Ever wondered what inspires one of the modern landscape’s most boundaryless producers? In Loukeman’s case, it’s PinkPantheress, The Cure, and a whole lot more.

Loukeman – aka genre-defying-and-defining beatsmith artisan Luke Fenton – likes edge and imperfection in music. Whether that be his own or what he listens to. He prefers Robert Smith’s rough and ready home demo of “Inbetween Days”, for instance, rather than the recorded opener of The Cure’s seminal 1985 album, The Head On The Door. “I often like demos more than polished tracks,” Fenton muses.

On 24th April, the Toronto-based producer shared Sd-3, the final segment of his instantly seminal trio of albums. The first two bodies of music, shared in 2021 and 2024 respectively, have quietly shaped and invigorated the electronic landscape; using familiar musical and technical modes, Fenton excels by splashing colour and individuality into his choices and execution, finding distinction and creativity rather than maudlinness or imitation. 

The new record, a conclusion of Fenton’s work across five years, is an apt conclusion to the trifecta. The opus flows seamlessly through its nearly 47-minute run-time, a river of influences and emotions bottled up by a sharp and expression-filled mix of glitchy rhythms, naturalistic instrumentation and pitched vocals. Masterfully crafted, deeply impactful and uniquely envisioned, the LP acts as further confirmation of Fenton’s position as one of the most exciting producers working today. 

But what influences him? Where does this amalgamation of sounds and styles stem from? Below, Fenton rounds up some of his inspirations in our latest On Repeat.

Listen to Sd-3…

Loukeman is On Repeat…

KNOWER – “Like A Storm”

My friend John showed me this track. Such a cool structure and incredible drums.

Huerco S. – “A Sea Of Love”

Beautiful pad with a cool repeating bass line. Ambient music makes me feel like I’m in a movie, that’s the best feeling. 

The Diplomats – “Who I Am”

Great beat, sick sample. Takes me back to being in high school.

PinkPantheress – “Last Valentines”

A perfectly emo mood in this one. Love the Linkin Park sample in this context with Pink’s vocals. Pink is a very inspiring producer.

Zukovstheworld, fakemink – “2 phones”

Sick beat by producer clearooo. Type of song I hear and instantly get excited to play it in a dj set just to hear it as loud as possible. 

Land of the Loops – “Multi-Family Garage Sale (Bargain-Bin…)”

Love this song, also has a great video. Reminds me of my friend Sam and the music he likes, which makes me want to make a song he would like. The dj scratching in this track definitely got me trying to add some dj scratches to songs. 

The Cure – “Inbetween Days – RS Home Demo 12/8…”

I often like demos more than polished tracks. Love the crunchy, warm recording. Makes me want to jam with my friends. 

Delroy Edwards – “I Love Sloane”

Beautiful song. Delroy Edwards was one of the first artists that made me want to start making music. 

Kron, Jürgen Paape – “Silikron (Jürgen Paape Remix)”

Great drums and a nice two-chord pad going back and forth. Uncomplicated music usually inspired me to most to make stuff. Overall beautiful house track that’s fun to dj. 

araabMUZIK – “By Your Side”

araabMUZIK is the best. Amazing sample selection and hard drums. Love his beat tapes, usually listen to them while working out and they make me feel cool.