Sessions 12 - Luke Mele
“Fifth and Spring”

For Sessions 12, I tapped one of LA’s finest selectors, kindred spirit Luke Mele.
~
Luke delivers a 2.5+ hour marathon — a morning-time sipper that eases into an afternoon dance delight. It’s a lush journey through summertime spiritual jazz, fusion, soul, and disco, all pulled from crates at the iconic Last Bookstore in downtown LA.
~
Over the years, Luke has spent time digging at the shop, which he says holds a very special meaning to him. Hence the name of the mix: “Fifth and Spring.”

Luke Mele “Fifth and Spring” - Sessions 12

The snack enthusiast and London based producer and DJ takes on the NTS airwaves. Stay tuned for mixes spanning the breadth of dance and club music. 
Find the full tracklist and related episodes on NTS: https://www.nts.live/shows/peach/episodes/peach-13th-august-2025

Peach 130825

Phil Cho & Russell Alexander share monthly recordings from their hilltop soundsystem in Echo Park, California.  
Find the full tracklist and related episodes on NTS: https://www.nts.live/shows/tuff-shed/episodes/tuff-shed-26th-august-2025

Tuff Shed 260825

Words by DJ Popup | @why_u_poppin

Thursday, July 31st, 2025 

Excited to be back in London. Haven't seen Pat in ages. It's been seven years since we first met back in Copenhagen. When I first saw this guy and we got talking, I quickly realised I had gained a friend for life. We grew fond of each other so quickly, it's kind of romantic now I think of it. London seems to be treating him right, can't wait to see for myself. Brought my main man Gustav along for the ride–the biggest supporter of the NES/DJ Popup community and the best dance companion there is. G and I have been waltzing around with our roller bags, looking three times each way at every crossing. Silly tourists. Made it to The Chesham to catch up with Ronan and Naomi. I've been a fan of them for quite some time (ddwy is their project), and I'm happy that we finally got to meet in person a couple of years ago (Love to R and N!!)

We've got dinner with Pat tonight, and then we're linking up with some of our friends after (S/O to the crew!!). South London tomorrow...curious, I've never really hung out there. Also, finally reuniting with Jamie (I think 2022 was the last time we saw each other). We started as online friends and then made it IRL a couple of years ago. Super grateful he's pulling strings to set up tomorrow's Club Cheek party (thx to the whole Social Records Society crew!!). First time playing outside Denmark in a while. Hope it goes well, in good company tonight.

* Recorded live at Club Cheek in South London for Social Records Society (2025).

Fables 001 | DJ Popup

| REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL | w/ Babycino | E14

Amsterdam selector Orpheu The Wizard connects oddball and straight forward jams from different decades and different record shelves in a monthly show.  
Find the full tracklist and related episodes on NTS: https://www.nts.live/shows/orpheu-the-wizard/episodes/orpheu-the-wizard-5th-september-2025

Orpheu The Wizard 050925

New explorations in sounds from one of the most esteemed selectors in Europe, Lena Willikens.  
Find the full tracklist and related episodes on NTS: https://www.nts.live/shows/homunkuli/episodes/homunkuli-11th-september-2025

Homunkuli w/ Lena Willikens 110925

@second_contact, Honey Trap mainstay, mix series pathfinder and metalsmith at @forge-fm is inspired by those who know the rules well enough to break them. Behind the decks, he oscillates between downtempo, dark wave, and progressive trance exploring the idea between restraint and release.

Second Contact at Nowadays for .·:*¨༺ Honey Trap༻¨*:·. 08-14-25

Proud champions of community and inclusivity, Lakuti and Tama Sumo are long-time Dekmantel favourites and true underground bastions. Deep diggers and lifelong collectors, the iconic Panorama Bar dup built a reputation for sets where pretty much anything goes, as long as it has soul. And the way they mix it, with a rare instinct that pull their crowds in deep is what makes them one of the most revered back-to-back duos in the scene.
This week’s mix is yet more evidence of that: over 80 minutes, they blend old and new. Rooted in house but shaped by global travels, it moves through soul-soaked broken beat, classic US depths and Afro rhythms – always carried by an emotional rawness that resonates. A masterclass in both selection and flow from two of the best.

Dekmantel Mix 497 - Lakuti & Tama Sumo

The first-ever live recording from an elusive icon of dubby electronic music.

Lore is an underrated quality. Neuroscientists have mapped that music elicits similar feelings in the brain to when we satiate cravings, but what about the psychological impulse that drives listeners of a certain disposition toward everything they don't know?

It's tricky to put your finger on, but artists able to conjure intrigue without overhawking the backstory can really cut through—just ask SAULT, [ar:pi:ar] or Gerald Donald. Then there are those who don't try whatsoever. These are the ones who stay in mind the most.

In 2001, a striking 12" called Ship-Scope emerged through Chain Reaction, credited to Shinichi Atobe, with no other info available. Okay, mulled fans, this is probably a cat-and-mouse game dreamed up by someone on a label with a fine line in foggy obfuscation. Vainqueur on a wind-up? Another Moritz 'n Mark alias?

But no: Atobe was real, and really had posted a demo to Hard Wax. It was that simple. Then he went back to his day job—until, after 13 years of silence, an even better follow-up emerged.

From the near-perfect Butterfly Effect onwards, Atobe has built up one of the most revered catalogues in underground circles. A steady clip of elegant, transportive dub techno and deep electronics has arrived on Demdike Stare's DDS, complimented by the launch of his own label, plastic & sounds, earlier in summer 2025.

Atobe has also made strides into the public domain, DJing intermittently, as well as performing live for the first time in 2023, gracing WWW at the tender age of 52. It's that debut 2023 show heard on RA.1009: a hypnotic yet comparatively pumping set full of Atobe staples, as well as material you won't find anywhere else.

Contact with the big man, as you might anticipate, is glacial: since we first reached out, the RA Mix has changed name, look and rolled over into its second millennium. Still, patience pays off. This is a one-off we're stoked to run. – Gabriel Szatan

@shinichiatobe

Find the interview at https://ra.co/podcast/1028

RA.1009 Shinichi Atobe

For this month's Skylab show @myles-mac supplies a two hour mixed bag of B side chillers and new music from the likes of Francis Inferno Orchestra, Len Leise, Roza Terenzi, ANF, Nummer and Reptant.  

http://skylab-radio.com/shows/melbourne-deepcast-e2

Tracklist:

Danny Wolfers - Scenic Highway System
ANF - Paraiso
Shinichi Atobe - Ship-Scope
Ajukaja & Andrevski - Jam1 (Short Version)
Betonkust & Palmbomen II - 24x33
Nummer - Life Is A Hideout
Len Leise - STTS
Dj Wey - Song For Masahiro
Palmbomen II - Ultimate Lovestory Fantasy
Francis Inferno Orchestra - Hygiene 
The Pilotwings - Just Be (Ushuaïa mix)
Ludwig AF Röhrscheid - Velocity
Man Parrish - Hip Hop, Be Bop (Don't Stop)
Plant43 - Tellarium Snow
Optic Nerve - Retina Display Scan (Feat. Kelyn McKnight)
El Barrio - Across 110th Street (Legowelt 808 Remix)
Romans - Cirta
Reptant - Subcommunication
Conceiled Project - Untitled B1 (Definition Of D)
Arkajo - Expansive Mood
Walt J - Reborn 1 (DJ Qu's Journey Towards Birth Remix)
Kerri Chandler - Get It Off
Roza Terenzi - Lilli’s Lounge
The Exaltics - NGC 253
PFM - Danny's Song

Skylab Radio w/ Myles Mac 09.06.18

Melbourne Deepcast