DJ Umek

Uroš Umek (Slovene pronunciation: [ˈúːrɔʃ ˈúːmək]; born May 16, 1976), better known as DJ Umek or simply Umek, is a Slovenian dance music composer and DJ. Musically active since 1993, he is the owner of several techno record labels. In 1999 he founded Consumer Recreation and Recycled Loops, the former of which he co-runs with Valentino Kanzyani. Recycled Loops formed the sublabel Earresistible Musick in 2001, and in 2007 Umek founded the large techno label 1605.

rratero Umek
Birth nameUroš Umek
Also known asUmek, Fotr (Father), Alba Patera, Error, Kemu, Mumps, Nuca, Polyvinyl, Ratcapa, Thorax, Tiga (2), Zeta Reticula
Born (1976-05-16) May 16, 1976
OriginLjubljana, Slovenia (then SFR Yugoslavia)
GenresElectronica, techno, tech house
Occupation(s)Disc jockey, record producer
Years active1993–present
LabelsConsumer Recreation, Recycled Loops, Earresistible Musick, Astrodisco, 5, Spinnin' Records, Ultra Records
Associated actsValentino Kanzyani
WebsiteOfficial website

In 2010 he won Best Techno Artist at the Beatport Music Awards,[1] and in 2013 he was named Best Techno DJ at the EMPO Awards.[2] In 2013, he won Best Techno Track at the International Dance Music Awards,[3] and the following year he won Best Techno/Tech House Artist.[3] He has released singles and remixes on Spinnin' Records and Ultra Records. Since 2015 UMEK switched back to darker techno style[4] and is now releasing mostly on his own imprint 1605.

Career

Early years (1990s-2006)

Umek began DJing in 1993 at the age of 17. He was among the pioneers of the electronic music in Slovenia.[5] In 1999 he released music on his own labels Consumer Recreation and Recycled Loops, the former of which he co-runs with Valentino Kanzyani. Umek became famous by techno-supporters in Europe about 2001, for his fast mixing skills and his uplifting dj-sets. In the later years he changed his style a little bit. In 2001 he released music on Earresistible Musick, and in 2006, on Astrodisco.

1605 and hit singles (2006-2015)
See also: 1605 (record label)
External video
UMEK feat. Waka Flocka - Cheezin' (Official Music Video) - this music video, out on Spinnin' Records in January 2015, is somewhat divergent from UMEK's other hit singles.

In 2006 he released a single "Posing As Me," which was a big hit in Slovenia. In 2007 he did another video supported project with a Croatian singer and lyrics writer Anđa Marić Carbon Occasions, and also released music on the label 1605 Records. On his birthday May 16 he organized a musical event called Dan Elektronike (Electronica Day). He was ranked at position 29 of the TOP 100 DJs for the year 2007 by the DJ Magazine. Some people regard Umek as one of the Top 10 Techno DJs in the world.[6] During all the subsequent years - until 2015 he managed to rank in the DJ Mag Top 100 DJs chart among the best DJs.

Year Top 100 DJs rank[7]
2006 #82
2007 #29
2008 #33
2009 #39
2010 #50
2011 #60
2012 #59
2013 #97
2014 #75
2015 #70

He performed an Essential Mix on BBC Radio 1 in November 2007.[8]

2010 was an adventurous and creative year for Umek. He released 2 No.1 Beatport hits: OMGWTF and "Back In the Race". He also teamed up with former Slovenian president Danilo Türk to appeal to high-school graduates not to drink alcohol on their prom dance.[9] And in March of the same year he released his second authorial album and first on his label 1605 - "Responding To Dynamic",[10] which acquired much attention in the world of techno music.

In 2011 Umek launched his first radio show "Behind The Iron Curtain with Umek",[11] currently present on more than 130 FM and online radio stations worldwide, where he weekly presents new talent and new music selection.

From 2012 Umek's music style switch more to tech-house and commercial waters, which got him his first performance on Tomorrowland[11] and mainstage performance on Electric Daisy Carnival Las Vegas[12] in 2013. He started releasing much of his music on Spinnin' Records and in the beginning of 2015 he released a collaboration with an American rapper Waka Flocka Flame,[13] which stirred up the waters in the music industry.

Return to the dark side (2015+)

2015 was an important year in Umek's career. He decided to return to his roots of darker techno sounds, accompanied by the revival of his old electro moniker Zeta Reticula.[14] To power-up his label he started to release the majority of his music on 1605. He also renewed his visual identity, reflecting his darker music style.[4]

In 2016 Umek co-founded a new music start-up company Viberate,[15] which analyzes musicians and ranks them by their popularity and which already moved from his home city of Ljubljana to Silicon Valley. During 2016 Umek teamed up once again with Toolroom Records and released his first ever music production course,[16] titled "Techno Masterclass with Umek", featuring 5,5 hours of quality music production tips and tricks.

