Giulia Villa & Jamie Ardor “Melting Lights”

Our interview this week is with Giulia Villa and Jamie Ardor, the founders of Melting Lights, a London-based company that promotes sustainability in the live music sector. Giulia and Jamie worked in different areas of the music industry before founding Melting Lights in 2022. They shared with us their passion for music and the importance of bringing artists, venues and audiences together to enjoy live music in a more sustainable way.

Follow Melting Lights on Instagram to find out about their next music event.

Stéphanie Becker

Giulia Villa (She/Her) – 35 years old

Twelve years ago, I left my hometown of Milan, Italy where I earned a bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design in search of greater opportunities in London’s thriving creative scene. While Milan offered a strong foundation, its limited design studios couldn’t match my ambitions. London, with its vibrant energy and dynamic industry, became the perfect place to expand my horizons.

Giulia Villa

Jamie Ardor (He/Him) – 32 years old

My first ever dream came true the day I moved to London. After that, anything was possible! I was born in Stoke, a crummy little pottery town in the Midlands. My family then moved to Poland in the early nineties and I grew up in Krakow. When I finished school I came back to the UK and worked a bit before I started art school in London. I then transferred from fine art to design, inspired by the industrial aspect of everything around you being design and serving purpose. Art and design along with my music side basically led my London life to this day!

Jamie Ardor

S.B : What did you do before founding Melting Lights?

G.V: I worked in several design studios in London and Milan, initially focusing on branding. But seven years ago, my career took an exciting turn when I started a 9-month freelance contract at BMG (record label). There, I worked on their global brand refresh with the Creative Director, and after the contract ended, I was offered a permanent position.

While I continued working on branding for some of their sub-labels, my role expanded significantly. I designed Album Art, LPs, CDs, and special edition box sets, also took on photography, video editing, and animation projects. Over the years, I had the privilege of collaborating with iconic artists like Fatboy Slim, Groove Armada, Charlie Watts, and Dave Clarke, among others.

After seven years in the music industry, I felt it was time for a change. I needed to break free from the monotony, so I returned to freelancing. While I still work on music projects, it’s no longer my sole focus. This shift also gave me more time to focus on personal projects like Melting Lights, allowing me to push my creative boundaries and explore new avenues.

J.A: I’m someone who’s always had more than one job, for reasons to make bread and earn a living to being inspired by new discoveries and opportunities. I’ve been in hospitality as a mixologist and bartender for 6 years. I also met my band and we toured across the UK and parts of Europe, including Italy, Germany and Holland (I was the sexy bassist). We were signed by Acid Jazz Records and had 2 studio albums published. When we all decided to end that chapter of our lives, I took a break from music and focussed on my design career. It was a hard road in the competitive market of our field. But I did various jobs through freelancing and start-ups before I landed a job I became very passionate about. For these last 6 years, I’ve been in architecture/construction, working as a designer and visual communicator mostly focussing on sustainability and working on various projects with a scale ranging from a single building to an entire city, both for private organisations and councils or governmental.

That itch to come back to music grew and eventually started DJing a few years ago. Throughout my life, my passion for helping solve the climate crisis only grew. So trying to work on projects that could incorporate all three led me to now with Melting Lights!

S.B: How would your friends and family describe you in two words?

G.V: Funny and passionate (Italian passion 🤌🏻)

J.A: Weird and wonderful

S.B: Your favourite quote?

G.V: “We don’t inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” David Attenborough

J.A: “Life is painful. It has thorns, like the stem of a rose. Culture and art are the roses that bloom on the stem. The flower is yourself, your humanity. Art is the liberation of the humanity inside yourself.” Daisaku Ikeda

S.B: How would you describe your company Melting Lights?

G & J: Melting Lights is a community-led music event bringing people together through a shared love of music, creativity and a passion for tackling the climate crisis. Our mission extends beyond the dance floor, aiming for a future where green living and nightlife go hand in hand. We strive to make our events sustainable and cost-effective, reducing our carbon footprint and partnering with small venues and local communities.

We’re working hard to reduce our event’s carbon footprint; developing sustainable measures to minimise single-use plastics, promote circular waste policies, and identify other streams of environmental impact. Through collaborating with venues and other organisations, our vision is to build a network of expertise to tackle the industry’s ecosystem collectively, and transparently share our learnings on how to reduce emissions more effectively over time.

Using our platform, we strive to build a creative community where emerging artists can showcase their incredible talent through music and have our audiences engage through creative installations and memorable experiences; all to inspire keeping the nightlife thriving as we embark on a greener future.

S.B: Why did you decide to set up your own business?

G & J: We started Melting Lights to unite our passions—music, design and creativity, and sustainability—into one project. It came from a desire to fill a gap we saw in the music industry, particularly in London, where many venues have been slow to implement sustainable practices with a lack of support.

