Skylab at 8: The shows that shaped Naarm's beloved station

“Your favourite DJ’s favourite DJ” has become the stuff of pulpy artist bios in recent years, and little more. The idea is sound, solid and very understandable, but has been unfairly utilised as a means of selling tickets or a prolonged gaze pre-scroll across our social media feeds.

While on the great expanse of the internet, that idea may not be as easy to swallow anymore; in smaller, more intimate musical spaces, it’s entirely true.

For many artists, new, old and everywhere in between, their favourite DJs are the ones they know. They’re the ones a generation before them who inspired them to start, a fresh young voice stirring shit up who’s given them the drive to get back into it, or a passionate voice on the air who’s unlike anyone else.

The station, now on the eve of its 8th birthday, has become a home for people, music, and artistry of all kinds over its almost-decade-long operation.

As it approaches this birthday celebration, however, Skylab is at risk of closure, with its event at the Fairfield Amphitheatre serving as one stream in a variety of fundraising efforts to secure its future. In early March, the team behind the station broke the news, sharing that "This is our first-ever dedicated fundraising drive. We've never directly asked our community for help, and wouldn't be doing so if the station wasn't at risk."

A sudden price hike implemented by the station’s backend website provider has made it impossible for the station to continue as it is now, the post went on to explain. That hike has seen Skylab and all of its countless shows migrate to another website and iOS app, as the fundraising drive continues.

Instead of lamenting the situation at hand, a flurry of efforts has emerged across Skylab’s sphere of influence, with fundraising events being hosted by promoters like Step Count and countless prizes provided by local brands Tender, HAVN, Bugskin, Bodriggy, and many more.

Likewise, the noise being created online in support of Skylab’s continued contribution to Naarm’s musical tapestry has been impossible to ignore. It’s in that vein that Mixmag ANZ would like to test the real meaning of “your favourite DJs' favourite DJ”.

In doing so, some of Skylab’s newest, oldest and most trusted selectors have weighed in on their favourite shows over the last eight years, to truly celebrate the legacy it continues to leave.

FAVOURITE EPISODE: 'WD-40 E1'

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WD-40 debuted on the same day I did! This was May 2022, and it was my first day flying solo as a studio producer after a month of training with Simon, Gus and Tess. At that time, we were streaming from a little studio above Bar Romantica on Lygon St; studio producing meant blissful hours locked up with Narrm’s sweetest and most talented DJs. Sometimes they’d bring a mate or five, and everyone would squeeze into our office in the sky and hang out among the boxes of bumper stickers.

Marley came in solo, and was this lovely warm presence on a nervous day. Marley was fresh off a job site, and we chatted about carpentry, and music, and I showed him the strange corners of the internet I’d been hanging out in learning about music genres. I’ve been tagging Skylab shows with their genres for four years since then, and I still puzzle over the difference between ‘Post Club’ and ‘Future Club’, ‘Leftfield’ and ‘Experimental’, and whether a mix is more ‘Unwind’, ‘Dine’ or ‘Melodic Remedy’.

When I hosted Marley four years ago, so much was new. I’d joined the Skylab team via a tentative email, convinced that post-lockdown was my time to step into the backend of the music industry and contribute where I’d so far been a consumer. I hadn’t listened to much Dub or Reggae, let alone read up on their rich history; I didn’t know many DJs; I’m not even sure I’d watched much vinyl mixing up close.

So much has changed since then. Skylab was a doorway into a whole world of music. It’s allowed me to cross to the other side of the booth at all my favourite parties, and encounter this expansive community of generous, talented angels. But I still feel the gravity of the responsibility that I felt that day, with one eye fixed on Marley’s nimble fingers and the other watching the stream software: to steward the diverse and delightful sounds of Narrm (and the world), beaming them out to the hungry ears of this lively, blessed community.

It was no easy task to narrow down a favourite show, but there is one mix that we have found ourselves returning to over and over again: the ninth episode of Mia’s show, Die Streicheleinheit. It is a selection of songs that is so beautifully paced and thought out, and saw us through some very stressful times. It begins with very sparse ambient music, and Mia introduces rhythm patiently and gently, creating a beautiful soundscape. The mix gets increasingly lush as it progresses, with dream pop and IDM shimmering their way in and out.

