Umek: The music always comes first

UMEK, a techno powerhouse from Slovenia, has been instrumental in propelling the electronic music scene both locally and internationally. Initiating his career with underground parties, he soon became a global music envoy, celebrated for his dynamic techno beats. UMEK\’s prowess is evident as the top-selling peak-time techno artist on Beatport, boasting 13 number one tracks. His influential releases, like \”Once Again\” and the collaborative \”Mind of One\” with Sam WOLFE, resonate deeply within the techno community. Renowned for electrifying performances, UMEK captivates audiences from Berlin\’s intimate clubs to major festival stages, continuously shaping the techno landscape with his innovative sounds and undeniable presence on global platforms.

Last year, Umek celebrated the 30th anniversary of his career as an artist. So, let’s talk!

ー Hello, Uroš! We are happy to chat with you today! How are you doing? How is the beginning of your spring? How busy is this period promised to be compared to winter?
ー Spring has been really nice to me, finally, some nice sunny weather. I spent a lot of time in the studio during the winter and actually continue to do so in the spring. But it\’s a little bit more difficult because the sun is calling me out, you know. So if I go for tea or a meal or something, it\’s super hard to go back to the studio because it\’s so beautiful outside. So yeah, everything is waking up. My mind is waking up, you know, like I get interested in going out and having fun. Just like regular daily walks, going to the movies with my wife, going into the center of the city of Ljubljana and enjoying the moment.

ー How did you get started as a DJ? Which instrument did you start with and how did you learn to play?
ー I started as a DJ in a small club where I played, Matini, Matineja, we called it. It\’s for young kids, who were my age at the time. And there I saw DJ Alf playing and I said: \”Wow, this is something I want to do\”. There was the moment where he just left me behind the decks and he said: \”Okay, play. I need to go to the bar. I need to go to the restroom\”. He left me there and I had to play for maybe 15 minutes, half an hour or something like that. And it was an amazing experience, you know. And then he came back and I asked him: \”What the f*ck did you do?\” and he said: \”Okay, like if it\’s meant to be, it\’s meant to be\”. So, you need to do it. Do it or don\’t do it. I didn\’t play any instrument in my life, so I don\’t know how to play an instrument, but I know how to play decks. I really know how to play the turntable. So let\’s say, if I can call it an instrument. Actually let me be a little bit bold here, I will call it an instrument. So my first instrument was Technix 1210 and I played it really well.

ー Previous year marks 30 years of your experience in the electronics industry, if I\’m not mistaken. Congratulations! You have visited many countries, you have world recognition, music awards. How have your views and musical preferences changed from your first performances till now? What challenges have you faced during your career?
ー Yeah, last year was 30 years of my professional career. I\’m a DJ even longer, but yeah, the scene completely changed. Back then we were playing in a club which had a good sound system for that time but compared to now, the sound system is so much better. Look at the visuals, holograms, the stuff that is going right now. Light shows, the way we play, how we can manipulate music on the go when we DJ. So it\’s like completely, completely different. The same thing with the studio, it all started with the hardware. And right now you can do stuff with software, which is undoable with the hardware. It has so many more possibilities. The technical point of view changed a lot. Technically, we advanced for so, so, so many years. And it\’s so inspiring and cool. At the same time, it is so much easier for a DJ to play these days. Like it\’s, you may have to put in literally 3% of the effort that we had back then. Just to beatmatch tracks and then buying vinyls and stuff like that. These days you just go to Beatport, buy records and you can play it on your decks. Which are synced most of the time as I see with young DJ’s. Yeah, it\’s literally 3% of the effort. But the bigger effort is taking care of your body these days. You need to be beautiful, fit in, be interesting. So yeah, I guess that 97% of the effort went to outfits and appearance at the DJ stage.

ー We are excited about your new release \”Don\’t Give Me Lip\” EP on your 1605! Tell our readers about the inspirations behind the release and the idea of its creation.
ー Actually, it\’s always the club. It\’s always the club for me. I go to the club, play there, and listen to tracks that I played. And I always imagine, wow, I want to go back in the studio and make a “killer” for the dance floor. I always make tracks for the dance floor. And lately we are in an era of vocals. So I\’m not experimenting, but at this point I\’m using vocals, you know, as effectively as possible. To get another dimension in a track. It\’s literally just another instrument, another rhythmical instrument for me. So it\’s not singing per say. It\’s mostly like a rhythm vocal and that\’s what inspires me a lot these days.

