monki

Monki is a Spanish electronic music producer and DJ from the Basque Country. She works in house, tech house, euro house and breakbeat hardcore, and is associated with underground electronic club culture in the UK.

Radio and club work

She presents a prime-time show on Rinse FM and builds her sets around new electronic talent. She first enters radio through a work experience placement at Radio Jackie in Tolworth, then moves on to an internship at Rinse FM. After initially helping out behind the scenes, she gets a Thursday morning slot and is later promoted to the Saturday afternoon show, broadcasting from 4pm to 6pm GMT.

Alongside radio, she is a resident at Annie Mac’s touring club night AMP and plays regularly at clubs and festivals across the UK and Europe.

Style and selection

Her DJ sets move across a wide range of dance music, from piano house and deep house to bass-heavy and rave-influenced material. The music she plays includes tracks and references from artists and acts such as Claude VonStroke, FCL, Inner City, Skream, Justice, Daft Punk and Boy Better Know. Her approach is shaped by early listening to pirate radio, specialist stations, Ibiza music from her mother, and hip hop mixtapes from her uncles EZ and US.

Training and development

Monki begins learning to mix on turntables as a teenager and later studies at Hackney’s Point Blank Music College. She develops an ear for beatmatching and tune selection through constant practice, which helps establish her as a regular selector on Rinse FM.

ZOO Music

In 2012 she sets up the digital label and imprint ZOO Music to release unsigned electronic music. Early releases on the label include Needs To Be Said by Zulu and TOYC, and a self-titled revival house EP by Don’t Panic.

Collaborators and guests

Her Rinse FM show attracts guest mixes from DJs and producers including Disclosure, Melé, Moxie and Karma Kid.