| DJ Umek | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Uroš Umek |
| Also known as | DJ Umek, Umek, Fotr (Father) |
| Born | 16, 1976 |
| Origin | Ljubljana, Slovenia |
| Genres | Electronica, Techno, Tech house |
| Occupations | Disc jockey, record producer |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Labels | Consumer Recreation (1999) Recycled Loops(1999) Astrodisco (2006) 1605 - sixteenofive(2007) |
| Website | http://www.umek.si |
Uroš Umek (born May 16, 1976 in Ljubljana, Slovenia, better known as DJ Umek or simply Umek)[1] is an internationally acclaimed DJ and music producer from Slovenia, author of more than 500 releases (2009 data) for world renown record labels such as Renaissance, Armada, Cocoon Records, Audiomatique, Hell Yeah, Tronic, Datapunk amidst many others. Accompanied with his affiliates and colleagues he organized the first electronic music parties – so called “raves” in homeland Slovenia in the beginning of the 1990s. Pioneering the genre and parties he became worldwide simply known as “Fotr” – the Father of Slovenian techno and electronic culture.[2]
Together with partners and peers he has developed and created various creative initiatives, clubbing nights and big music events, such as Astrodisco nights in Ljubljana’s club K4, Party for a cause – humanitarian open air party with Umek in Ljubljana’s park Tivoli, Day Of Electronics in Ljubljana's Križanke venue and summer creative-music festival DiscoNautica in the city of Koper. These events with Umek’s signature have achieved lots of popularity and almost cult status among youngsters. Together with his peers Umek has established production platforms such as Recycled Loops, Consumer Recreation and new venture 1605 – Sixteenofive, with which they defined “Slovenian techno sound” and launched it as an important driving force on the global club scene.[3]
Umek’s releases have been included on the premiere club compilations mixed by artists such as Sander Kleinenberg, Judge Jules, Eddie Halliwell, John Digweed, M.I.K.E. and Carl Cox. With various coproductions he proves he is not trapped into boundaries of techno genre. Umek remixed Depeche Mode’s I Feel Loved, Slovenian groups Laibach (band) - single Tanz Mit Laibach and Silence. The first being probably the nation's biggest musical export alongside Umek.
DJ Umek ranks excellent in all globally significant charts and popularity contests. In the DJ Mag Top 100 DJs www.djmag.com he ranked 29. (2007), 33. (2008) and 39. (2009 - he was also ranked 3. techno DJ the same year).[4] In the same year he was awarded »Best SEE ME Techno DJ« title (seeme-sofia.com) and he has been nominated for DJ Awards (djawards.com) in techno section in 2009.
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Uroš Umek has completely surrendered himself to the electronic music and today he is a synonym of Slovenian techno.
If there is any symbolism in Umek’s career, he will go straight to hell, since instead of going to a midnight mass for Christmas he went to his favorite K4 club to party. He was allowed to go clubbing at the weekends but was expected to be home at 3 am. Since he was too late for the last bus he was running home few kilometers in the middle of the night after clubbing. "It wasn’t as hard as it seems”, he remembers, “I was training basketball at that time, so I was really fit.”[5] It’s more than a decade since he traded career of basketball superstar for the DJ career.
