Luke Cheadle is an Australia-born Los Angeles-based artist, music supervisor, DJ, producer, writer, and label owner.
Below is a selection of work done between 2015 - 2023.
Original score and sound design for a short film on renowned visual artist Jesse Draxler, in part using audio recordings he made over his travels and voice notes recorded on his phone, working in conjunction with the music and moving images.
Jesse Draxler x Convicts NYC
Music supervision, score, sound design, and mixing for a short surf film for Australian brand Misfit, crafting a sonic style that matched the brands punk aesthetic. The score was produced as a continuous audio mix.
Misfit ‘Fungzetti’
Sound design, music production, and mixing for AJE and AJE Athletica, crafting a sonic identity for seasonal campaigns and product lines.
AJE & AJE Athletica
XLR8R is one of America’s most-respected music publications and platforms, operating at the forefront of music for 30 years.
Over eight years, I’ve handled the brand direction, musical direction, and operations of the platform, as well as curation and A&R across a diverse range of genres, from neo classical and ambient to post-punk, outsider folk, pop, house, techno, and more.
Key projects include the creation, production, and management of XLR8R+, a curated subscription service, and XNFT, an NFT marketplace; the curation and production of XLR8R’s weekly podcast (personally handling over 400), long-form features, and branded content partnerships; and the curation and production of festivals in Tulum, London, Saint Martin (SXM Festival), and Los Angeles.
XLR8R
I founded and run Velvet Bikini, a record label, brand, and incubator of ideas, giving artists creative freedom to explore out-of-the-box concepts.
The label has released three albums and a mixtape, alongside various digital projects, an extensive merch line, two fragrances, and a collection of music videos and audio/visual mixes.
Key projects include my seven-track solo album titled ‘T.O.M.B.,’ on which I worked with a fragrance designer who crafted a scent inspired by the music on the release; and a body of work from Paris-based poet, musician, producer, and filmmaker Joseph Mattick, presenting the score of an upcoming film and book, coming out early 2024.
Velvet Bikini
‘Tred Over My Body’ is an audio-visual mix commissioned by Delayed Magazine that pairs 35 minutes of original music with repurposed VHS versions of classic films that take place along Route 66. The project looks to find a common route through the films, one of decadence, euphoria, melancholia, and despair, all too familiar tropes for the cities in the American west.
For the audio component, I created 25-minutes of original music, mixed with three remixes from my album, creating a score for the newly realized film full of windswept ambient and neon-lit grooves.
Audio-Visual Mix ‘Tred Over My Body’
‘Nothing Like a Dream’ is an hour-long audio-visual mix recorded at the end of 2022 live on turntables and CDJS at 2-3 FAIR Gallery for the group art show ‘No Knowledge Of Utopia.’
The tracks and video selected and played were done so to compliment the art and theme of the show and to act as an extension to it, leaning into the show’s exploration of utopic landscapes. I handled the music selection and mixing, video footage, production, and creative direction.
Audio-Visual Mix ‘Nothing Like A Dream’
I co-founded 2-3 FAIR, an art gallery, agency, and conceptual retail and event space focused on emerging artists and music.
I handle the musical direction, asset production and management, marketing, creative direction, record buying, quoting and pitching new business, photography, invoicing, budget management, and more.