Mella Dee

British DJ and producer Mella Dee adopts a carefree yet adventurous approach to creating warehouse-ready club music, never limiting himself to one sound or style. Starting his career by making intricate but hard-hitting grime rhythms, as heard on the 2012 EP Don’t Be Nesh, he progressed to garage and house tracks which took influence from jungle, hardcore, and bass music. He made his breakthrough with 2017′s “Techno Disco Tool,” an addictive club hit which was eventually certified silver five years after its release. Rather than attempt to duplicate the track’s success, Mella Dee has continued to follow his muse, producing tracks which live up to titles such as “Ethereal Chugger” and “Big Eff Off Groove.” He’s worked with more guest vocalists during the 2020s, including Infinite Coles and Bernard Sumner, while also producing instrumental releases such as 2023′s Rug Cutters Vol. 1. Originally from Doncaster, Ryan Aitchison began releasing grime and garage rhythms as Mella Dee around 2012. Don’t Be Nesh included a track featuring Birmingham emcee Slick Don, while Ruff Cut showcased Mella Dee’s more laid-back dance side. He largely continued exploring house, garage, and bassline with subsequent EPs like 2013′s Things Don’t Change and 2014′s Feel It Out, while releases like 2016′s Deep Soul were heavily influenced by jungle and hardcore breaks. He launched Warehouse Music in 2017, and the Sister Sledge-sampling “Techno Disco Tool,” the title track to the imprint’s third EP, was licensed by Warner Music and became a breakout hit. Though it led to a major increase in festival and club bookings, Aitchison seemed uninterested in capitalizing on the track’s success, titling a 2018 EP Not Here to Make Friends. He continued releasing stripped-back, propulsive club tracks, mainly on his own label, with exceptions like 2020′s Toe to Toe Vol. 1, a split EP with Subradeon on Ben Sims Hardgroove imprint. In 2021, Mella Dee collaborated with singer Infinite Coles, son of Wu-Tang Clan’s Ghostface Killah, on the single “A Little While Longer,” released by Pete Tong’s Three Six Zero Recordings. A mix of the track appeared on Whistle Posse Spangled in the Corner, a Don’t Sleep-issued EP also featuring Coby Sey and Effie. A second single with Coles, “Love It or Not,” followed in 2022, and Mella Dee released the solo tracks “Big Eff Off Groove” and “Find Love Yourself.” “Riptide,” featuring Bernard Sumner, was released in 2023, with cover art paying tribute to New Order’s Technique. Two further EPs, Connected Experiences and Rug Cutters Vol. 1, appeared during the year. ~ Paul Simpson