Monty Luke

Monty Luke crafts and performs selections spanning deep, atmospheric house, techno, and disco grooves. Hailing from Los Angeles, he has lived across multiple locales, including a ten-year residency in Detroit that saw him found the Black Catalogue imprint while serving as manager and recording artist for Planet E. Following his relocation to Berlin, the producer unveiled his first full-length effort, Hard Work Not Hype, during 2019; the subsequent album Nightdubbing, steeped in Caribbean references, surfaced on Rekids four years later.

Born in Los Angeles, Luke immersed himself in club life and started spinning records there. Throughout the 1990s he put out several mixtapes before heading north to San Francisco. Under the Loopwreckas alias he co-produced the deep house cut “What U Feel” alongside Sam Urton in 2002, then joined Tasho Nicolopulos for the minimal techno track “Paranoid” issued in 2007. After settling in Detroit he connected with Planet E, eventually taking the role of label manager. The 2009 single “Art, Love & War” carried a remix from founder Carl Craig, while the label digitally released the Futures Unfolding EP in 2011; Luke simultaneously debuted Black Catalogue via Tomorrow EP. Additional EPs appeared alongside a split 12-inch credited to Billions & Billions with Mike Simonetti and joint work with tech-house pair Catz ’n Dogz. Deep-house pioneer Mr. Fingers supplied a remix for the 2013 single “Lonely Is the Night.”

Releasing occasional singles under the Mandingo moniker, Luke issued Rude Photo in 2016 prior to moving to Berlin. Hard Work Not Hype, his debut album, emerged on Black Catalogue that same year and was later expanded into the digital collection More Work. Teaming with dub-techno artist Brendon Moeller under the Zodiac name, he delivered the Hypercolour album Serengeti by Night. The EP Vibe the Feel followed in 2021. Nightdubbing, which incorporates dub, ambient, and dembow elements, arrived via Rekids in 2024.