INTERVIEW WITH... ALLEY CAT

When did you start your musical career ?
I started my musical career from very young, from like age 13, in seventh grade in a high school. I was living in Kingston, between Denham Town and Tivoli Gardens. I was a little youth in the community where I grew up, just going around the area, DJing on every little stage show we keep in the community. I decided I really want to go into the DJ business. So from there, I took it seriously and started to seek out studios.

What were your main musical influences ?
I was influenced by the artists who had the hottest songs on the radio at that time, artists like Buju Banton and Terror Fabulous

Can you explain the choice of your first artist name ?
My real name is Albert. When I was a young kid, they shortened it and called me Ali. I had respect for artists like Super Cat and Ninja Man and those artists. I used to see them come inside my area and they used to DJ a lot. When I decided to become an artist, I thought I was just gonna run with the Cat because I’m a real Super Cat fan. Now, people also know me under my name Immperial.



You recorded your first songs for Penthouse Records in 1994. When and how did you get connected with Donovan Germain ?
I got connected with Donovan German through Rookie, one of the Penthouse engineers. His real name is Andre Tyrell. I did an audition in Penthouse studio and Rookie was the engineer for that audition. When I ended audition, Rookie said to me "you can come anytime to the studio".

Do you remember the fist tune you recorded for Penthouse ?
The first song recorded for Penthouse was "Suspence", the song I auditioned with. The first title released was "Sodomity" on the Tempo riddim in 1994.

Among your singles for Penthouse, which one is your favorite ?
I would say "Dirty Thoughts" on the Up Close & Personal riddim.

On your Penthouse Flashback Series volume released in 2020, we were happy to discover three previously unreleased songs. Two other songs were released some years ago on another volumes of Flashback Series. Are there other previously unreleased songs recorded for Penthouse ?
Probably, because I recorded a lot when I was in Penthouse studio. I remember recording a combination with Twiggi of her hit "It's too late" on the Champion riddim in 1994.



Penthouse Records ruled the dancehall during the 90s thanks to a recognizable sophisticated sound. Can you describe this sophisticated sound ?
Penthouse was a really powerful label from early when I was listening to music, Penthouse had all the major artists in the business. You had to be up there and that’s because I became so professional. There was so much professionalism that you had to be on point.

Can you tell us a word about Rookie, one of the Penthouse engineers, for whom you recorded some titles for his own label Rookie Production in 1999 ? He retired from music for several years and remains quite mysterious.
Rookie is a very dedicated producer and is very focused. He tried to do better productions than he did before. Rookie was always given a lot of baby stars, he was an upcoming engineer, a learning engineer, so they called him a rookie. And that sticks with him. He was given a lot of big stars, with a lot of riddims to mix like Buju Banton "Murderer". He mixed them properly. Because I was often at Penthouse studio, it was easy to work with him for his own label and it was a good experience too.



You recorded your last title for Penthouse in 2000. Why you did not record any more for Penthouse since ?
I was not in Jamaica and also doing my own things with my label. If Penthouse wanted to find me and give me a riddim, they would know how to find me.

You recorded for many labels. What is Donovan Germain's singularity compared to other producers?
Penthouse always put pride in production. Germain doesn’t put out a production unless it’s well produced. Penthouse was a great learning experience. When I was at Penthouse as an artist coming out, it was like a family and unity vibe. It combinated a lot of good artists. A lot of them gained experience there and made them become solid artists.

You were a Shocking Vibes artist for many years. Patrick Roberts used Penthouse studio in the early 90s. How were these Shocking Vibes years ?
Shocking Vibes was like another dimension. I toured in America and Europe. It was a world experience. We played many places. I also played in Europe on my own.

You are not only an artist, you are also producer with your own label Imperial Productions.
It’s like after a certain time, you have to be on your own. Sometimes, you get inspiration that other people are not interested in and you need to have self reliance. I produced many different artists over the years : Gentleman, Queen Ifrica, Tony Rebel, Luciano, Nitty Kutchie, Future Fambo, Mr Lexx... There are a lot of songs that have not been released yet. I have a huge catalogue of music.

You have been in the reggae industry for 30 years. What is your opinion about the evolution of the jamaican music over these years ?
You still have a lot of artists who are still DJing the same hardcore thing in terms of music and in terms of reggae. Some of the songs that are coming out nowdays have often a hip hop drive. But really and truly, that's the only thing that I've seen that has made a little drift away from the authentic part of the music. Apart from that, producers are still making beats the same way in a Jamaican style and artists are still DJing hardcore just the same too. What we need is more investors and more promotion, so we can spread the music and make more artists to be seen.



DISCOGRAPHY FOR PENTHOUSE RECORDS :

- A Nuh Your Fault (1998, released in 2020 - Are You That Somebody riddim)
- Dirty Thoughts (1997 - Up Close & Personal riddim)
- Everything Gonna Be Alright (2000, released in 2019 - Homeless riddim)
- Gal Gwaan (1997 - Kept On Crying)
- Ghetto Superstar feat. Nicky Tucker (1998, released in 2020 - Heads Roll riddim )
- Natural Looks (2000 - Press Mi Button riddim)
- Sodomity (1994 - Tempo riddim)
- There Is No Pleasue (1994, released in 2020 - Rope In riddim)
- True African (1996 - General Penitentiary riddim)
- Wild For The Night (1998 - Heads Roll riddim)
- You Ago Mek It (1999, released in 2017 - Reload riddim)