Some Like it Lost - Midnight on the City's Skin

I take the M2 west—
steel machine humming like a prayer in engine oil,
wheels sketching sonnets on the blacktop,
midnight wrapped in fluorescent halos.
Destination: Melbourne’s city edge.
That mystical suburban node—
not quite city, not quite dream.
Where navigation apps become prophets,
and every wrong turn
whispers a truth about how we move through the world.
I get lost.
(Because some part of me always does.)
Trailing through dark roads like half-finished thoughts,
until salvation flickers—
a right turn that feels like remembering.
And there it is—
The Small Activity Centre.
Municipal in name,
but underlit by moonlight and suburban stillness,
sitting across from a lake
that reflects more than it reveals.
We arrive in town, hungry for something simple.
Italian food like a familiar song.
Carbonara, soft and defiant.
Tortellini in cream,
rich enough to make accountants nervous.
Pinot Grigio in tall glasses.
Chocolate mousse and cream.
Then a short macchiato for me—
espresso sharp, milk modest,
like Melbourne itself.
Then Prince on the stereo.
*Sign o’ the Times.* Loud. Unfiltered.
His truths pressed in vinyl and prophecy.
Then Power Station crashes in.
*Some Like It Hot.*
And the windows pulse with the bassline.
We land at the Desire Bar—
yes, that’s its actual name.
Inside: Lorenzo behind the bar.
Wild-eyed. Beaming.
Spinning Tikkek’s *Alight IMHO*
like it was smuggled in from a cooler dimension.
He flips out at the vibe—
each track a spark in a glass of good bourbon.
Drinks in hand, we talk music.
Trade stories.
Watch strangers stage their little theatres of Friday night.
The evening hums softly.
As if the world has turned down its brightness
to make space for something gentler.
Later, back in the car.
Prince again. Of course.
The freeway wide and quiet.
City lights winking in the distance.
Melbourne calls.
Darkness slips around us like a coat we know too well.
And soon—
we are home again.
Whatever that means.
Our thoughts echoing the music
as it fades
into silence.

Some Like it Lost - Midnight on the City's Skin

🎧 This is your call to feel.

Melbourne’s own Tikkek (AKA the Sonic Landscape, Musician, Collaborator, Video and Music Producer - Peter Mondy) is not just a sound—he’s a signal 📡. A pulse. A riot! The Music? A  fearless blend of postmodern blues, dub, gospel, funk, jazz, reggae, acoustic grit, pop shimmer, and hard rock edge—all lit up inside an alt-electronic, genre-fluid, dance storm ⚡🎶

Tikkek is an IDM, or Intelligent Dance Music producer.  IDM is a genre fluid approach to the blending of experimental electronic music often involving sampling that emerged in the early 1990s, and which is characterized by complex rhythms, experimental sound design, and intricate melodies, often prioritizing aural aesthetics and intellectual engagement over danceability. 

IDM draws inspiration from electronic dance music, techno, ambient electronica, and electro-pop, IDM can feature a traditional genre structure or it can emerge as a detached, digital feel with broken beats and glitched sounds, making it a style for "listening" rather than strictly dancing. It also blends the influences of funk, dance and pop.

The name Tikkek carries both an inside joke and a deeper resonance with touch, sensation, and memory. Rooted in Tikkek's Maltese heritage, it stems from the Phoenician / Maltese word tħakkik, meaning “tickles” in the plural. These are not merely playful or sensual tickles, but subtle, lingering touches that evoke emotion and leave a lasting impression.

This concept is woven throughout Tikkek’s music—layered soundscapes crafted to move, stir, and resonate long after the final note fades.

👑 If Bowie painted stardust dreams…
👼 If Prince laced truth with groove…
🍷 If Amy Winehouse bled velvet pain into a mic…

Tikkek listens, absorbs, reinvents.

Echoes of “Life on Mars?”, “Purple Rain”, “Back to Black”, “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, “Redemption Song”, “Personal Jesus”, “I Wanna Be Your Dog”, “Message in a Bottle”, “Get Up Offa That Thing”, “Don’t Look Back in Anger”, and “Feeling Good” resound like old gods in a new temple 🔱

🎙️ Tikkek’s tracks hit like a conversation between soul and circuitry. His beats don’t just drop—they testify. His synths don’t just shimmer—they seduce. Each song is a manifesto carved in sound.

No genre, no filter. Just unfiltered emotion set to rhythm.
💔 Ballads of heartbreak. 💥 Anthems of resistance. ☄️ Journeys through the psychedelic, the sensual, and the sacred.

This is not background music.
This is the foreground of now.

The world is on fire 🔥. The soul is tired.
And Tikkek?
He is the soundtrack of the storm.

💿 Listen deeply. Move freely.
The revolution will be danceable. 🌀💃🏾🕊️

🕰️🌍 #Tikkek #FeelIt #SoundtrackOfTheSoul 🎵💡


Spotify link

https://open.spotify.com/artist/1IbkpsI4rdokpJg2tCCXAG?si=lwLuIlvJSOOcm7575ZQStg

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Randall Reed

Lila F Ham