On December 21, 2018, Umek celebrated 25 years of making music at the sold-out event in Ljubljana, receiving congratulations from British techno DJ and producer Carl Cox and the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Borut Pahor, among others.[17]

Awards
Year Award Nominated work Category Result
2010 Beatport Music Awards DJ Umek Best Techno Artist[1] Won
2013 EMPO Awards DJ Umek Best Techno DJ[2] Won
International Dance
Music Awards		 "Goes On" Best Techno Track[3] Won
2014 DJ Umek Best Techno/Tech House Artist[18] Won
2015 "Burnfire" Best Tech House/Techno Track[19] Won

Discography
Main article: Umek discography

EPs

The following is an incomplete list of EPs released by DJ Umek:

Remixes

The following is an incomplete list of remixes released by DJ Umek:

  • 2013: Fedde Le Grand - "Metrum (UMEK Remix)" (Toolroom Records)
  • 2013: Ralph Falcon - "The Dig" (Renaissance Back Catalog)
  • 2013: Parov Stelar - "All Night" (1605)
  • 2013: Bontan - "The Revolution (UMEK Remix)" (Kraftek)
  • 2014: Chris Lake, Jareth - "Helium (UMEK & Mike Vale Remix)" (Ultra Records)
  • 2020: Quench - "Dreams (UMEK Version)" (1605)tus ideas 1605

Further reading
  • ''UMEK Talks Techno, Tronic & Cryptocurrency; Plus, Listen to New EP 'Certain Trace': Exclusive''. Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  • "Comeback gig in Slovenia". ibiza-voice.com. Archived from the original on January 26, 2013. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
  • "Interview - Slovenian techno sound". mK iArticles. Archived from the original on May 3, 2008. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
  • "DJmag Top 100 DJs 2009". Archived from the original on 5 October 2009. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
  • "Umek Interview - He got hooked". miamiundergroundmovement.libsyn.com. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
  • "Mastering performances". 365mag.com. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
  • "Umek interview - The big break". miamiundergroundmovement.libsyn.com. Retrieved May 19, 2009.

References
  1. "Beatport Music Awards 2010 results". HousePlanet. 2010-05-28. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
  2. "EMPO Awards 2013". upfm.dj. 2015-04-02. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
  3. "31st Annual International Dance Music Awards - Winter Music Conference 2016 - WMC 2016". Winter Music Conference. Archived from the original on 2017-11-07. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
  4. "UMEK celebrates his new (old?) music style with a visual makeover". Retrieved 2017-01-26.
  5. "UMEK". The DJ List. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
  6. "DJMag". djmag.com. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
  7. "Top 100 DJs 2016 | DJMag.com". djmag.com. Retrieved 2017-01-26.
  8. BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix - Umek - 24 November 2007
  9. "Türk skupaj z DJ Umekom v videu za maturantsko četvorko brez alkohola | Dnevnik". www.dnevnik.si. Retrieved 2017-01-26.
  10. Laptoprockers. "Umek 'Responding To Dynamic'". Laptoprockers. Retrieved 2017-01-26.
  11. "Umek's Behind the Iron Curtain owning radio listeners « Uncategorized « EDM Magazine". Retrieved 2017-01-26.
  12. "Electric Daisy Carnival Las Vegas 2013 | ShoutDRIVE: Dance Music & EDM Audio Channel & Community". www.shoutdrive.com. Retrieved 2017-01-26.
  13. Lombardo, Scott (2015-01-22). "Most Unlikely Collab Ever? Umek Meets Waka Flocka In 'Cheezin' - EDMTunes". EDMTunes. Retrieved 2017-01-26.
  14. "Umek revives Zeta Reticula". Retrieved 2017-01-26.
  15. "Slovenian techno stalwart Umek heads a new electronic music data platform - Viberate - Decoded Magazine". Decoded Magazine. 2016-10-25. Retrieved 2017-01-26.
  16. "Umek napravio Techno Masterclass tečaj za producente". Mixmag Adria. Retrieved 2017-01-30.
  17. "25th anniversary of Umek's music creations". www.kurzschluss.si. Retrieved 2019-10-30.
  18. "31st Annual International Dance Music Awards - Winter Music Conference 2016 - WMC 2016". Winter Music Conference. Archived from the original on 2017-11-07. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
  19. "1- 41 winners at IDMA 2015". MissMatildaBlog. 2015-03-30. Retrieved 2017-01-26.
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