The industrial designed K4 club in the basement of Student’s Union HQ in the centre of Ljubljana is still considered to be Umek’s resident club, although he is not an official resident deejay anymore. Since most loyal fans of electronics are still gathering there, K4 remains the playground for testing new productions, concepts and sounds. In K4 Umek got in touch with electronic music and got acquainted with first Slovenian electronic projects such as Anna Lies, Clox or Random Logic.[6] Some of those people were and still are important part of Umek’s private and professional life. It was Jure Havliček who ultimately influenced his decision to get involved in professional music production. Gregor Zemljič is mastering all of Umek’s tracks. Also his first band Mouse Trap has its roots in K4.[6]
Umek’s first music creations were produced on very basic 8-bit resolution production tool with four mono channels Screen Tracker. When he finally managed to save enough money to buy proper sampler, the outside World ceased to exist for him. "I’ve become totally obsessed with that box. I’ve spent up to sixteen hours a day working on that machine."[6] Although an established technician, master of three decks and FX performances, it was not easy for Umek to get acquainted with needles and mixers in the first place. The most of the small clubs in his home country could only afford cassette and CD players in the beginning of 90s, so he could only dream of having his own decks at his start.[7] Luckily he met few key people that recognized his talent and gave him the opportunity to start.[8]
Umek was regular at club Palma matinees at that time. He spent most of the afternoons watching deejay mixing records, until one day resident DJ Alf unexpectedly offered him to finish his set. He seized the opportunity and got through the night. Practicing on decks and mixer for an hour before the weekly matinee, Umek conquered the technique soon. After he performed for a few times in Palma, he got offered opening slot at Aldo’s night in K4. "It only paid as much to buy one CD, but it was a steady job and I really liked it." Umek still regrets his decision to sell his collection of 200 CDs to buy vinyl in that times.”[8]
In the early 90s buying techno records seemed almost a mission impossible for someone living and working in Slovenia. Closest shop with that kind of music was in Germany, almost 500 kilometers away from Ljubljana. Umek along with other music enthusiasts booked the weekly shopping bus to Munich and searched for music shops. His collection started with eight records, all he could afford at that time.[9] Umek still regrets his decision to sell his collection of 200 CDs to buy vinyl.”[8]
Germany was also the place where Umek got in touch with the rave scene. “It was an amazing experience, when I attended my first Technomania party with 15.000 revelers on seven floors placed in a hangar on the outskirts of Munich. And when I’ve entered twice as bigger Mayday arena for the first time I knew I want to be in that deejay booth one day. Few years later I was."[10]
Umek and his peers started organizing bus transfers to rave parties in Germany, enjoying and learning along the way. So it was just a matter of time when they decided to start putting up their own events.[7] “The first one was total disaster,” remembers Umek. “We’ve leased the local firemen’s hall in Šiška (Ljubljana's district, ed.) for the night but only managed to attract a hundred revelers. We were so broke, we couldn’t even afford cleaning lady the morning after.” But they could not be stopped by that debacle. They worked their way from event to event, got in charge of small club Nexus in the outskirts of Ljubljana and gradually became one of the leading promoters in the country.[11] From residency in club Titanic in Sežana, small scale parties in former Tito’s teahouse in Bled and residency in club K4, he finally got the first invitation to notorious Slovenian discothèque Ambasada Gavioli. Umek still remembers the illegal rave party they have organized in the countryside outside Ljubljana. It attracted surprisingly big mass of people and one of the main national newspapers reported of the incident, since they were dispersed by the police. And there was the local politician that stated that the cows in the nearby village stopped lactating (i.e. giving milk) because of the stress induced by loud techno music. Report of this incident can still be found in the archives.
DJ Umek made his name in Slovenia by hosting some of the best club nights in the country. It was him and his peers that changed their home turf into most prolific party scene in the whole region. It was also the time of experimenting for Umek. He was mostly known as techno deejay, but loved to play underground house too, especially at the after parties.[12] Since he had the biggest collection of house records in Slovenia, he quickly became involved in building the house scene as well. He had weekend residency in Ljubljana and club Trezor in Kranj and was regularly hosting in Ambasada Gavioli. At some point he was so much into house, he played four gigs a week, but only twice a month techno set, that he felt suffocated as techno artist. At that point he decided he will not play house anymore and gave farewell to Ambasada. He returned to K4 and focused on his main genre techno again.[13]
He returned to Ambasada Gavioli the next year, this time as a techno specialist. Since he was treated as the second resident, the favorite of club management always being his good friend Valentino Kanzyani, Umek had no competitive clause and could take bookings wherever and whenever he desired. Meeting top techno DJs from all over the world, establishing new friendships and gathering contacts he started performing at the best venues all over the World. Quickly he assembled fans from Berlin to Tokyo, making impression as a great technician and programmer, but it was his special blend of music known as Slovenian Techno which has put him on the map as one of the top names in the genre.[13]
Umek's first Mumps release (2001) for Billy Nasty’s Tortured label, on which he blended his love for early house music and passion for club techno, thrusted him into the international spotlight. But it took about twenty releases before he could play a lot outside of Slovenia. Umek has spun the records on four continents in more than 30 countries.
