant has finished his second album so that will be coming next year. The Widow tunes will come as well. In the meantime, I've got something a bit more dancefloor on the cards for the next few months. The rest I have to keep under wraps for now. Tell us a bit about the mix you’ve made for us… The mix is a pared-down example of what I do in the Kokeshi ((pod)) kasts... a bit of dreamy chilled out stuff mixed in with what I'd play in a DJ set. There's a few Kokeshi exclusives in there from Irrelevant, Widow and some other top secret ones too. Catch Alley Cat in Room Three this Friday. Go here to enter the competition to win copies of Kompilation.