“Skate Muzik” is a monthly radio show on NTS Radio, curated and hosted by Milan‑based DJ and skateboarder Gianluca Quagliano. The show dives into the rich, often under‑celebrated soundtracks of classic skate videos; each episode repurposes those iconic tracks into hour‑long mixes centered around a theme, genre, legendary skateboarder, or influential skate video.

Gianluca Quagliano is the host of Skate Muzik, the culmination of his lifelong passions with a simple concept – an hour-long radio show that plays music from classic skate videos.

For the first episode, airing on Fritto FM in Milan in 2016, Quagliano played the soundtrack of Cherry, featuring a guest appearance and discussion with Roxanne Oldham, who worked with Supreme as music supervisor for the video. Nearly 10 years later, the show’s formula has remained the same, aside from a move to NTS Radio in 2017. 

Each episode of Skate Muzik goes in-depth on a genre, company, specific video, or artist, and on occasion, will bring on guests including the likes of Patrick O’Dell, William Strobeck, and Beatrice Domond. Skate Muzik has done episodes on everything from hardcore punk, to jazz, Sonic Youth, Wu-Tang Clan, and the music of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater games. 

Outside of running his own radio show, Quagliano’s professional background includes time spent working at Italian Public Radio, MTV Italia, Red Bull Music, and managing Supreme’s Italian storefront.

For Issue 10 of Living Proof Magazine, Buga Sarac joined Quagliano at a bar in Milano for a conversation about skateboarding, moving to Tokyo, printing tees, Jim Jarmusch’s Ghost Dog, and more.

This story was written by Eden DaSilva for the release of Issue 10 of Living Proof Magazine. Now available on our Patreon and Online Shop.

Skate Muzik’s Gianluca Quagliano interview by Buga Sarač

Sitting at bar Quadronno in Milano with Skate Muzik’s founder Gianluca Quagliano to conversate and get coffee.

-So what about Skate Muzik ?

Skate Muzik is a radio show,the concept is simple: I play skate videos soundtracks. It started on Fritto FM in Milan in early 2016 then moved to NTS and while I thought I was only gonna do 5 episodes at the beginning I ended up with almost 10 years of shows.

-Wow you must have had a lot of free time

Well, Not really (laugh) – I just never gave it up, always loved doing it, giving me a chance to pay homage to the (skate and music) culture that’s been part of me all my life.

-When did you start skating ?

Early nineties

-Do you still skate?

I wish I could, but at least I’m pushing around a bit, even as a kid I never aspired to become a professional or be competitive, but Skate Muzik is also my way to keep myself connected to what I love and it’s great. And pretty much it felt like all my life has revolved around this.

-What do you mean?

All that came before shaped me to get to the point in which I had the idea to start it and all that came after was pretty much evolved around it. So far what I’ve done also with my professional life evolves around skateboarding and music.

-Do you have a favorite skate video soundtrack?

I hate the question (laughs) No I don’t, but of course I have plenty of skate videos that I love and plenty of songs that I love as well. It’s all for the love, like that Jadakiss song.

-Where are you based?

Milan, Italy. Would probably move to Tokyo if I had a chance.

-Why Tokyo?

I don’t know, I just went out there a couple of times and felt like it totally matched my energy.I just visited Tokyo though, didn’t see anything else around Japan, but that’s enough for me. I could easily spend my life there.

-Do you speak any Japanese?

I don’t and that’s what’s keeping me from permanently moving. But the goal would be to open a Skate Muzik jazz kissa (listening bar) there. Playing music, serving Italian wine, printing tees, maybe records, have friends coming over, connect. Doesn’t have to be huge, I like cozy well curated places in which people isn’t loud.

-Well, good luck with that. Maybe someone reading this will reach out to partner with you on that. So you’re producing merch too.

Yes, been printing tees since I started the show, as a skateboarder I was always into graphic tees. First run a did a bootleg Snoopy tee, 60 tees, hand numbered, gave half of them away for free. Din’t take the Gildan tag off them.

-Guess the first Skate Muzik tee I’ve seen was the “Listen To Skate Muzik” one?

Yes probably. The first run of those was printed on a Champion tee, I went to Tokyo in 2016 for the first time and bought like 50 plain black heavy cotton Champion tees and came back to Milan and printed those.

-From the first to the last, what about the Ghost Dog capsule you recently released?

Summer 2023 I was in Tokyo, before leaving Milan for the trip I asked around to some friends to send over their Tokyo tips. My friend Mike Tran who lives in NYC and also runs Very Special, send over some, and also put me in touch with one of the best out there, by the name of Yoshi. Once in Tokyo me and Yoshi would hang and have the best times, and one night we went to the Breakfast Club to get food and drinks. On spot Yoshi introduced me to Jun -who now runs Blankmag Books in NYC- and some other friends. Fast forward 2 months later it’s November I’m in Milan and my favorite movie theater in town, which happens to be the Fondazione Prada one, happens to play one of my favorite movies ever, that is Ghost Dog by Jim Jarmusch. I went back home and my Nov 2023 radio date for a new episode of Skate Muzik on NTS was approaching and for the first time in Skate Muzik history I did an episode playing the soundtrack of a film and not a skate video.

-Yeah the Ghost Dog soundtrack was crazy

Indeed. All RZA-produced—timeless. I was so excited about the episode. When it went on air, I shared it on IG like I do with every episode. Jun, who I had met at the Breakfast Club, saw it and reached out to me. I don’t remember exactly what he sent—probably just a reaction—and I started telling him how much I liked the movie. He mentioned he’d known Jim for a long time, and that’s when I said I would’ve loved to pay homage to the film by doing a Ghost Dog tee. He said he could try asking Jim what he thought. I didn’t think for a second that it would actually happen, but that same night I mocked up three or four different tees using images from the web. Jim liked the idea— so March 2025, it happened.It took a bit to go from the first to the last step but that’s how it happened, couldn’t have been different from organic, no marketing or business plan. That’s from Mike, to Yoshi, Jun and Jim -grateful to all of them- and from one night in Tokyo.

The full interview is included in Issue 10 of Living Proof Magazine.