As the founding pillar of Slovenian electronic music scene Umek co-founded his first label in the mid 90s. Absence (and its sub-label Expire) was the first specialized techno label in the region, home to artists such as Umek, Anorak, Random Logic, Brother's Yard or Clox, quickly becoming popular with artists such as Laurent Garnier or Sven Väth because of its unique sound. But it were the Recycled Loops (1999) in Earresistible Musick labels that really established Slovenian electronic dance sound as one of the driving forces on the global scale. The first mentioned joint venture with Valentino Kanzyani was and still is reserved for underground techno releases, while the second serves as a platform for hard, electronic house experiments. The name was picked up as a statement and description for the sound created with recycling of old techno loops.
Although not so known to international crowd Consumer Recreation project (2000) played major role in Umek’s career and was really important for the progression of Slovenian electronic music scene, which is still developing nicely. The incentive which includes deejays Bizzy, Dojaja, Psiho and Plotz started as a promotion crew behind some major techno events in the country. It became even more important as the weekly radio show and label of the same name were lunched.
When Consumer Recreation joined forces with Taotech and some other guys in 2003 Explicit Music was born. It brought the organization part of Slovenian party scene on the whole new level. Big open air festival series such as Meet Me and Sindustry, indoor parties such as EUrora and the string of smaller club nights marked the beginning of new millennium in the whole region, not only in Slovenia. In 2005 Explicit Music was dissolved and Futuristing Music crew stepped into its place continuing the legacy. The productions of FM crew include major annual events such as DiscoNautica gathering, Umek’s solo action in Ljubljana’s central park Tivoli Party for the cause and The Day of Electronics festival.
Idea behind Consumer Recreation progressed and was upgraded into experimental Astrodisco project (2006), in which Bizzi, Dojaja and Krizs along with Umek joint creative forces to contribute their share to “electro-minimal” explosion. Astrodisco concept was designed as a test-platform for creative multimedia boutique club nights wrapped into futuristic electronic sounds. It built on the whole club experience, authentic music production, unique décor, exclusive VJ performances and unusual combinations of arts and crafts such as building real moving Astrobots. Another novelty that Astrodisco introduced in Slovenia, was clubbing during the working week. Nevertheless, concept of Astrodisco exists also as a record label with Umek’s releases 16th Century Japan and Before Violence as most recent.
The launch of 1605 – Sixteenofive platform in 2007 marked the beginning of a new chapter in DJ Umek’s music career as he brought his characteristic sound to the whole new level. Thorough sound transformation was a risky, but thriving move. Through the 1605 Therapy, Umek spreads a mixture of brute alternative sounds on one hand and anthems for the biggest venues of the world on the other. The first group is formed of records such as Ricochet Effect, Another Matter Entirely and Utopia, while the second group includes famous Posing As Me and Carbon Occasions, the two records, which broke the club borders and conquered radio waves, with the accompanying videos played also on MTV.
1605 Therapy measurable results are cooperation with record labels such as Renaissance, Little Mountain, Ultra, Pacha, Armada, constant presence on dozens of radio stations all over the world, Essential Mix, appearances on Primavera, Monegros and Dance Valley festivals,[14] appearances on numerous compilations and constant support of many colleagues such as Sander Kleinenberg, Fergie, Tiësto, Judge Jules, Eddie Halliwell, John Digweed, M.I.K.E. and Carl Cox and Umek’s high rankings in the DJ Mag Top 100 DJs poll and other popularity contests.
