Mellowtone has always been about more than live music. From our inception, DJs have been crucial contributors to the atmosphere and vibe of our intimate shows, playing eclectic laid back sounds - funk, jazz, soul, r'n'b hiphop, reggae and so much more...
Beaten Tracks & Mellowtone DJs are renowned for framing a variety of live acts, and in additon to the Mellowtone residency, have supported artists including Seun Kuti, Imarhan, Martha Reeves, Hot 8 Brass Band, Lee 'Scratch' Perry, Michael Chapman, Alice Russell, Mumford & Sons, The Mighty Diamonds, John Smith, Eli Paperboy Reed, Natty, Laura Marling and Etran de L'Air. They have also appeared at festivals including Africa Oye, Positive Vibration, Audio Farm / One Tribe Weekender, Liverpool Against Racism, Beacons Festival, Threshold Festival, Smithdown Weekender, Liverpool International Music Festival, Liverpool Disco Festival and more.
LISTEN
Jonnie O'Hare - Mellowtone Mix
A mix compiled during 2020's lockdown featuring the sounds you'd expect between the live music at a Mellowtone show.
Richie Vegas - Music From the Motion Picture Soundtrack
One from the archives...
Cavendish Sound
A meditative mix, recorded in April 2020, featuring spaced out Indian and pan-African sounds, and the birdsong of Princes Park, Liverpool 8.
Amanar Caravan
Three taster mixes, with music from North and West Africa...
Mellowtone Radio Show
Listen back to our sporadic shows on Melodic Distraction Radio.
Test Match Special
Our resident spinner, Richie Vegas, hosts this monthly excursion on Melodic Distraction radio.
Beaten Tracks
Mixes from the Beaten Tracks archives...
RICHIE VEGAS
Richie Vegas cut his DJing teeth in his late teens - messing about with hip hop and breaks - before plundering his family’s record collections and forging a sound that includes soul, funk, jazz, afrobeat and reggae. Test Match Special is his monthly radio show, and an opportunity to showcase a selection of tunes that doesn't quite fit with live DJ sets, explore less-travelled paths and distill 20 years of musical musings. Expect lost monsters, obscure reworkings, stubborn earworms and wickets galore.
JONNIE O'HARE
A collector and music obsessive for decades, early on Jonnie listened to Soul, Disco, Rock & Electronic Dance, going on to generate an interest in discovering the roots of this music. Working in a number of roles within the music industry - including clubnights such as Chibuku, Circus & Mellowtone, and as a founding member of collectives Musica del Alma and Beaten Tracks - led Jonnie to playing numerous festivals, radio shows and galleries, and also gaining residencies at various club nights and bars. Continuing to explore his discoveries, Jonnie has developed a style which blends genres from Jazz, Hip Hop, Funk & Soul to various forms of Roots and Dance music.
DAVE MCTAGUE
An occasional selector, with sounds from across the spectrum. Sharing and unearthing the finest music - blues, folk, funk, soul, jazz, hiphop, reggae, dub, Afro, electronic and more - world sounds and interstellar grooves...