Story: 1977 to today

The start

In 1976, the year of Italy’s free radio boom, Radio Milano Sud goes on air on 96.5 FM, founded by entrepreneur Aldo Baietti and brothers Roberto and Giancarlo Galli in the basement of a house in San Donato Milanese; its broadcasting base later moves to Rocca Brivio, a sixteenth-century castle in San Giuliano Milanese.
Roberto is a director of the cooperative that owns the station and runs its music programming.
The experience makes him want to move to the other side of the microphone, as a producer: a year later he takes his first steps in producing records and music videos.

The family cat, which curls up in the control room, has one curious trait: when it meows, it seems to talk – and that is where the name Talking Cat comes from.

Palmito Recording Studio

Palmito Recording Studio opens in the same San Donato Milanese basement where Radio Milano Sud was born, and later moves to Settimo Milanese.
Demos, records, jingles and theatre soundtracks are recorded there.
It starts with a four-track cassette Portastudio; in 1980 a TEAC 80-8 eight-track and a 24-channel RCF desk arrive, with a Prophet 5, a Roland DR-55 and later a Linn LM1.

Palmito becomes a meeting point for Milan's post-punk scene: Nicola Guiducci (Niagara Falls, founder and long-time DJ of Milan’s Plastic club), Jo Squillo, X Rated, Ringo with The Bats, a fifteen-year-old Faso (later of Elio e le Storie Tese), Skiantos with Stefano “Sbarbo” Cavedoni, Maurizio Marsico's Monofonic Orchestra.
And jazz: Gaetano Liguori, Gigi Cifarelli and Guido Mazzon record full albums there.
Comic artists Massimo Mattioli and Tanino Liberatore pass through too.

In 1983 comes Frisk the Frog.
With Maurizio Marsico, trained at the Milan Conservatory and the musical reference of Frigidaire, Roberto Galli produces Rap ’n’ Roll (Jumbo Records): the frog created by Massimo Mattioli becomes the voice of one of the first rap records released in Italy.
Its video, directed by Luca Setti and Marina Spada with photography by Toni Meneguzzo, is among the first Italian music videos and was aired by Carlo Massarini on Mister Fantasy on Rai 1.

Italo disco

With Walter Tesoriere we work on Italo disco projects for the Endor team (Massimo Noè and Pino Santapaga) at Baby Records' studios in Milan.
Baby Records wins the Sanremo Festival in 1984 and 1985, while Italo disco tops charts abroad.
In 1986, as recording goes digital, the studio closes and Talking Cat moves into management and artist development.

Hollywood and dance

On 17 September 1986 Roberto Galli, Ringo and Giorgio Baldaccini launch the Black Submarine night at Synthesis in Largo Corsia dei Servi.
On 15 January 1987 they take it to the Hollywood club, at Corso Como 15, the space that had been the Mandala in the late ’70s and early ’80s, with the party Black Submarine goes to Hollywood.
The Hollywood Rythmoteque era begins and becomes the club of “Milano da bere”: David Bowie, Duran Duran, Depeche Mode, Pink Floyd, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Gianni Versace and Dolce & Gabbana pass through, in 1987 Prince celebrates his birthday there, and in later years its guests also include Russell Crowe, George Clooney and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Dance productions follow with Turatti and Chiaregato, and a deal with CBS for 12 extended-mix tracks collected on a compilation for Italy and Spain.
A DJ management arm works with Fabio B, Andrea del Vescovo, Alex Guesta, Nino Lopez and Simon de Jano (later of Meduza).

Hip hop, lounge, publishing

Talking Cat produces Two Fingerz from 2004 to 2010; Figli del caos comes out on Sony Music in 2007.
In 2005 Karmadillo Concept Factory opens in Paderno Dugnano, a studio and consultancy used by Shade, Tormento, Fabri Fibra, J-Ax and Fedez.
In 2008 Dargen D’Amico's double album Di Vizi di Forma Virtù is released, produced by Talking Cat and distributed by Universal.
Publishing and the lounge catalogue (Idoru Brothers) grow alongside.

Jaspers

In 2010 the label signs Milan rock band Jaspers: Mondocomio (2012) and Non ce ne frega niente (2019), both with Universal.
From 2017 to 2021 Jaspers are the resident band on Rai 2's Quelli che il calcio.

New voices

Auditions and scouting.
In 2022 the label signs Sicilian singer-songwriter Inciso: Cuore di ghiaccio is out on 14 October 2022 and the same year he wins the Critics' Prize at Il Cantagiro.
The Ibiza Summer Vibes 2022, Ibiza Sunset 2022 and Capri Lounge 2022 compilations are released.

Sound as content

The way people hear music changes: more and more, they find it inside a fifteen-second video.
The City Review starts, a series of tracks dedicated to cities.
In 2024 Shanghai is picked up in over a thousand Instagram reels, with no paid push.
Inciso releases Soltanto a una finestra da qui (June 2024), mixed by Marco Zangirolami.

The City Review

The City Review is born.
One city, one sound: Hong Kong, Amsterdam, Dubai, Milan and Milan Design Week in spring; Cannes, Noto and Roland Garros in May, Venice during the Biennale in June; Saint Tropez in August; Milan Fashion Week in September 2026.
Every release follows an event or a season, with social campaigns built on Instagram and TikTok together with the creators who use the sounds.
On Spotify the tracks are added to independent curated playlists.

The City Review is not affiliated with or sponsored by the organisers of the events mentioned.

The studio is everywhere

Talking Cat keeps doing what it has always done: making music, protecting its rights and finding the place where it gets heard.
Palmito was in a basement.
Today the studio is wherever there is a phone filming.