After the launch of the content-rich websites www.umek.si and www.sixteenofive.com the 1605 Therapy also began a journey in the form of a record label. The launch of the record label was announced on the second day of the Day Of Electronics 08 in May 2008. Producer VoRr with his premier release of Outlaws / Project 1.333[15] prepared the ground for the re-release of Umek’s classic Gatex,[16] which came back in the form of a new remix by Fergie. More than 20 EPs from various artists have been released under 1605 label, with support of big names such as Carl Cox, John Digweed, M.I.K.E., Paul Hazendonk and many others.[17]
In autumn 2008, Umek went on a tour across the South America and not even a half year later, he visited Brazilian fans again in the spring 2009. Although recession is hammering around the business world, he remains unaffected and focused on his primary goal – to make high quality productions that stand out from the rest and to bring music closer to people all around the world.
DJ Umek released a double-disc compilation Umek? Hell Yeah for Italy's Hell Yeah Recordings in the beginning of August 2009. Hell Yeah is Umek's fourth commercially released CD mix, including 24 high-tempo tracks on the first disc, while the second disc is occupied by twelve previously unreleased Umek tracks from the archives, ranging from classic electro sounds to funky upbeat techno
“I work seven days a week on music, and the reason I produce so much is that I love what I do,” Umek explains the reason behind his massive music production. As an author he signed more than 20 releases only in the first half of 2009. Last year's releases like Is it / Longer Trail, Destructible Environment, S Cream, Designed Persona, You Might Hear Nothing and the latest club hit Work This Data, have caught the attention of Armada, Hell Yeah, Tronic, Dataworx and other biggest labels of the music industry and judging by Umek's tracks »Hablando« and »Slap«, released on his own label 1605, by the enormous amount of upcoming releases and the second (and first on 1605 label) album with his 10 great tracks “Responding To Dynamic” (coming in spring 2010), Umek surely is not going to run out of creative fuel for quite some time.
His track Slap reached 1st place and persisted on Beatport's Top 10 chart for few weeks, while DJ Umek is among ten the most searched for artists in specialized electronic music internet site Beatport.com
The year 2009 also brought a fresh breeze in Umek’s booking department. His new booking agency is Bullitt Bookings from the USA, that also takes care of some of the biggest names, like Dubfire, Nic Fanciulli, Shlomi Aber, Davide Squillace and many others.
Idea for humanitarian open air party in Ljubljana's central park Tivoli was born in Umek's head. In cooperation with organization Futuristing Music the idea was developed and presented to Slovenian mobile operator Si.mobil, which supported it as a main sponsor. The first donor event Party for a cause (Žur z razlogom) with DJ Umek took place on the last weekend in August 2005. As its predecessor, the year earlier Futuristing Music organized smaller scale humanitarian open air party in the center of Ljubljana. With Umek’s name the Party for a cause developed qualitatively and quantitatively. It became all-Slovenian and internationally recognizable party with approximately 30 thousand dancers in park Tivoli in 2008 alongside west coast rapper Spinz who was among Umek's first live MC's. Already traditional humanitarian party with DJ Umek is being supported by the city of Ljubljana.
The Party for a cause is aimed to encourage SMS-donations and social responsibility among youngsters in order to support work of humanitarian organizations. Beneficiaries of donations have been society Beli obroč (White Circle of Safety) to help victims of criminal offences and their families and foundation Mali vitez (Little Knight) to help young people cured from cancer. Every year auction is being organized to collect additional finances. Umek’s gramophone was sold in auction, generating extra sum of 2000 EUR in 2008.
The sixth Party for a cause with DJ Umek in park Tivoli took place on 29. of August 2009, followed by the one in 2010, where he performed alongside another techno legend Carl Cox. In 2011 Umek returned to park Tivoli once again to perform a solo all-nighter.