Adam Cooke joins The Breakfast Show rotation

Long-time radio station staff member Adam Cooke officially joins our morning squad on The Breakfast Show, with his first slot of the new schedule airing Friday 3rd July, 10:00-12:00 CET.

Whether he's supporting Berlin's live music scene, digging through crates of dusty records in fleamarkets, championing overlooked gems or taking listeners on highly specific musical journeys, Adam brings an honest sense of love to every show. As he joins the Refuge Worldwide Breakfast Show rotation, we caught up with him to talk mornings, his musical rituals and what listeners can expect.

What’s the first record that came to mind when you found out you’d be joining The Breakfast Show? I have a deep association with breakfast radio and The Morning Show by Desmond Chambers. ‘The morning show, the morning show, it keeps you happy when you’re on the go’. Lyrical greatness. How does an Adam Cooke edition of The Breakfast Show differ from one of your other radio shows? With my other shows I always try to give them a theme or to tell a story of a particular time or artist. So with the breakfast show I really enjoy the openness it allows and the different directions the show could musically take over the 2 hours. It’s a lot of responsibility to start people’s day off on a good note and one I take great pride in. Has living in Berlin changed the way you listen to or discover music? Absolutely. Living in Berlin has broadened my listening massively. Back in Dublin I was very much fixed in my lane of what I listened to and would only go to those shows, which is what most people do there. In Berlin you are exposed to such a wide range of music everywhere you go. From the music in the streets, free open airs, the amazing events organised by the diverse communities living in the city, clubs, gigs and even BBQs… it’s just incredible. You dig pretty deep for records. What’s your favourite place to discover new music these days?

Radio. It is the number one discovery tool for me. Surrender your algorithm to someone who knows their shit. Next to that it’s the dusty cheap bins in record stores. There is always something great to discover sitting in those boxes. What else are you involved in outside of Refuge Worldwide? My biggest passion in life is bringing people together who share a deep love of music. The collective joy that creates is really powerful and moving and is something I believe can create real lasting, positive change. So whether it’s through my own initiatives such as the Soli Record Sale or supporting crews like XJAZZ or JAW Family who do an incredible job of that and on a much bigger scale than myself, I try to involve myself in the organisation, execution and support of in person music events as much as possible. Berlin 2026 highlights so far? Every weekend since the 1st of May! It’s incredible to see how much high quality music events are happening every week in the face of such severe cultural funding cuts. The city is so alive and I have to give a huge shout out to all the people organising and giving it their all. It’s the purest form of resistance and it’s working. And of course the highlight of the highlights is the JAW Family Reunion who celebrated 20 years of putting on legendary events this past weekend. It might be the most fulfilling and inspiring weekend of music I’ve ever experienced. What’s the most underrated time of day to listen to music? I feel like nobody comes home in the evenings and puts on a record anymore. Everyone goes straight to the TV or computer to watch rubbish. When you’re home in the evening next, pick an album you love and listen to it start to finish. It will make your day. Trust me. What’s your ideal breakfast? I’m a member of that club which advocates that breakfast foods are the best foods and should be eaten at any time of the day. I’ll often make protein breakfast bowls with loads of fruits, yogurt, granola and peanut butter and have it for dinner. But to answer your question a hotel breakfast buffet! Anything else you want to tell us? It’s a honour to be joining a crew of such amazing breakfast show hosts and I’m excited to contribute to the sounds that help wake up Berlin and the Refuge Worldwide community!