Leaving behind a lasting and enduring legacy.
Photo Credit: Menno van der Meulen
The Argentine artist Luis Santillan, best known as Luke Santos, has passed away peacefully during his sleep. The news has been broken by Jacqueline Santillan, Luis’ eldest sister, via an Instagram post. The cause of death has not been informed, and the family asks to respect their privacy during this difficult time.
As a DJ for well over two decades, Argentina-born, Netherlands-based artist Luke Santos has delighted crowds across the world with his far-reaching sound. Long-standing events such as ADE, WMC, The Love Parade, and more have been recurring locations for Luke’s exquisite taste and impeccable programming skills; while Global Underground, Sudbeat, and The Soundgarden have been global music brands to request his talents. A near decade-long career as a producer indicates his selective nature, with Cid Inc’s Replug Records, Guy Mantzur’s Plattenbank, and Global Underground being the primary landing spots for his stunning creations
Luis started as a DJ at the age of 16 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. At the age of 21, he went to live in Miami and it was there that he began his career as a professional DJ, playing in increasingly larger clubs and to more people. Looking for new horizons, he traveled to Amsterdam, living there for more than a year with residencies in the most important clubs in Holland. While in Europe, Luke played in cities like Rome, Barcelona, and Frankfurt, and was a stalwart at 6 editions of the Miami Winter Music Conference.
After a few years, he returned to Argentina for a few months, and in the New Year of 2001, he traveled to Santiago de Chile to live and tour around South America. Unfortunately, Luke suffered a car accident that almost cost him his life, leaving him paralyzed from the shoulders down with the certainty that he would probably never get into a DJ booth again.
In December 2003, almost two years after the accident, he began taking classes in electronic music production and using programs based on voice recognition for computers. He began to produce rhythms, sounds, and melodies. In January 2004 he produced his first track, and a few months later he designed his own website. Immediately, European labels began to take an interest in his productions, and by December of the same year, he had already produced 15 tracks and 4 remixes.
Eventually, Luke would produce the first-ever edition of The Love Parade in Argentina to promote the second South American edition of the event to be held in Chile in 2006. Luke not only conceived this memorable celebration but also participated as a DJ. After a lot of effort, hard work, and physical preparation, he managed to get into the booth and vibed alongside the more than 2,000 people who were in attendance. As a result of this, Luke Santos spent the rest of the year playing at different local and private parties.
Over the years, Luke’s public appearances as a DJ became more and more sporadic, but he was a staple of the Amsterdam circuit, participating in several ADE editions, including Sudbeat’s Showcase event back in 2022.
According to Jacqueline Santillan, Luis passed away following his surrounded by his beloved friends Patrice, Ramona, Jordy, and Dries. He had just finished the trip of his dreams to Tokyo, Japan.
Back in October of 2022, Luke Santos shared with us ‘5 tips to create the best conceptual album of your life’. You can read the piece and remember Luke’s music here.
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