Glasgow’s own Austin Ato has quietly built one of the most compelling trajectories in contemporary house music — a DJ and producer whose colourful, groove-laden records nod to 90s house, deep disco and soulful rhythms while always carrying a distinctly modern pulse. Over the past decade he’s dropped vinyl and digital cuts on revered imprints like Phonica White, Classic Music Company, Me Me Me and Defected — from the piano-rich Song For Mr. Lewis and the groove-driven Heat to his own rework series I Love Your Edits — earning love from tastemakers across the global scene. Behind the decks he’s just as at home firing up Glasgow’s Berkeley Suite as he is packing floors from Edinburgh’s Bongo Club to Berlin’s Wintergarten, deftly blending deep, jazzy house with disco inflections and thoughtful edits that reveal both his crate-digging instincts and dancefloor intuition. For his Phonica mix, Ato cuts away from the constructed-mix template and instead offers a live warm-up set from his own I Love Your Energy night (Dec 27th, 2025) — a recording pulsing with real crowd energy, shimmering between deep, jazzy moments and intricate, drum-machine house workouts. Ato’s aim? To share the same flowing energy he feels when playing to people, giving the Phonica listeners a late-doors vibe that’s groovy, soulful and deeply immersive rather than a peak-hour stomp.
Hey Austin, thanks for joining us! Can you tell us about your mix and what the idea behind it was?
Thank you, truly my pleasure. The mix is a live recording from my warm-up set at my club night I Love Your Energy recorded on Sat 27th Dec 2025, I did some edits and volume automation to smooth it out a bit. The mix is a real doors open at 11pm mix and made from digital and vinyl, I recorded from the mixer and a live mic, I added in some live crowd noise at end. A combo of really deep house, jazzy and soulful building up into drum machine-y house workouts. I had originally planned and poured over a very different mix for Phonica but I find it so much more natural to DJ to people rather than constructing a mix alone. Does anyone else feel that? For me, DJing needs an audience. It’s that flowing energy thing. Also this being January a vibey mix that plays in deep and groovy spaces felt more fun for Phonica mix listeners more than a 130bpm bone-crunching banger mix hah.
What are your preferred methods for finding new music—do you still enjoy digging around in dusty crates, or do you prefer to buy online?
I’d say it’s both really, Glasgow is blessed with some great record shops. Shout out Mixed-Up & Palais De Danse for second-hand vinyl and of course Rubadub for new records and hardware. I play in Berlin often and my buddy Connor lives near Hardwax’s new location by Tresor. It’s become routine to drop a chunk of my fee on dub records and their Basic Channel / Main Street / Basic Replay represses. I find I’m buying more dub records brand new to listen to at home whilst trawling other stores and Discogs for some house and 90s/2000s techno vinyl for my sets.
What are five records you couldn’t live without?
This will change every week but probably right now…
Idjut Boys – Portion Out Of Control – An amazing tool-not-tool record of cosmic pulsing drum machine bangers
Main Street – New Day – Just one of the best vocal house tunes ever made, it’s in this mix
The Sultans Of Sound – Catch The Thief – A great loopy chop up of Promised Land, I do play it at -5 though as it’s so fast.
Jill Scott – Golden Grant Nelson Remix – I bring this everywhere for a real hit of soul. Again in the mix.
Mike Schommer – Deepchord DC13 – I played this in Heidegluhen last year, god it sounded so good.
What has been one of your most memorable sets over your career?
So many but in summer 2025 I played a sunset, hilltop set in Barcelona for the lovely BAF! crew which was a joy. Heidegluhen is incredible as is Wintergarten in Sisyphos every time I’ve played but I have to say the one that really means the most is my club I Love Your Energy at The Berkeley Suite here in Glasgow. I get to play warm-up, peak and close. I invite friends to play too and it’s never anything short of the most immaculate vibes. I had Joe Goddard, Athens Of The North, Auntie Flo and other friends to come play this year. I love I get to share a little warm-up mix from the club with all the Phonica listeners. I Love Your Energy’s 3rd bday is in February too. I’m very excited.
What do you have up your sleeve for 2025?
More records, more touring, more collabs. Last month I won an award from Spanish Magazine and Beatport for track of the year (for my remix of Groove Armada) and the response from that in Europe has been so lovely. I Love Your Edits Vol.2 came out in summer 2025 on 12″ and I’m working on Vol.3 now. I just signed a track to a friend’s DJ Kicks compilation (I’m not sure if I can announce yet so I’ll not say their name). Also, Ewan McVicar and I started making a belter of a track, I saw him test it out in the Subbie a few weeks ago which was so awesome. Finally, I’m working on an album. Touring-wise, I off to Mexico in Feb, Italy, Spain and more too. Also I’ve started writing music for TV. It’s been a real lesson and chance to use what I know in music to do something else that also pays. Working to brief. Love it!
Thanks Austin 🙂