ー We know that you are the owner of a few labels: 1605 – is one of the biggest Techno labels in the industry, Consumer Recreation and Recycled Loops are in co-running with Valentino Kanzyani and also Earresistible Musick, a sub label of Recycled Loops. How\’s everything going with the labels? What are you most proud of with your labels so far?
ー With the labels. Sorry to disappoint you, I have just one label. Consumer Recreation Recycle Loop, it\’s irresistible. They didn\’t run for the last 10 years or so. With 1605, I tried to find new talents. Always pushing a new artist on the label. That doesn\’t mean that I\’m going to sign just like new or unknown artists. But let\’s say I think I can sign them where they are kind of new in the scene, still getting there and helping them to grow their career. That was always my point of the label. Then again, I don\’t mind signing a bigger artist on the label for sure. Why not, you know, if the music is good, then that\’s great. But let me tell you this, I\’d rather sign a really good track from an unknown artist than every track from a big artist. This is always my motto. This is why I didn\’t sign many big artists, which are big right now because their music was just not there. And no matter what kind of business decision, good business decision that would be for me, no, music always comes first.

ー What are your personal values ​​that are key in your life and career? How do they influence your music and creativity?
ー You know what? The most cherished personal value would be honesty these days. I\’m 47 years old and honesty and truth mean the most to me. Especially in the scene, which is so double-faced, hypocritical. Everybody smiles at you when they meet you. Then when you leave, they like to talk about your music and how shitty you are and all this stuff. So that\’s honesty. It\’s something that I value a lot. I\’d rather see an artist that shows me that doesn\’t like me immediately than the ones that smiles politely and then talks shit about you behind your back. That\’s just the way I am.

ー What can you say about the Techno scene and electronic music industry of Slovenia if you compare it with other countries?
ー The techno scene in Slovenia is really bad. I must say that the scene is literally unexisting. We have a few events from time to time, but nothing regular, nothing that I could really point out and say: \”Wow, this is really, really good\”. So we have small boutique things, which are quite okay, but a really big thing with Kurzschluss, but nothing in the middle. So mid-class artists don\’t do well in Slovenia. And that\’s a big problem in our scene, I think.

ー Beyond the beats, how do you unwind and recharge?
ー The best thing is just to go out of the studio to recharge, go out of the clubs to recharge with the family, go on a walk, watch a movie or a good TV series, do sports, whatever. Just go outside and forget about the music for maybe a few hours, if not more.
The best thing is just to go out of the studio to recharge, go out of the clubs to recharge with the family, go on a walk, watch a movie or a good TV series, do sports, whatever. Just go outside and forget about the music for maybe a few hours, if not more.

ー We offer you a short blitz survey:) Share with our readers your favorite:
ー hobby: My hobby would be collecting sneakers, definitely. That\’s something that I like a lot;
ー track that always inspires you: I don\’t have that track that always inspires me, because it\’s like my favorite changes literally from day to day, so I couldn\’t say one track;
ー book: I don\’t read books at all. It\’s been 15 years since I read a book, so I\’m a bad boy here as well;
ー movie: It\’s always “The Matrix”. I will never forget that moment, when Neo has a choice to take Blue or Red pill, and then he wakes up in a different reality. That\’s a moment that is mind-blowing, especially for that time;
ー dish: There will always be sushi. I mean, sushi is a little bit bigger. It\’s not a per se dish. But yeah, let\’s say it\’s sushi.

ー What about your main plans and goals for this year and near future? Anything exciting in the pipeline?
ー My main plans and goals for this year and actually future stay the same as always. Try to be in the studio as many times as possible. Play as many good gigs as possible. It was my goal all my life and after 30 years it still stays the same. And the most important thing for me is to have fun with all this.

ー Thank you for the interview! Look forward to your new projects!
ー Thank you too, guys!

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