Our mission through music is also driven by core goals for positive social change:

Championing the local venue: independent venues are the lifeblood of the music scene, but many are struggling to stay afloat. We want to shine a spotlight on these spaces through our events and help them incorporate sustainability in a way that’s both practical and achievable.
Showcasing emerging talent: providing a platform for up-and-coming DJs and artists, especially within the local community where our events take place. We want to push the boundaries of design and technology more to deliver memorable experiences and keep the rave culture thriving.
Cultivating community and connection: our vision is to create an inclusive, welcoming space for people who share our passions. It’s a place to connect over quality music, learn simple ways to live more sustainably, and, above all, have a bloody good time!

Melting Lights isn’t just about throwing events—it’s about bringing people together to celebrate creativity, inspire action, and champion a more sustainable future for nightlife. We believe music has the power to connect, and we’re using that energy to drive positive change. Our own connection as friends with these values and wanting to help make a difference is what drove its creation.

S.B: How did you two meet?

G & J: We met through mutual friends and quickly bonded over our shared interests. Both of us are graphic designers with a similar taste in music, so it felt natural to connect. For years, we were rave buddies, meeting up at parties and events with our friend’s group.

The idea for Melting Lights started with Jamie’s vision: an event that brings sustainability, art, and electronic music together in a meaningful way. After a few deep conversations in a bunch of afterparties, we realised we both wanted to turn this vision into reality. In 2022, we officially launched Melting Lights, and it’s been an incredible journey ever since.

S.B: Can you name one quality of your business partner?

G.V: Jamie will always be there for moral support and for bringing that positive energy!

J.A: Giulia is dedicated and so organised, she’s my rock!

S.B: Why do you think we need to talk about sustainability in music?

G & J: Music has always been a powerful catalyst for social change, and the climate crisis is no different. When you look at any major social movement throughout history, music has played a crucial role in spreading the message and uniting people behind a cause.

S.B: What makes Melting Lights unique?

G & J: I believe what sets us apart is our holistic approach to driving positive change. Sustainability isn’t just about reducing emissions—social justice and supporting underfunded local venues and communities are equally vital. While larger events often have the resources to adapt, smaller communities lack the support needed to keep pace with progress. That’s why we’re building a framework to address key areas around events, transparently sharing our insights and creating actionable measures. This sets an example in a world often clouded by greenwashing and uncertainty about valid truths or who to trust.

We’re implementing practical steps today while preparing more impactful measures in our next events. Our creative drive delivers the kind of music and dance experiences people love, using creativity as a powerful tool to share our message and raise awareness through engaging storytelling. We believe we can inspire meaningful change while still having a great time—and we hope more and more spaces follow this approach!

S.B: Do you have a success story or project to share?

G & J: We’re still relatively new, so it’s all about celebrating the small victories for now. One proud moment happened during our first couple of events at The Baths in Hackney Wick. At the time, the venue relied heavily on single-use plastics for events and at the bar. As part of our commitment to sustainability, we don’t allow single-use plastics at our events—at least as much as humanly possible.

To address the issue, we partnered with a nearby pub that lent us reusable cups for the event. It was such a success that the venue asked the pub to leave the cups for another event. This inspired them to explore creating their own branded reusable cups.

It’s a small win, but moments like these remind us why we do what we do. We’re determined to provide even more support to these kinds of venues and help them implement sustainable practices in ways that are both practical and impactful. We’ve even partnered with Love Shack in Hackney to support them build out more permanent sustainable measures. Onwards and upwards!

S.B: What challenges did you face when you set up Melting Lights?

G & J: One of the biggest challenges we face is finding the right venue. It’s not just about ticking the boxes for size, location, or vibe—it’s about aligning with venues that share our values and are open to collaborating on sustainability. We look for spaces aligned to our values and are willing to take on sustainable practices. Seeing that value has long-term benefits compared to the short-term financial focus.

We’re also a small team. We do everything from event planning, promotion and marketing, to event design, decorations and audiovisuals. So it’s quite demanding all year round!

S.B: What’s your typical day like?

G & J: Outside of our events, we tend to work quite independently, each focusing on our main areas. Giulia primarily handles marketing and social media, ensuring our message resonates with the right audience. Jamie focuses more on strategy and shaping the long-term vision for Melting Lights. Recently, we brought on Alice, a sustainability consultant, who is coming in to support building our sustainable framework.

We come together regularly for brainstorming sessions and workshops. When we’re out we can’t help but talk shop too, and check what else is out there for more inspiration. These moments are crucial for aligning our efforts, sharing updates, and exploring new ideas. It’s in these collaborative sessions that we really try to push creative thinking to find ways to improve and innovate.

Event days are always manic. We start early: get all of our gear at Jamie’s to the venue, have a quick lunch to plan the day ahead and set everything up. It’s all around the sound system and DJ booth, putting up our physical/hand-made decorations/installations across the space and setting up any tech like AV. Once it’s all tested and good to go, we’re literally just about to open the doors!

S.B: What advice would you give to someone who has just set up a music live business project?

G & J: Do something bigger than for yourself. And keep it fun!

Photo Credit: Melting Lights

Visit Melting Light’s website: meltinglights.co.uk

Follow Melting Lights on Instagram: instagram.com/meltinglightslondon