Die Streicheleinheit E9 ends very differently to how it starts, with a gorgeous folk/soul cut, ‘Lonely Together’, by Smokey and His Sister, followed by The Go-Betweens classic ‘Cattle and Cane’. This closing struck us, and has stuck with us for a long time. It is warmth and care in sound.

Mia’s shows are always on an ambient tip, which is music that we love enormously but never seem to find the time to properly explore. Having a local selector who has such clear passion and depth of knowledge for that genre and mood is so incredible. We are all so lucky to have Skylab as a home for these selectors; a place where we can hear new music curated by people who truly love it, free from algorithmic oversight and corporate influence. I <3 Skylab!

During COVID lockdown, like a lot of people, I found myself being pulled toward radio as a way to feel connected in a time of isolation, which is when I really started listening to Skylab Radio - back before I started working there.

One of my earliest memories is listening to Montana’s Melting Moments, which I still have on heavy rotation to this day. It really shaped how I approach radio and DJing by refusing genre boundaries. It introduced me to artists like Antena, Swamp Children, and Guerilla Welfare.

Montana’s show carries such warmth and nostalgia that continues to bring me the same sense of peace I was searching for back in Autumn 2020.

I’ve decided to write about episode 19 of ‘Slipstream’, a wonderful show presented by Soft S. For me, this episode, and the show in general, are such great examples of why I love online radio as a format. It’s the definition of longer-form, considered listens, with beautiful arcs, eclectic selections and a really distinct voice and tone from the host.

Soft S is an incredible DJ and presenter, from the e-waves to the club, I’m always blown away when I see Sacha play.

They have such a wide range, from breathy and ethereal pop, ambient, layered and textured dub and trip hop, sometimes a touch of grime. These shows always always put me onto the best music and are a great tool for relaxation and discovery. Always wildly diverse in genre selection but always incredibly coherent.

Episode 19 is no different, a soothing mix for any occasion. I love how Sacha’s mixes are so gentle but somehow always have a touch of grit to them as well. My last listen was on a rainy day in Naarm, nice and cosy indoors with a cuppa, big tip!

D-Grade from Eora is one of my favourite dance music DJs. They have impeccable taste and a real knack for weaving together chuggy, trippy sounds from all sorts of contexts in ways that feel both surprising and refreshing. I also feel it is important that Skylab, whilst based in Naarm, reaches beyond. Bringing in tastemakers from other corners of the music community.

D-Grade’s bi-monthly Skylab show Close Comforts is a standout on the grid, and it taps into one of the things I love most about when a ‘DJ’ jumps on the radio: the freedom to share music without the pressure of a dance floor or the expectations that come with being “booked.” It’s why radio rocks.

I tuned in the other day and was so delighted to hear Tomorrow Comes Today by Gorillaz!!!

Thank you D-Grade for your transmissions always!

Tess Monaghan’s Colourful Environment always seems to hit the right spot for me. Considered selections that usually are on the softer side of things, but also she can’t contain her dub tendencies, and when it goes heavy, it’s never without control. I’m kind of cheating by picking Tess’ show as well, because it means I get to include 2 other residents of the lab (and my heart), Luke (Rivtek) and Mia (die Streicheleinheit). Both guests on Tess’ show have incredible shows of their own.

It shouldn’t go unsaid that Tess’ contributions to the station stretch far beyond Colourful Environment as well. The “engine room” was key in shaping the grid into what it looks like today. Tess produced the first time I guested on Skylab, one of my first times ever on radio, I was so nervous. We didn’t know each other too well then and before I knew it, I was pulling Destiny cards and feeling as comfortable as ever. I pulled Enthusiasm, Giving & Love. It felt fitting and still does. Skylab, Tess, community radio - always giving, loving and enthusiastic.

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Tickets to Skylab's 8th Birthday Open Air event at Fairfield Amphitheatre, taking place this Saturday, April 11, are still available.

Skylab's fundraising effort continues with a monthly support subscription that includes entry to a variety of its raffles, starting at only $5 per month.

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Jack Colquhoun is Mixmag ANZ's Managing Editor. Find him on Instagram.